5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

Peter, and some of the apostles, were trying to catch fish all night, but their efforts produced no results. Then, Jesus appeared and everything changed.

Is this not the case in our own life when we try but our effort alone is not enough? Because,first of all, we must ask for God's help. Of course . Without God's help, or intervention our bigger efforts will produce no results.

The close associates of Christ did nothing, but they wanted something.

Of course, this does not mean that we should just wait for God's help and sit patiently waiting for His intervention.

Today's gospel shows us these truths:

First, we must be truthful. Christ loves us as we are. He knows the truth about us and our weaknesses. Let us be open for God's action in us.

Second, we must have perserverance. We can never be resigned or give up.
Sometimes we imagine that God's tasks are beyond our capabilities. It is then that our work is not effective.

Third, we must be mindful or obedient like a Christian. An obedient Christian is to have trust in God.

We must relinguish or abandon our agenda and have faith that God has a better idea or vision for our life.

Simon and his companions, after a successful catch, abandoned their nets full of fish and went and followed Jesus.
It was the first step toward the unknown but they had everything they needed.
They left everything behind and they were obedient to christ.

How many times have we lost OUR sense of direction?

How many times have we felt God is "kidding us" or is "pulling our leg" for not realizing OUR plans.?

How did you feel then? ..

After our emotions settle we start to see another direction or purpose a better direction we see Gods direction a higher purpose.

Because when we have lost everything we can profit more we profit with just God. .
Fr. Thomas

4-th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Often, people waste their energy on anger and rudeness.....why not use that energy to foster politeness...honor.. and love?

The fact is, that mutual anger towards each other builds more problems in our life.

In todays gospel, the citizens of Nazareth, "were filled with rage. They got up, drove Jesus out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built".
But Jesus peacefully walked away from them and disappeared into the crowds.

Christ could have answered his enemies with anger and hatred, but He did not. Christ is the "sower of love". He taught us how to love.

Many of our ideas and life plans are wasted because they lack love.

St. Paul writes about this in 1st Corinthians: "If I speak in the tongues of human beings and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

Who am I then? Why do I waste my energy? Does this "wasting" teach us what St. Paul states in his letter? Do we have another idea,...a preconceived notion?

St. Thomas says, "love is a thirst for the general good of other people".

A beautiful Japanese proverb says, "one polite word can warm three winters"

This hymn of love allows us to understand our place in the world, because we do not live here alone.....all around us are people who we can interact with in love,...by loving them.

In Nazareth, Jesus did not give any signs or do miracles because they lacked faith....but He tried to bring them to God thru the prophets.

If we do not offer our love to Jesus Christ ....we are rejecting Him. Our life will have an empty place. ......However, He will still be waiting for us.

We never know.... by whom or... through whom God comes to us to strengthen our faith in Him.
Fr. Thomas

3 Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

After 40 days of fasting Jesus returned from the desert to Galilee to the city of Nazareth. It was a very important time for Him. … A time of prayer, and a time of fasting, but, first of all a time of communion with Our Father. After that, he started his public ministry, in the synagogues, and in the temples, teaching His experiences of communion and love of His Father.

He wants to show us that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, and that He has a special place in God’s plan of salvation, as in the reading from the prophet Isaiah:

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”

 As a child of God I have a special place in His plan of salvation. Through the sacrament of Baptism we have been selected and anointed to participate in God’s plan of salvation. Especially today, because of misinformation in a very secular world we must be more peaceful, more loving, and more giving of ourselves to others.

We must give to the world the good news through our hands, through our hearts and through our words. Everybody can carry on in their daily life God’s Essential Elements but, first we need to take the time in the “desert” of our lives, to meditate to communion with God and to assure ourselves that we are children of God and our vocation is to spread the good news of salvation of Gods plan for all of us.

Fr. Thomas

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time year C

In Cana of Galilee,does Jesus wish to fascinate His disciples with His extra ordinary abilities or does He wish to please the people at the wedding by saving the best wine for the last?
Of course Not.

Jesus never used His power as a gimmick. He never wanted to call attention to Himsels His miracles always taught a lesson, but they were never to be a form of entertainment or of sensationalism. . This was His first miracle and the people were astonished.
However, there was more to come.

Every time Jesus focused on the actual man and saw in him what was needed to bring him to God.

