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Know that the Lord our God is Lord of all nations. We are all His children, we belong to Him regardless of race and language.

He wants to share the fullness of life in Him. Those who accept Him as Lord and God and proclaim Him as such will for all eternity experience His peace, love and joy for themselves and their families.
The power of the Holy Spirit is upon us and will lead us home to Him. Amen

First reading
Romans 4:13,16-18

The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations – Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.
  Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars.
Psalm

Gospel
Luke 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
  ‘I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of the angels. But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels.
  ‘Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
  ‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.’

We can do nothing on our own to earn our way into eternal life with God our heavenly Father.  And so simply giving money, performing religious duties, attending retreats; whatever else without faith and love comes to naught.

Our faith comes from the Lord our God, and it is our response to the faith given freely which gives us hope. For God our heavenly Father created us and loves each and everyone one of us tenderly.  That is why He gave His only Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so that we might be saved through Him. Again the greatest gift of love, given freely. And it is our response to Jesus which gives us life.

Thank You Abba for the gift of life and love. Thank You for Jesus my Lord of whom I serve with all my heart. Grant me the grace to remain steadfast in faith and in Your love. Amen

First reading
Romans 4:1-8

What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
Happy those whose crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are blotted out;
happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.

Gospel
Luke 12:1-7

The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
  ‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’

It is knowing and accepting that I came into the world with nothing and I am returning to Him the way I came. And so all I can rightfully offer is of myself and I do so willingly to my Heavenly Father for I am unique and created in His Love.  I hold on to nothing except His love for me, and my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

When we do not welcome the stranger in our midst or treat non-believers differently from our Christian brethren. Are we beyond reproach? When we insist on proper decorum or reverence without doing anything to lead the people into a relationship with our Lord and God. Have we not failed as shepherds?

Our Lord Jesus came to save us all, Gentile or Jew. For we all bear the image of our creator, our Heavenly Father. Let us then love one another with His love. And strive hard to lead one another home to Him. Amen

First reading
Romans 3:21-30

God’s justice that was made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who believes in Jesus Christ. Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’s glory, and both are justified through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus who was appointed by God to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith. In this way God makes his justice known; first, for the past, when sins went unpunished because he held his hand, then, for the present age, by showing positively that he is just, and that he justifies everyone who believes in Jesus.
  So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. What sort of law excludes them? The sort of law that tells us what to do? On the contrary, it is the law of faith, since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do. Is God the God of Jews alone and not of the pagans too? Of the pagans too, most certainly, since there is only one God.

Gospel
Luke 11:47-54

Jesus said:
  ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.
  ‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
  ‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’
  When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.

What is our role here on earth sisters and brothers? Are we here to seek perfection in others while we remain imperfect? Are we here to point out the glaring faults in others that our sharp eyes easily pick up? Are we to dish out heavy punishment and penance for others before we forgive them first before God does? Do we indeed complain, grumble about all that is going on in the church, world, workplace and home? Are we living in the Spirit?

Our Heavenly Father sees and knows everything. In His mercy and love,  His Son was sent so that we might be set free to love and live in His Spirit.  Our role is this, to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. To Love one another as He loves us. We must strive each day to lead one another closer to our Heavenly inheritance.

Lord Jesus renew each day with Your love, cleanse me of my sins. That I may always serve You in humble servitude. Amen

First reading
Romans 2:1-11

No matter who you are, if you pass judgement you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge. We know that God condemns that sort of behaviour impartially: and when you judge those who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you will escape God’s judgement? Or are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to repentance? Your stubborn refusal to repent is only adding to the anger God will have towards you on that day of anger when his just judgements will be made known. He will repay each one as his works deserve. For those who sought renown and honour and immortality by always doing good there will be eternal life; for the unsubmissive who refused to take truth for their guide and took depravity instead, there will be anger and fury. Pain and suffering will come to every human being who employs himself in evil – Jews first, but Greeks as well; renown, honour and peace will come to everyone who does good – Jews first, but Greeks as well. God has no favourites.

Gospel
Luke 11:42-46

The Lord said to the Pharisees:
  ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!
  A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’
  ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’

We live in a very secular world today where materialism and consumerism is at an all time high.  Self help gurus are aplenty but there is a price to pay for ‘self help’ for nothing in the world is free! Where is God? He doesn’t exist, he has been made up by weak minded folks. No! It’s by crafty men who use religion to control the minds and pockets of others. Others in desperation of some need resort to charms, trinkets, stones, objects of deities. But there are also those who are obsessed with only traditions, the ritual rites and their head knowledge of God with no real relationship with Him.

How do we know God exist? Because we Christians have encountered Him in a deep personal way.  We have experienced the abundant love of God our heavenly Father through His Son our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ! We have constant joy and peace in our hearts which cannot be bought at any price. Yet it is given freely to us by our merciful, loving God. And because God dwells in our hearts, it is reflected on our faces, our words and our actions.

