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THE KING OF HEARTS
Jesus Christ is Our Lord! "To Him was given all power, honor and the Kingdom". We believe that He is the incarnate Son of God in Jesus of Nazareth; He is a brother that has been glorified; He is the Word of God who has saved us; He is the One who died and that Resurrected. Christ is the King who is at the service of Truth. What is the truth?, asked Pilate and this question continues to be asked by mankind today. Christ has come to this world to be the "Witness of the Truth". The Feast of Christ King is the golden clasp of the liturgical year, for it binds every Christian to fight to establish His Kingdom in our own heart, in society, and in the entire world. Sisters and brothers: 1. Today we close the liturgical year, and the Church invites us to concentrate all our mind and our heart in the One, who is the center of our faith, the principle and the end of all, Jesus Christ - Our Lord. Today we want to proclaim Jesus as our King, as that personage who condenses in Himself all the aspirations of all humanity. 2. In our Christian life, Christ the King exercises His dominion: over our intelligence - through our faith, over our heart - through His love, over our will and our life - in submission to his Will. He is the Alpha and the Omega of everything that we think, of everything that we love and of all that we are. A question cuts through history for all humanity: Who am I for you? Jesus is loved by few - because He is known by few. Jesus is followed by few, yet Jesus is the only profound Truth that we have. 3. I am the Truth and the life!, says Jesus. We know that the Truth will set us free. Yet how difficult it is to live this truth as a creature, in faith, and as an apostle! What is the truth? A sincere desire to be instructed? Is it indifference, skepticism, irony? Jesus, the Witness to the Truth, stands before the tribunal court of the world. He is frequently the One that we judge. So what is the truth in our Christian life? We should not fear the truth of what we really are. This truth touched Peter's conscience one day and he told Jesus: "Set Yourself apart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man". We should not be afraid. Brothers and sisters: We are called to be witnesses of the Truth, to be a brightness in humanity for Jesus. The Truth, that is God, shines for all of us, although many will stay seated, dazzled by so much clarity, for they prefer to close their eyes to their comfort. Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King in humility and in simplicity; we celebrate it in the silence of a generous love, completely given over to the service of humanity. Our King comes from Heaven: He is the triumph of love over hatred, of humility over pride, of brotherly service over false attachments. The Christian should be ardently in love with the Kingdom. Impassioned in the fight to show mankind how to live with truth and a full life, with more holiness and grace, with more justice, love and peace. "God does not give us impossible tasks, but, upon giving us what He gives, He invites us to do what we are able to do, then He asks us to do what we are not able to do and He helps us to be able to do so", as is well stated by St. Augustine. May it be Amen. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests
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To Serve & Give One's Life
Humanity suffers through the lives of hundreds of millions of children, yet not always in terms of redemption suffering. Christ wants his followers to assume the responsibilities that correspond to each one of us, to improve the conditions of life for our suffering brothers. He goes before us, "not that we may serve Him, but that He may serve and give His life to save all of us ". Sisters and brothers: 1. The longing to be powerful is as ancient as the world. We experience it every day in the most commonplace situations, as in wanting to occupy the best or first place, in choosing the best of partners, in climbing up the ladder to a higher position at work - till we go so far as to fight for political power without a conscience, even destroying the adversary. At the root of the problem, there is always the terrible duality: an instinct for dominance and one's ridiculous vanity. Our own self-centeredness can infiltrate to such a point that we think we are someone special, and that we are of even more worth if we dominate other people; and if only the other person could be more brotherly! Isn't this the question that is planted in one's mind? If the other person would really change into being my brother: then I could overwhelm him with my dominance, even against his own person or his own goods? Couldn't I also then speak poorly about him behind his back? Would he allow me to destroy his privacy? 2. For Christ, on the other hand, one is greater when he/she resigns their will to dominate others and learns to serve with a fraternal love. There are so many people around us that attract us, due to their generosity and their noble lives! One's moral authority is born from within a heart that is in solidarity, is generous, and serves. They radiate a special authority; they need neither to threaten, bribe, or flatter. Perhaps this is the most important secret of life and yet the most ignored. We live life more intensely, only when we give it away. One can only live when that person helps others to live. 3. What is He asking of us? The service that Christ asks of us is demanding, however it is immensely fruitful. This service implies a struggle to the death against one's egoism and it is an exercise in humility; this is the hard part. Yet, it is also a productive service because it is our source of salvation. It is easy to give something; this also happens when it does not cost us anything, especially when we have an abundance. But honestly: who dares to give everything, and then to give one's all to the others until it hurts? Brothers: The idea alone of serving others, may scare many away. For others, it may attract them only to place themselves at the center of attention. One's conscience must assume a commitment to service. We have to give what is alive in us: our happiness, our faith, our tenderness, our confidence, and the hope that sustains us and animates us from within. To give one's life in this way - is always a gesture that enriches, helps us to live, gives life to others, redeems souls, and liberates and saves people. May it be - Amen. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests We congratulate our fifteen children who will be receiving their first Holy Communion this day of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that the reception of the Holy Eucharist helps them to grow stronger in the faith. This year’s catechetical program was successful due to the grace of God and the collaboration of our Religious Education coordinators, Catechists and parents. We are very grateful for sharing your time and talents with us. God richly bless you.