Mary invited the servants to obedience to Jesus, and by the servants following Jesus?s request, they in turn, show us, that for our salvation we need trust and humility. If the servants had refused to follow this invitation Jesus could not have performed His miracle.

God needs our cooperation and acceptance for salvation. He never forces us against our will.
God will do everything for us but, we must make an effort to receive His grace and use it wisely, therefore, giving back to God.

These efforts are: faith, trust and obedience.

In today's Gospel, we are like servants, to be obedient to God, to have faith in God, and to trust in God.

And by doing these things, Jesus will do miracles in us and change us like He changed the water into wine.

Fr. Thomas

BAPTISTISM OF CHRIST

Long ago, it was once said: If we put a rock in the water it is wet. But, If we cut the rock in half inside it is dry.

When we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus we wish to come back to the moment of our own baptism when we received the responsibility a being a Christian. It is this moment when the priest says: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit by pouring water on our head.

This water not only cleanses us from original sin, but from this moment forward we are able to call God – Our Father. On the day of our Baptism we began our journey with God and in faith. The water of Baptism continues to nourish our souls in a better and deeper knowledge of God.
We must choose to nourish our soul or it will be dry like a rock.

Will our soul continually be fertile enough to receive the words of God and to grow in faith and love of God?

In today’s Gospel, God says to Jesus after Baptism : You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.

The same words God says over us on the day of our Baptism.
Can He still say the same words?
You are my child my Beloved?
Fr. Thomas

Baptism of Jesus – Jan 13

Long ago, it was once said: If we put a rock in the water it is wet. But, If we cut the rock in half inside it is dry.

When we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus we wish to come back to the moment of our own baptism when we received the responsibility a being a Christian. It is this moment when the priest says: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit by pouring water on our head.

This water not only cleanses us from original sin, but from this moment forward we are able to call God – Our Father. On the day of our Baptism we began our journey with God and in faith. The water of Baptism continues to nourish our souls in a better and deeper knowledge of God.

We must choose to nourish our soul or it will be dry like a rock.

Will our soul continually be fertile enough to receive the words of God and to grow in faith and love of God?

In today’s Gospel, God says to Jesus after Baptism : You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.

The same words God says over us on the day of our Baptism.

Can He still say the same words?

You are my child my Beloved?
Fr. Tom

January 6th - Epiphany of the Lord

The Wise Men … who were they? Who ARE they?

In the ancient world the wise men were the scientists, people with certain knowledge, and a huge influence on the daily life of the population as well as on the political and religious life of the state. They were actually "active" in the domain of -what we call today- natural sciences. Their knowledge was much more superior to the average person and even much more superior to the knowledge of the political leaders. They explained the dreams and events of life using their astronomical and mathematical knowledge.

In the catholic tradition, following the Gospel of St. Matthew, “After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east asking, 'Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage',” (Mt 2,1-2) we are talking about the Wise Men. Although, later in the Middle Ages under the influence of the Psalm 72,10 “the kings of Tarshish and the islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Saba will offer gifts; all kings will do him homage, all nations become his servants.”.. Here, the name of kings is used. We don't even know how many of them were present at the stable in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, the tradition of celebrating the feast of God's revelation - the Epiphany, is actually older than the tradition of celebrating Christmas itself. It was known already in Egypt in the third century and in Rome in the fourth century. The Nativity of Christ was celebrated together with the visit of the Wise Men, the Baptism of Christ in Jordan and the first revelation of the divinity of Christ in Cana of Galilee.

However, what is more important is the meaning, the signification of this solemnity. We are living in a world of the large and overwhelming moral and religious relativism. We have lost our point of reference, our heads and our moral compasses are deregulated. In this world -like in the time of Jesus- we need some firm and well-founded not volatile rules and principles. We can easily replace the truth by feelings,"doing right" by "feeling good". This is why we need God's revelation as an ultimate, an unchangeable, unalterable truth. This is what we receive in Jesus Christ. He will tell about Himself -later in the Gospel of St. John- "I am the TRUTH, I am the WAY and I am the LIFE". Jesus Christ is for us... (especially for us, for His disciples)... the TRUTH, the WAY and the LIFE) … or.. is He not? As long as I have my personal, private truths,... which are far from Jesus,... as long as I have my individual and isolated ways of life, where Jesus has nothing to say, as long as my life is not aligned with the life of my Saviour … I am not a disciple of Christ, I have no right to call myself Catholic or Christian. Jesus said even stronger: "You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will make you free".