Lord I offer my all to You, use me according to Your Will. Amen

First reading
Romans 1:16-25

I am not ashamed of the Good News: it is the power of God saving all who have faith – Jews first, but Greeks as well – since this is what reveals the justice of God to us: it shows how faith leads to faith, or as scripture says: The upright man finds life through faith.
  The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain. Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity – however invisible – have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse: they knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened. The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles. That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies, since they have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen!

Gospel
Luke 11:37-41

Jesus had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at the table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, ‘Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.’

Whether or not we actively searched for Him, God our Father sought us out first through His Son. And those of us who were found or found our Lord Jesus Christ rejoiced. By our burning desire to know Him we were cleansed of our sins. And His love and peace was outpoured upon us.

Others questioned a little more which is good in itself for it led them to greater faith for ultimately we have a decision to make. And that is whether or not to be obedient and receive the grace of faith? Or we can make excuses, reject the grace and whither away?

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ is upon us who choose Him. Amen

First reading
Romans 1:1-7

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures.
  This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.

Gospel
Luke 11:29-32

The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’

I realise people want an instruction manual on how to discern God’s voice but there isn’t one for all.  He speaks to us in varied ways, through a gentle whisper, signs, a spoken word, a passage, a memory, a friend, stranger, song. The promptings of the Holy Spirit often challenges us to come out of the comfort zone of our daily lives. And so often we wrestle with whether we want to heed the call.  Other times we may receive consolations and a clear direction. The list of ways is inexhaustible for the Holy Spirit blows where it wills and cannot be contained and compartmentalised. 

Hence the journey always begins with knowing who God is in our lives. Building our relationship with Him through prayer and His Word,  His Word made flesh. Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Peace all just to share a little on how encouraging all the readings, psalms Gospel acclamation and Gospel of today actually is. When we desire to know God’s Will,  He gives us the wisdom and knowledge to follow Him.  When we give our all to Him and to the service of our brethren for His sake, we will have our heavenly inheritance. We don’t have to all be Theologians for He reveals the mysteries of His Kingdom to mere children.  Here are extracts from the above mentioned weaved together…

I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.

Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Show forth your work to your servants; let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.

The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing can hide from him; everything is uncovered and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves.

Jesus says ‘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.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to mere children. Because everything is possible for God.’  In the world to come, we will have eternal life.

How do we recognise the voice of a family member, friend or spouse over the other end of the phone? How do we know for sure it is them and not someone pretending to sound like them? Well it comes from the deep personal relationship we have developed with them over the years.  We embrace in their voice every intonation, syllable, style, thought presented and content.  And so  it is with listening to the voice of God our Father. It is through the oneness with Him that we hear His voice clearly.

That being said how do we start? What must we do?

Well let us begin first by asking what is God our Father’s Will, not just for me or some of us but for all of us? 

We are created in His image, to know, love, worship and serve Him.

By our baptism we are all called to be Saints, that is we are called to Holiness.  As Jesus says in sacred scripture, be Holy as Your Heavenly Father is Holy.  He desires that all of us will one day be with Him in paradise.  So now that we have established our end goal, which is to be with our Father in Heaven.  We can now begin to explore what our Father’s Will is for us individually.

He knew us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb which means He knows all our strengths and our weaknesses, our gifts and personalities. We are called to serve in our uniqueness, there is no need to be whom we are not. For instance if I have a strong character and personality then I will serve in that capacity but bearing in mind that I serve Him and my brethren with the noble humility of a servant.  Everyone is called to serve in one way or another. 

When the young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him that he should observe the commandments and more than that to let go of earthly attachments and follow Him.  Jesus teaches and shows us the way, that there is no communion without sacrifice.  We must give our all! And so when we partake of the sacrifice in the Eucharist we receive the grace not to live for ourselves but for others.  Those who partake for themselves neither grow or are transformed. 

In His new commandment to us in the Gospel according to John, Jesus tells us to love one another as He loved us.  And how did He love us? He loved us so much He laid down His life for us.  God’s love is such that it Wills the good in us. And so if we are to love one another the same way He does, then our love too must be to will the good in others.  As St Paul says. we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. And so our loving sacrifice of service to all, must be centred on our Lord Jesus Christ who is the source of our love and life.

The greatest obstacle to listening to God’s will for us and His voice is sin.  Sin allows for the voices of the world and our egos to overpower our ability to hear Him. Hence it is important for us to go regularly for the Sacrament of reconciliation and Holy Eucharist in order to receive the necessary Graces to walk in His light.  Although we must be alert and aware of the evil that surrounds us.  We take comfort in the fact that as children living in the light, sin and evil has no hold over us.

In order to hear His voice clearly we must deepen our relationship by falling in love with our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.  For Christ did say my sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me.  To do this we need to set aside quality time to read the Word of God found in the Bible.  It is Jesus the living Word we seek and will surely find in the pages come to life.  Also prayer time is of utmost importance for it is through prayer we unite ourselves to Him.  Like mary we sit at His feet listening eagerly to what He has to say to us. And like the woman seated with Jesus at the well we are offered living water to drink.  Our contemplative prayer life is how we unite our wills to that of our Lord and God.