Today we celebrate one of the biggest feasts of the liturgical year: The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It fulfills the second part of the triumph of Jesus Christ over death. As we profess in the Creed: "... he rose on the third day... and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father..." We also meditate on it in the second glorious mystery of the Holy Rosary. With the presence of Jesus, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to his followers to fulfill the victory.For a moment our position towards the Ascension is that of the apostles in the first reading. We are left in awe thinking of the glory of God in heaven. However, as the angels awaken the eleven to action, we should consider what the Ascension means today. The gospel today helps us with this task. The second reading tells that Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, has all power in heaven, on earth and also in the future. Because Jesus tells the apostles that he has been given all power, we know that he has already ascended to heaven. He will use the power for the good of all. This is why he says to his apostles: "'Go therefore and teach all nations'". It is the first step in his plan to renew the world in love. This phrase is echoed at the end of each Eucharist. After the blessing, the priest or deacon always says: “You may go in peace” sometimes adding “and announce the gospel”. Jesus sends us today as his apostles to evangelize the inhabitants of the world. He carries out this mission by "'teaching them to do everything I have commanded them”. On this day of ascension, his message and healing power is no longer confined to one pair of feet, one pair of hands. Now in the Church he has a million hearts to beat with his love, a million voices to proclaim his Good News, a million tongues to preach forgiveness of sins and the message of salvation. But a million is not enough if there are still people among us who are still gazing into the “sky”. The question is, “Are you still looking into the sky?” if you are, then get to work. The ascension of the Lord, calls us on, challenges us to move beyond the boundaries that are set by our own fear and weakness and sinfulness. Today, as the Lord promises us the Holy Spirit who will empower us to carry on the mission, let us open our hearts to him these coming days as we prepare to celebrate Pentecost. May the Lord bless us with his Spirit. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, St Faustina Kowalska tells us something about prayer: “A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty: a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer.”
In the gospel, a Pharisee and a tax collector went to the temple to pray. Their attitude reflected what society thinks about them: the Pharisee took the normal posture for prayer. His prayers were in thanksgiving to God for his blessings. For Jesus’ audience, he will be a model of a righteous person. The tax-collector on the other hand stood off a distance, and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beating his breast prayed “O God, be merciful to me a sinner”. With that prayer, he acknowledges what everyone else knew about him: a sinner. But Jesus says that the tax-collector went home justified, this is a surprise. The tax collector had not quit his job or made reparation, and there is no evidence of real change of profession. My dear friends, Jesus does not praise the tax-collector nor does he approve of his sins. He only says that he had the right attitude in the eyes of God. He shows the Lord the only things he has, his sins, his misery, his interior poverty. He knows that he does not deserve a thing and that his salvation can only come gratuitously. To attain salvation, he would have to quit his job, make full restitution plus the percentage. So he put all his trust in God in whom nothing is hopeless “O God have mercy on me a sinner”. The Pharisee on the other hand, was a righteous man but his mistake was that he thought he would merit justification due to the good deeds he carried with him. Jesus ended the parable that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” St Alphonsus Ligouri advises us: “God wants us to go to him with confidence. Bring to him your work, our projects, your fears and whatever interests you. Act with a trusting and open heart”. This weekend we celebrate World Mission Sunday. As a Divine Word Missionary, this is the very heart of our identity. We are sent to this world to proclaim the Divine World. I wish you a happy Mission Sunday. And may the Lord grant us the spirit of prayer and the right attitude in prayer. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Fr. Paschal Chester, SVD |
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