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My dear brothers and sisters, Pope Francis instituted the third Sunday in Ordinary time as “Sunday of the word of God. We hear in today's readings what it is like to live without light and what it is like to pass from the darkness and shadows of life to the light that shines like the splendor of salvation.
The prophet Isaiah pro-claims, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” And then Saint Matthew, the evangelist presents the context from which Jesus' preaching emerges as an announcement of the coming of light: “the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The two readings highlight how salvation is manifested and presented to us in history as a divine response to human reality. Darkness seems to dominate and reign in the existence of many people and the suffering may be impossible to escape. However, it is necessary to see the reality of the world’s situation from another perspective, with the eyes of faith. The eyes of faith, open our hearts to the light of faith. This powerful light cannot come from ourselves; it comes from God. Faith is born from the encounter with the living God, who calls us and reveals his love to us, a love that precedes us and on which we can rely to be safe. The light of faith has everything to do with the goodness of God and our openness to receive his love and direct our lives through it. It is about entering into the divine light, because we have been invited to be in union with Christ, who is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God” For many people of the world, life is often surrounded by darkness and it is difficult to see a spiritual light that shines as a sign of hope. Living in the midst of the darkness of human suffering and facing the forces of death and sin, it is difficult to recognize and experience peace. In other words, they are not used to seeing the light when almost everything seems dark. Indeed, many people do not think about light, but ask the question, Where is God? However, we will not find God if we think that he is not within history, if we think that he is not interested in human experience. God does not stray from the path of man and through Jesus Christ he has permanently approached humanity, because in the Incarnation, God has become human. It is a work that can only shine and illuminate the darkness of sin. It is about Jesus Christ, who is the divine light in person. May we experience his light and love, and our faith renewed as we encounter him in the Holy Scriptures. May the Lord bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD.
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My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this week we begin the season of Advent. It is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Advent is the time when we remember that Jesus came into the world and that he also promised one day to return in all his glory.
Advent is a time of waiting, conversion and of hope. The Word of God tells us that Jesus has not come just once. He comes and keeps coming, but are we ready to recognize him? The readings of this Sunday invite us to be vigilant, to keep our eyes wide open in order to discover and prepare the ways that Jesus has chosen to come and free us from what is not right in our lives. We are called upon in this season to get our personal life in order so that our special guest will be pleased, delighted, and feel welcomed. The teaching of Jesus in the Gospel Reading assures us that there is hope of new life. Jesus warns us that it is very easy for us to be caught up in speculations or give way to despair. If we abandon ourselves to the cares and pleasures of this world, they will blind us and prevent us from seeing the coming of the Son of Man. We are exhorted to be vigilant and prayerful in such a way that we can make our way safely through the cosmic disorders. It is necessary to be disciplined in our behavior so that we can remain on the right path as we await the coming of the Lord. We prepare for special visitors in special ways. We desire to delight them, help them to feel comfortable. We ask ourselves and perhaps others about what food they like and what activities would please them. These are visible signs of affection. Advent is precisely the time that the Church offers us to train ourselves to wait on the Lord. The Lord invites us in this season to raise our eyes and open our hearts to welcome him. We all de- sire a new world. We desire that the peace of Christ reigns in our world instead of war, poverty, injustice, cor- ruption and prejudices. The advent season helps us to focus on the journey toward the birth of Jesus who is the peace of the world and the manifestation of the love of God for all humanity. Just as his coming more than two thousand years ago changed human history, our hope is that each time we celebrate his birth, the earth will be renewed. Our participation in these efforts may be spiritual as we accompany the agents of peace with our prayers and love. It can also be through our personal efforts as we promote peace in our personal spheres of life. May the Advent season be for each one of us a true journey to encounter the Lord our Redeemer. May the Lord bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son and f the Holy Spirit. Amen. Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the gospel reading Jesus tells us that “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” What did Jesus mean by fire? Fire is used in the Bible in many ways. Fire is used as a sign of purification- the prophet Isaiah recounts that “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. “See,’ he said, 'now that this has touched your lips.' Your wickedness is removed, your sin purged” (Isaiah 6:6-7). Fire also signifies God's presence and love. We can remember the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples like tongues of fire, showing them God's power and giving them the courage to go and bear witness to the gospel. Fire represents God's judgement on sinful people. We can recall the story of Sodom and Gomorrah whom God punished with fire.
Jesus was so filled with his experience of the Kingdom of God, that his heart was on fire to invite all people to experience the presence of God's love in their life. It called for purification from every burden and sin that clings to us. An invitation to experience the love of God and bring to people's notice the consequences of sins. “The wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). When we are filled with that fire, we cannot but allow ourselves to be instruments of God's love, mercy and compassion in the world. Yes, it will come with some struggles. Jesus says, “a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father," It will also invite hatred, a feeling of abandonment and loneliness. Times when we will even question if we are doing the will of God, because we will go through the experience of the absence of God. But these challenges and struggles should encourage us to persevere. The second reading exhorts us that: "in your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood”. Consider what Christ went through to save us. He was mocked, beaten, spat upon, imprisoned, wrongly treated, and crucified like a criminal but he remained faithful. We are called to be faithful to the mission that God has entrusted to us, no matter how small, big, or challenging it might be. Let us never forget that it takes only a tiny spark to ignite a forest fire. Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” May the Lord grant us an experience of that fire so that we can be true witnesses to the glory of his holy name. In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD My dear friends, Jesus desires to ignite the faith of disciples and to restore their hope that his plan for them is still in place. At the call of Peter in Lk 5:1-11, he realized his unworthiness at the catch of fish, but Christ told him that he will be a fisher of men. This was a new life for him. Peter was privileged not just to be one of the twelve disciples but one of the three that formed the inner circle of Jesus (together with James and John). At the transfiguration, the healing of the daughter of Jairus, and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter promised that he will even lay down his life for the Lord. But he denied him three times.