And so my sisters and brothers in Christ, as we move forward towards our journey home.  We have Holy Mother church and the Holy Spirit to guide us on our way.  We have our Blessed Mother and all the Saints interceeding for us.  St Paul encourages us not to quench the spirit, to hold fast to all that is good and test everything.  Let us help and encourage one another then to remain steadfast in faith and love.  To always turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospels. So that we too might be crucified in Christ, so that we no longer live but Christ who lives in us. Amen

**
In the early stages of discernment it is advisable to have a Spiritual Director.  A priest, religious or an elder in the Church you can turn to for advice.
**

God our Heavenly Father sent His Son so that we might be saved and be with Him together in His Kingdom.

Blessed indeed is Mary our Mother by God’s grace. Who points us to her Son Jesus Christ.  The Word made flesh and dwelt among us. Blessed are we who receive His Word into our hearts and soul. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Joel 4:12-21

The Lord says this:
‘Let the nations rouse themselves, let them march
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for I am going to sit in judgement there
on all the nations round.
Put the sickle in:
the harvest is ripe;
come and tread:
the winepress is full,
the vats are overflowing,
so great is their wickedness!’
Host on host
in the Valley of Decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the Valley of Decision!
Sun and moon grow dark,
the stars lose their brilliance.
The Lord roars from Zion,
makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth tremble.
But the Lord will be a shelter for his people,
a stronghold for the sons of Israel.
‘You will learn then that I am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be a holy place,
no alien will ever pass through it again.’
When that day comes,
the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills flow with milk,
and all the river beds of Judah
will run with water.
A fountain will spring from the house of the Lord
to water the wadi of Acacias.
Egypt will become a desolation,
Edom a desert waste
on account of the violence done to the sons of Judah
whose innocent blood they shed in their country.
But Judah will be inhabited for ever,
Jerusalem from age to age.
‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished’,
and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.

Gospel
Luke 11:27-28

As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

Many are still struggling with sin. They think of themselves as weak, helpless and so decide to give in or give up.  Unwittingly they allow themselves to be plunged into darkness and gloom. Some having been cleansed find excuses to either dabble a little or on the fringes of sin, they are then sucked into it wholly.

The Good News is then Christ had conquered death and sin! It was never a battle to begin with for He is Almighty. And so by choosing Jesus and turning away from sin, we choose life! The light of Christ will free us from all sin. Sin has no hold over us. So let us encourage one another to remain steadfast, to go often for the Sacrament of reconciliation and to receive Christ in Holy Communion. To receive the necessary Graces to prevail over sin.

Praise and Glory be to Jesus our Lord! Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2

Priests, put on sackcloth and lament.
Ministers of the altar, wail.
Come, pass the night in sackcloth,
you ministers of my God.
For the house of our God has been deprived
of oblation and libation.
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly;
elders, call together
all the inhabitants of the country
to the house of the Lord your God.
Cry out to the Lord,
‘Oh, what a day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
it comes as a devastation from Shaddai.’
Sound the trumpet in Zion,
give the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming,
yes, it is near.
Day of darkness and gloom,
day of cloud and blackness.
Like the dawn there spreads across the mountains
a vast and mighty host,
such as has never been before,
such as will never be again
to the remotest ages.

Gospel
Luke 11:15-26

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
  ‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
  ‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’

Seek always to listen for our Lord’s voice for the voice of our egos are usually louder.  Seek and desire to always do His Will and the Holy Spirit will indeed guide you.

For when we choose to walk in His light we walk in His love. And a reflection of that love is to will the good in another. All we ask we will be given in service of Him and our brethren. Amen

First reading
Malachi 3:13-20

You say harsh things about me, says the Lord. You ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ You say, ‘It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? Now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed; yes, they prosper, these evil-doers; they try God’s patience and yet go free.’ This is what those who fear the Lord used to say to one another. But the Lord took note and heard them: a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who fear him and take refuge in his name. On the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts, they are going to be my own special possession. I will make allowances for them as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him. Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him. For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.

Gospel
Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
  ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

Dearest Blessed Mother, thank you for the most wonderful gift of the Rosary.  For every prayer and reflection points and draws us closer to your Son Jesus. Through the rosary we are strengthened and renewed, for we come to Him and He gives us rest. Your spouse the Holy Spirit emboldens us to live out and proclaim the Gospels as we dwell on the mysteries contained within.

In Today’s readings dear Mother, we learn many things from you. How to trust and say Yes to our Heavenly Father. How we should not be afraid to ask questions if unsure and our Lord will answer. How to accept the answer whatever it may be for it is the Will of God our Father. And to rejoice in Him always.  But most of all to always be prayerful and be part of the community in Christ.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death Amen.

Our Lady of the Rosary – Memorial

First reading
Acts 1:12-14

After Jesus was taken up into heaven the apostles went back from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a sabbath walk; and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Gospel
Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

Which loving parent would want their child put in harms way or to be playing with harmful things? And so we chide and discipline our children otherwise they may be seriously hurt or even die.

Our loving Father wants us His children to be obedient to His Word. He does not want us to be destroyed by sin!  Jesus was sent to help us,  so that we might listen, be transformed by His love for us;and be saved.

Lord Jesus guide me daily so that I know when I must be busy serving my brethren and when I should just sit and be silent listening to Your Word for me. I endeavour to set aside time for quiet adoration. Amen

First reading
Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

Gospel
Luke 10:38-42

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

First reading
Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

Gospel
Luke 10:38-42

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

Does race, language, religion or unforgiveness prevent us from helping another in dire need of help? Are we inclined to help only those of whom we deem worthy? How are our eyes not opened to see that we are all God’s children? What is blinding us?

Our Heavenly Father loves all of us and in His mercy He often chooses us to reach out to those who are lost. Especially those in most need of His mercy and love.  Running away from His call to help due to our hang-ups and unwillingness only distances us from Him.  Soon we will find that chaos surrounds us for we had chosen to be alone, indifferent and asleep.

Our Lord is patient and merciful. He gives us time to reflect and ponder over the error of our ways. And when we are ready to live in His light and love. He frees us from the bondage of our sins and fills us with His love. So that we too might love others with His love and extend His mercy towards them. Especially the stranger who is our neighbour!

Praise be Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen

First reading
Jonah 1:1-2:1,11

The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:
  ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.’ Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, ‘What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.’ Then they said to each other, ‘Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?’ He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, ‘What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?’ For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, ‘Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.’ The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, ‘O the Lord, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, the Lord, have acted as you have thought right.’ And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
  The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.

Gospel
Luke 10:25-37

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
  But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’

We should never lose hope, for the Lord knows it is a struggle daily for us to walk in the light.  He is there for us and should we fall He is there to pick us up. Never should we be discouraged our fearful but turn back to Him immediately. His mercy and loving embrace awaits the return of the sinner.

We who choose daily to walk in His light are given the grace to overcome all evil. We are given all we need to lead others into walking in that same joyful light of our Lord.  Let us rejoice for one day soon we will walk with Him in paradise. Amen

First reading
Baruch 4:5-12,27-29

Take courage, my people,
constant reminder of Israel.
You were sold to the nations,
but not for extermination.
You provoked God;
and so were delivered to your enemies,
since you had angered your creator
by offering sacrifices to demons, not to God.
You had forgotten the eternal God who reared you.
You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,
for when she saw the anger fall on you
from God, she said:
Listen, you neighbours of Zion:
God has sent me great sorrow.
I have seen my sons and daughters taken into captivity,
to which they have been sentenced by the Eternal.
I had reared them joyfully;
in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.
Do not, any of you, exult over me,
a widow, deserted by so many;
I suffer loneliness because of the sins of my own children,
who turned away from the Law of God.
Take courage, my children, call on God:
he who brought disaster on you will remember you.
As by your will you first strayed away from God,
so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard;
for as he brought down those disasters on you,
so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.

Gospel
Luke 10:17-24

The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’
  It was then that, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
  Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

Do we behave like spoilt, disobedient children wanting what we want with no regard for others? No gratitude for the gifts we have received? Using one another to get what we want then discarding like rags in this throw away culture? Do we not then deserve the consequences of our choices made and actions? Always dissatisfied and alone even in a crowd.

We are made for more! God our Father wants each and everyone of us to be the best version of ourselves. For in His great love we are created in His image.  And His image is love!  His love wills the good in us. So must we love with that same love of willing the good in another. We are His children and so let us cling to the Holiness of our Heavenly Father knowing He will provide for all we need. Let us love one another as He loves us. Amen

First reading
Baruch 1:15-22

Integrity belongs to the Lord our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, to our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors, because we have sinned in the sight of the Lord, have disobeyed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained for us. From the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice. And so the disasters, and the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow, have seized on us, disasters we experience today. Despite all the words of those prophets whom he sent us, we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, but, each following the dictates of his evil heart, we have taken to serving alien gods, and doing what is displeasing to the Lord our God.

Gospel
Matthew 18:1-5,10

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
  ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

Today as we gathered to reflect and share on Evangelii Gaudium,  one of the the items we shared was how little we affirm others if at all.  On my journey hope I reflected a little more on this and this came to mind.

If we look upon giving affirmation as extending the love of Christ, would we not do it more?

Are we one people united as one before God our Father in the Eucharistic Celebration? Or have we come individually to worship? Have we greeted one another and welcomed one another? Do we come eager to hear the Word of the Lord proclaimed and then to listen attentively to the homily? Do we truly celebrate the love of God present in the Eucharist? 

If we have come with one heart and mind to worship our Lord and God. And embraced His Word into our very being. Then we would have rejoiced at receiving Jesus into our very bodies. For His abundant love and grace would be poured into us.