Today’s gospels help us to understand that this was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples. But before this third appearance, Peter had reached a point where he felt like quitting. But Christ came and gave him three opportunities to renew his love and commitment to him. My dear friends, in life, there are many things and experiences that can happen to us that will make us want to quit. Sickness, persecution, betrayal, temptation, fall, trial, repeated failure or sin. But we encounter a God who assures us that he is a God of new opportunity and grace. Probably, earlier Peter had made the promise to die for the Lord, based on his own power and effort, but he recognized his weakness and inabilities and therefore his need to trust in the Lord who called him. Follow me. Know that the plans of God for you are still in place. The bible tells us that weeping may last a whole night but joy comes in the morning. Because we serve a living God, a loving and compassionate God. He calls you to follow, trust and give him praise even with your present situation. We celebrate Christ in his Word and in the Eucharist. We celebrate the Easter Good News, which transforms us, gives us hope, joy, love, unity, a sense of direction in carrying on the mission of the risen Lord in the world. May the Risen Lord fill us with Easter joy and hope. Amen. Father Paschal Chester My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday gospel presents us the parable of the Prodigal Son. It is a classic Lenten text as it sums up many of the main points of this graceful season. It is about a ‘turning around’, a home-coming. Reconciliation is the main focus as is relationship: it is a healing of the rift that was caused by the son’s selfishness. The Father’s gift of love to his son is extraordinary in the circumstances; it is without any conditions or punishment that we would normally expect. God will go to any length to bring the person back to a loving relationship with himself.
Though it is often called the ‘Prodigal Son’, it is rather the story of the Prodigal Father, who is outstanding in his generosity and compassion. It is the father who is the central figure in this story. Initially he seems unwise in giving his wealth to his younger son. We can easily relate to the behavior of the son who recklessly spends all on pleasure and self-indulgence. Through it all, the father merely waits and watches. Extraordinarily, he is never angry and never condemns. When the son finally ‘comes to his senses’, and humbly makes his way home, he is overwhelmed by his father’s love and affection. Nothing is too good to be home, he is overwhelmed by his father’s love and affection. Nothing is too good to be brought out to celebrate the return of the boy who “was dead and has come to life again”. This is a picture of love and forgiveness that is not normally the way things work out. Normally when someone squanders all the family wealth in such a reckless way, the welcome is far from warm and there is a sense in which the person ‘deserves’ to be punished for such behavior. More than likely most of us would react like the elder son (the end of the story not quoted here). He was obedient, dutifully serving his father and, understandably, he feels strong resentment at the ‘soft’ treatment doled out to his brother - how dare the father act like this? It is simply not fair! Lent reminds us of the unconditional nature of God’s love for us. Like the younger son, we don’t really deserve it. It is hard to believe and accept. No matter what kind of person I may be, no matter what I have done against God, against others, or against myself; God’s extraordinary love (called agape in Greek) for me is absolutely guaranteed. This is the essence of the Christian message and the basis of our hope and transformation. Love heals and reconciles, it forgives the past and opens up a new future. It is an opportunity for a new start and a new freedom. Remember, it is never too late for God who always invites, hopes, renews. May the Lord bless us, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Father Paschal Chester My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in Lent, God invites us to change our ways. In the gospel Jesus shows us that his father is always calling us. Time is short; we should choose to follow him now. The first reading tells us about Moses who, when God called him, abandoned his own plans and accepted the Lord’s proposal to return to Egypt and liberate his people. The journey to freedom is long and hard. The children of Israel in the desert gave in to so many temptations. This happens to us even when we do choose to follow the Lord. This is the message of the second reading.
In his book “the Priesthood in union with Christ”, Fr Garrigor Lagrange, O.P devotes a section to the four ends of the sacrifice of the Mass. End in this sense means the four reasons why we offer the Sacrifice of the Mass: Adoration, thanksgiving, reparation and petition. Through adoration, we put God our creator at the center of our worship. During Mass, we have an obligation to worship God and not ourselves. Whatever we do and whatever role we play should be to worship him and him alone. The second end of the mass is in thanksgiving to God for all his gifts and favors received. In our prayers, our songs, our ministry, and our offertory we offer a thanksgiving to God for all his favors. We do reparation for the sins committed against God in order to restore to God the glory he deserves which he has been deprived of by our sins. So our attitude should be that of reverence because we come to meet God to plead his mercy for ourselves and those who have divert-ed from the way of salvation, for their return to communion. The fourth end is to request divine help and all the graces necessary for salvation. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:10 “ I am what I am by the grace of God”. We need his grace to persevere and as we unite ourselves especially during the Holy Eucharist abundance of graces flows from the seat of mercy. May we entrust ourselves to the Lord as we journey together and may the Lord bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Father Paschal Chester |
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