And at the end of the celebration with gladden hearts we would surely go as we are sent to share His love and the Good news with everyone.  Spending time sharing and building His Kingdom. So as to gather His children unto Him.

Glory be to the Father and the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Nehemiah 8:1-12

When the seventh month came, all the people gathered as one man on the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had prescribed for Israel. Accordingly Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
  Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose; beside him stood, on his right, Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; on his left, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. (Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabab, Hanan, Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the Law to the people while the people remained standing.) And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.
  Then (Nehemiah – His Excellency – and) Ezra, priest and scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.
  He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.’ And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be at ease; this is a sacred day. Do not be sad.’ And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away and begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.

Gospel
Luke 10:1-12

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’

I don’t have time right now. I don’t know enough about my faith or scripture. If I get involved in Church activities my spouse will be left behind as he/she is not of the same faith level or same faith. Need to settle my affairs first so when I retire I will have more time. I really want to but I got this, this, this and that.  Many reasons and excuses for not responding to the call to build God our Father’s Kingdom.

All it actually takes is a deep wanting desire to serve the Lord and our brethren. To recognize and see that there is much to be done for many are broken, thirsty and hungry for God.  They want to experience His love, to know His Word and way.  All it takes is for us to use the little gifts and talents that we have; knowing that our Lord and God will provide the rest.  He will even multiply what we have been given to build His and our share in the Kingdom.

Jesus lead me and I will follow. Amen

First reading
Nehemiah 2:1-8

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the wine being my concern, I took up the wine and offered it to the king. Now I had never been downcast before. So the king said, ‘Why is your face so sad? You are not sick, surely? This must be a sadness of the heart.’ A great fear came over me and I said to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! How could my face be other than sad when the city where the tombs of my ancestors are lies in ruins, and its gates have been burnt down?’ ‘What’ the king asked ‘is your request?’ I called on the God of heaven and made this reply to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if you are satisfied with your servant, give me leave to go to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, and rebuild it.’ The king, with the queen sitting there beside him, said, ‘How long will your journey take, and when will you return?’ So I named a date that seemed acceptable to the king and he gave me leave to go. I spoke to the king once more, ‘If it please the king, could letters be given me for the governors of Transeuphrates to allow me to pass through to Judah? And also a letter for Asaph, keeper of the king’s park, to supply me with timber for the gates of the citadel of the Temple, for the city walls and for the house I am to occupy?’ This the king granted me, for the kindly favour of my God was with me.

Gospel
Luke 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
  Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
  Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Glory to God in the highest! 

We have powerful allies in our fight against evil. Yet we hardly call upon them for help nor do we seek counsel from our guardian angels.  Still they are present to aid us when our will is in union with God our Father.  So that together we may sing God’s praises.

Jesus my Lord, King of heaven and on earth! I praise You and pray to to glorify You in all I say and do. Grant that I may one day be united with You, the Angels and the Saints. Forever, Amen.

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels – Feast

First reading
Apocalypse 12:7-12

Now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.’

Gospel
John 1:47-51

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

In His great mercy and love, the Lord our God gathers His people unto Himself.  Our Heavenly Father loves all His children equally with no favourites.

Those who seek to do His Will more, unlocks within themselves the ability to experience His love more. In the same way those who are forgiven more, will respond to His forgiving love more. The more we give of His love to others in willing their good, the more we receive.

Let our love for our Lord not be one of wanting more for ourselves. Not one for seeking recognition and power. But one of humble service, recognizing the good and the unique gifts of one another. To lovingly encourage one another to use the gifts received for the good of those whom we serve.

Let us be children pleasing to God our Father who loves us ever so dearly. Amen

First reading
Zechariah 8:1-8

The word of the Lord of Hosts was addressed to me as follows:
‘The Lord of Hosts says this.
I am burning with jealousy for Zion,
with great anger for her sake.
‘The Lord of Hosts says this.
I am coming back to Zion
and shall dwell in the middle of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be called Faithful City
and the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the Holy Mountain.
‘The Lord of Hosts says this.
Old men and old women will again sit down
in the squares of Jerusalem;
every one of them staff in hand
because of their great age.
And the squares of the city will be full
of boys and girls
playing in the squares.
‘The Lord of Hosts says this.
If this seems a miracle
to the remnant of this people (in those days),
will it seem one to me?
It is the Lord of Hosts who speaks.
‘The Lord of Hosts says this.
Now I am going to save my people
from the countries of the East
and from the countries of the West.
I will bring them back
to live inside Jerusalem.
They shall be my people
and I will be their God
in faithfulness and integrity.’

Gospel
Luke 9:46-50

An argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’
  John spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘we saw a man casting out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.’

Did God our Father promise that life would be easy and smooth sailing for all His faithful? No! But He assured us that He would be with us every step of the way. And He has…

Jesus our Lord shows us by example that the road to eternal life is by way of the cross. Does that mean we all have to die horrific, painful deaths? No! It simply means that we take up our own cross to follow Him, and to do Father’s Will to the end. He is with us always and had gone ahead to prepare rooms for us.

Thank You Jesus, we praise You Jesus, we love You Jesus. Amen

First reading
Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15

Raising my eyes, I saw a vision. It was this: there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked him, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out her breadth and her length.’ And then, while the angel who was talking to me stood still, another angel came forward to meet him. He said to him, ‘Run, and tell that young man this, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her. But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her.”’
Sing, rejoice,
daughter of Zion;
for I am coming
to dwell in the middle of you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Many nations will join the Lord,
on that day;
they will become his people.

Gospel
Luke 9:43-45

At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.

What we have is greater than the temple here,  the most valuable treasure in the world and yet not of the world.  Our Lord and God who came to pay off a debt we could not pay with a once and for all sacrifice.  Himself!

How can we not honour and love our Lord Jesus Christ with grateful hearts? He who in His great mercy has forgiven us our great debt, our sins. He who set us free to live and love in His peace. Am I one who was forgiven little and therefore love little? Or do I reflect the great love of our Lord I have received?

Jesus You are mine as I am Yours. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Haggai 1:15-2:9

In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows, ‘You are to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high commissioner of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people. Say this, “Who is there left among you that saw this Temple in its former glory? And how does it look to you now? Does it seem nothing to you? But take courage now, Zerubbabel – it is the Lord who speaks. Courage, High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak! Courage, all you people of the country! – it is the Lord who speaks. To work! I am with you – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks– and my spirit remains among you. Do not be afraid! For the Lord of Hosts says this: A little while now, and I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and the treasures of all the nations shall flow in, and I will fill this Temple with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. Mine is the silver, mine the gold! – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks. The new glory of this Temple is going to surpass the old, says the Lord of Hosts, and in this place I will give peace – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks.”’

Gospel
Luke 9:18-22

One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.
  ‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘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.’

Let us be bold in our fervor to proclaim the Gospel, for the kingdom of God has come indeed. 

We have been set free from the bondages of sin, let us do likewise for our brethren by bringing them back to the Lord our God. Let us bring the love, mercy and healing of Jesus to all we meet. For we have been given the grace to do so.

Jesus I am Your disciple. Let it be done according to Your Will. Amen

St Pio pray for us…..

( Feast – Saint Pius of Pietrelcina aka St (Padre) Pio)

First reading
Ezra 9:5-9

At the evening sacrifice I, Ezra, came out of my stupor and falling on my knees, with my garment and cloak torn, I stretched out my hands to the Lord my God, and said:
  ‘My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our crimes have increased, until they are higher than our heads, and our sin has piled up to heaven. From the days of our ancestors until now our guilt has been great; on account of our crimes we, our kings and our priests, were given into the power of the kings of other countries, given to the sword, to captivity, to pillage and to shame, as is the case today. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place; this is how our God has cheered our eyes and given us a little respite in our slavery. For we are slaves; but God has not forgotten us in our slavery; he has shown us kindness in the eyes of the kings of Persia, obtaining permission for us to rebuild the Temple of our God and restore its ruins, and he has found us safety and shelter in Judah and in Jerusalem.’

Gospel
Luke 9:1-6

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.

It is truly sad that in our very own families there are members who do not attend the Eucharist Celebration or are living very secular lives. What are we doing to lead them home to God? How can we adopt ‘a live and let live’ attitude when we have encountered Jesus in a deep personal way? How can we not share the wonderful truth of God’s love and His Word? Do we not want for them what we have, hope for eternal life? To give them an opportunity here and now to experience His peace, love and joy.  To live in the fullness of life?

Sisters and brothers, we are all Children of God. And as one body in Christ, let us lead one another to live the Word of God deeply in our lives. To worship, love and live as one family in Him.

And may almighty God bless us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

First reading
Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20

King Darius wrote to the satrap of Transeuphrates and his colleagues: ‘Leave the high commissioner of Judah and the elders of the Jews to work on this Temple of God; they are to rebuild this Temple of God on its ancient site. This, I decree, is how you must assist the elders of the Jews in the reconstruction of this Temple of God: the expenses of these people are to be paid, promptly and without fail, from the royal revenue – that is, from the tribute of Transeuphrates. May the God who causes his name to live there overthrow any king or people who dares to defy this and destroy the Temple of God in Jerusalem! I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed to the letter!’
  The elders of the Jews prospered with their building, inspired by Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building in accordance with the order of the God of Israel and the order of Cyrus and of Darius. This Temple was finished on the twenty-third day of the month of Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The Israelites – the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the exiles – joyfully dedicated this Temple of God; for the dedication of this Temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs and, as a sacrifice for sin for the whole of Israel, twelve he-goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. Then they installed the priests according to their orders in the service of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as is written in the Book of Moses.
  The exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Levites, as one man, had purified themselves; all were pure, so they sacrificed the passover for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

Gospel
Luke 8:19-21

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

We are all very good indeed for we are created in the image and likeness of God.  Evil however seeks to distort that view of ourselves and of others through sin.  It seeks to scatter us through unholy thoughts, even trickery.  Some might be led to feel useless and alone in this world. While others may be led to think they are without sin and above all others.

Jesus had come to unite us all and so while we are many parts we are all one body in Him. We recognise that we are all sinners striving for holiness and we can achieve it through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. We are constantly renewed, strengthened through His mercy and grace.

Our Christian unity lies in the gifts and love we share with one another through Him, with Him and in Him. Amen

First reading
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
  Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

Gospel
Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus was walking on he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
  While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

Who is Jesus to You? How have you received Him into your lives, if at all? How deep is your relationship with Jesus? Do you have ties and relationships with others in the community as a result of that relationship with Jesus?

For truly receiving the Word of God into our lives is a constant renewal of dying to ourselves so as to give birth to a life giving harvest. It is through this labour of love we unite and attach ourselves to the vine, the source of all life.  We experience the joy of a fulfilled and abundant life through the love and service of others.

Lord Jesus help me to till the soil of my heart so as to be able to receive Your seed to grow. To remove the weeds and to mix in the necessary nutrients required for a fruitful harvest. Use me Lord according to Your Will. Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 6:13-16

Before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

Gospel
Luke 8:4-15

With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable:
  ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
  His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that
they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.
‘This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’

Christianity is not centred on doctrine or traditions but in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. He freed us from the wiles and sins of the world so that we may freely live in His love. 

Yet many are drawn to wealth, power, greed and wanton sex which never fulfils. Others prefer to choose their own knowledge and wisdom in the understanding of scripture and their own interpretations. Choosing to lead others away from the definitive teachings of Jesus and His Church. Some even making a luxurious living out of it.

Eternal life cannot be bought with the currency of this world. It is given freely to those who seek to do the Will of God. Who lives by example in Holiness and are counted among the saints. Who provides for themselves and for their brethren through their labour and resources. Witnesses to the love and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, willing to lay down their lives for another.

Lord let me be a witness to Your love. Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 6:2-12

This is what you are to teach the brothers to believe and persuade them to do. Anyone who teaches anything different, and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion, is simply ignorant and must be full of self-conceit – with a craze for questioning everything and arguing about words. All that can come of this is jealousy, contention, abuse and wicked mistrust of one another; and unending disputes by people who are neither rational nor informed and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit. Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with that. People who long to be rich are a prey to temptation; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction. ‘The love of money is the root of all evils’ and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.
  But, as a man dedicated to God, you must avoid all that. You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses.

Gospel
Luke 8:1-3

Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.

Do you not hear the call of our Lord speaking to your hearts? Come to me, do not be afraid child. I am seeking to embrace you and forgive you, your sins. To set you free to love as you are meant to love.

We who have responded to His call can testify to the great mercy and love of our Lord and God. For we were lost but now am found. Were hungry and thirsty and now nourished with His Word. Were clothed in filth but are now restored with the garment of righteousness. Eyes, ears and mouth are opened to see, hear His Word and proclaim the Glory of His love through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Let us pray…..

I welcome You into my heart Lord by serving You and my brethren with tears of joy. I kiss You through my adoration, worship and unceasing prayers in communion with You my Jesus. I annoint You Lord with the oil of my faith put into action. Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 4:12-16

Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. Make use of the time until I arrive by reading to the people, preaching and teaching. You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not let it lie unused. Think hard about all this, and put it into practice, and everyone will be able to see how you are advancing. Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

Gospel
Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.
  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right.’
  Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Are we Catholic and Convinced? We have the fullness of faith through the Church our Lord established and the Sacraments He entrusted to it.  Yet we only seem satisfied to celebrate milestones in our lives in the 50s and 100s? What about the fact that for two thousand over years our Church has stood tall and the gates of hell has no power to overcome it!  We should be proclaiming the victory won with all our might and vigor. Jesus is Lord! He is Risen and reigns supreme.

For unless we love the Lord with all our hearts, minds and soul.
For unless we honour, praise and thank Him.
For unless we spend time with Him through prayer and His Word.
For unless we forgive and love one another.
We have no part with Him.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen……………and the life of the world to come. Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 3:14-16

At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:
He was made visible in the flesh,
attested by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the pagans,
believed in by the world,
taken up in glory.

Gospel
Luke 7:31-35

Jesus said to the people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:
‘“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges,
and you wouldn’t cry.”
‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’

The cross once an emblem of shame and suffering, for all the world to see as punishment for going against the roman empire. Has been transformed by God to be His sign of love for us all. Jesus lifted on high, who died on the cross took away with Him the sins of the world.  Our Lord conquered death so that we may live in Him.

And now around the world as we lift the crucifix up or wear it proudly around our necks. We are reminded of the greatest act of love that ever will be.  One that brings about transformation when gazed upon. O Cross Reign Victorious, O Cross thou wilt redeem us!

Jesus my Lord, as I take up my cross to follow You. I gladly bear it’s burden for You are with me every step of the way. Helping, guiding and leading me on to the victory of the cross. Your heavenly Kingdom. Amen

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Feast

First reading
Numbers 21:4-9

On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’
  At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.

Second reading
Philippians 2:6-11

His state was divine,
yet Christ Jesus did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel
John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.’

Just like many of my sisters and brothers in Christ,  I too can testify to the mercy and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. For when I went my own way, did my own thing refusing to listen,  He the Lord waited patiently.  I wanted to and thought I was living life to the fullest! Wine, women, song and travel…. Nothing came close, nothing was enough, there had to be more.  How? Where?

Our blessed Mother would time to time whisper in my ear, “As you have prayed, I will never let you lose Your God.”  She brought me to Lourdes where I experienced God’s amazing love through the Sacrament of reconciliation.  Then further experiencing the loving unity of our universal church community and the gentle embrace of our blessed Mother Mary.

After a relatively short time the ways of the world caught up with me for I was not grounded in prayer or the Word.  Still our Lord loved me and called out to me.  But I was not ready to listen till I had kids of my own.  I decided to surrender to His grace for I was getting no where on my own. I was tired of going around in circles.

Through His mercy and love I was transformed.  I have now finally experienced what it means to live life to the full.  Not through selfish means and ways but through giving fully of oneself. To Him who loves us and to my sisters and brothers.  His peace, joy and love is upon me. I share it now with you……

Glory be to the Father and the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever… Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 1:15-17

Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life. To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel
Luke 6:43-49

Jesus said to his disciples:
  ‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.
  ‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say?
  ‘Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!’

Often what we see is the glaring faults of others. Some are harsh in their critique while others are harsh in their punishment. Then there are some who do nothing upfront but in their hearts have written the offenders off.  We demand perfection in others while we ourselves are imperfect.

What if we looked at ourselves through the eyes of Jesus? What would we see? The heinous repulsive sinner! That we rightly are? Or the lost sheep that He loves and wants to save? What if we looked at our brethren through that same loving eyes of our Lord?

Jesus, You did not come into the world to condemn it but that through You we might be saved.  Fill us with Your love and by Your grace we that may be loving, gentle shepherds for Your sheep. And lead them back to You. Amen

First reading
1 Timothy 1:1-2,12-14

From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus appointed by the command of God our saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, true child of mine in the faith; wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus.

Gospel
Luke 6:39-42

Jesus told a parable to the disciples, ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.’

Love is not an emotion a warm fuzzy feeling you get once in a while. Love is truly willing another to be at peace, safe from harm, protected from evil and joyful. Without making any demands whatsoever nor expecting any returns. There is no love without service and forgiveness. This is how God loved us and continues to do so. And so we must love likewise.

To begin we need to allow ourselves to be loved by God. To come before Him with all our sins and with a contrite heart. He will cleanse, purify and transform us. We need to empty ourselves of ourselves and worldly attachments. And He will fill us with His Grace and love.  Through His love we can love others the way He loves us.

We praise and thank You Lord for loving us from the very beginning and to the very end. Amen

First reading
Colossians 3:12-17

You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.
  Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Gospel
Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
  ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

It is by far easier to give in to temptation then to resist it, to hate rather than to love. To give in to rage, destroy rather than restraint anger and build. To scatter rather than to gather.  And so it is far easier to lose our souls if we so choose.

Jesus is truly the way, truth, life and light that shines through all darkness! He seeks out the sinner to offer His loving embrace. He cleanses, purifies and makes whole. He transforms and strengthens and we become the best version of ourselves. We become what God our Father intended from the very beginning when He made us in His image. Holy, Holy Holy Children of His.

Let us always choose to remain steadfast in faith and love. Jesus my Lord, live in me as I live in You. Amen

First reading
Colossians 3:1-11

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
  That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing, but now you, of all people, must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Gospel
Luke 6:20-26

Fixing his eyes on his disciples Jesus said:
‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.
‘But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.
‘Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophe

What an honour it is to call you Mother,  O Blessed Mother.  From the moment of your birth you were made holy.  And for the rest of your life chose to remain stedfast in faith and love.  Was life easy for you, surely not for your character and cheerful disposition was born out of love for God and sacrifice.

O model of faith and love, you answered a resounding YES trusting fully in God our Father. Even though you knew what could happen to you.  Accepting the full consequence of whatever came your way. And by your faith you bore Good News, the Word made flesh; You brought forth joy and peace into the World.

O dearest Mother of God, our mother pray for us; let your Son Jesus our Lord dwell in our hearts and minds always and forever. Amen

(The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast)

First reading
Micah 5:1-4

The Lord says this:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
out of you will be born for me
the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
The Lord is therefore going to abandon them
till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.
Then the remnant of his brothers will come back
to the sons of Israel.
He will stand and feed his flock
with the power of the Lord,
with the majesty of the name of his God.
They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power
to the ends of the land.
He himself will be peace.

Gospel
Matthew 1:18-23

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’