In those three Wise Men we can see all those who are searching for the truth, all those who are able to consecrate a lot to find the ultimate sense and meaning of life, to find Jesus Christ in His revelation. God's will is, to be with us (Emmanuel), God's will is, to reveal Himself to those who would like to know Him. He is not hiding; He is not playing any kind of games with us. He is ready to be known, and... to be loved. The only necessary condition is the honest willingness to know Him. The readiness to abandon my truths, my ways and even myself so to know more and more of God in His divinity.

He even become Man - Jesus Christ, and was known as the child of Mary, to be... more accessible, more available, more approachable.

In the Gospel of St. John Jesus says: "And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Where am I with my personal duty of knowing God? Am I following the way of the wise men or maybe I am rather with Herod? Afraid of, in panic, scared of Jesus?

New Year 2013

At the very beginning of the New Year we would like to turn to the Blessed Virgin,... Mother of God, .... to pray together with Her for  peace in the world.... but also for  peace in our families and,.. in us. 

Pope Benedict XVI wrote: "Each New Year comes with an expectation of something better, an expectation of a better future for all, so that everybody can realize his/her desire of a happy and peaceful life.
 
But, we can ask,..could it be true, could it be real this happiness and peace? Yes, it could,.. with one condition,.. that I become the witness and the agent of peace and hope. This peace and hope are the gifts of God and they can become a reality as long as I live according to the will of God, following His will as I pray in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done".

I can become an agent of peace and hope as long as I am full of peace of God, coming from the sacrament of reconciliation.

I will be the instrument of peace and hope, if I bring this peace and truth to my brothers and sisters living in disarray and stress,,, living in lie and disorder.

The New Year....-we are beginning today-... is a new opportunity given us by God to become blessed, saintly and happy as long as we follow His will and His "project" prepared for us for this New Year.

We have to accept the simple but fundamental truth that our faith is a vocation,... . a call to be a child of God. As well, to follow  our great God's plan for us, and, like Mary, who decided to be the "servant of God"  who brought us Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world by Her obedience to   God's vocation. She became the Mother of God for us, and she can ask and intercede for us, because She is also our Mother.
 
Let us pray today through Her intercession for the happiness for ourselves and for our families, for   peace in the world and in us, but also let us pray for the grace to be the true witnesses of God's love and the agent of peace and hope in our disoriented and confused world.

Holy Family Sunday – December 31, 2012

“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Fathers house?

But they did not understand what he said to them”.

Mary and Joseph didn’t understand much about what was going on in their life since the visit of the Archangel Gabriel. Since the moment of the Annunciation, followed by the nativity of Christ in a very strange and unusual environment, the threat from King Herod, their hasty escape into Egypt, their new life in a strange country, and then finally their move back to Nazareth, Mary and Joseph must have been very confused. All of these events must have been for them a kind of surprise and a big shock, as well as moments of constant questioning: “What the heck is going on with our life?”

Certainly, all those circumstances could have been a cause of mutual frustration and misunderstanding. All this could cause quarrels and mutual criticisms, grudges, resentments and bitterness. This Family was really going through very serious difficulties in their life. And yet they didn’t finish in a disaster, in a divorce, in any kind of bitterness and mutual accusations. It was rather the opposite - a strengthening and intensification of their mutual love, mutual understanding and closeness in their family life. Despite of all the difficulties and problems, despite the fact that they were a very poor family, without means and without a future (from the human point of view), despite the fact that they were living a very basic and austere life, they didn’t end up in resentment and mutual hostility. Why? It was certainly because of the fact that Mary and Joseph were people of constant prayer and deep faith, but also because of the fact that Jesus was constantly with them. They were living in the constant presence of Jesus. Can you imagine what could happen with and in our families if we allowed Jesus to be present in our daily life?

Today’s Feast of the Holy Family shows us that faith and prayer have to be the most important elements of our family life. Our families are in trouble; our contemporary families are in deep jeopardy just because we do not allow Jesus to be present in them. Our faith, prayer, and the presence of Jesus in our families is restricted or limited to the scarce moments of Sunday Mass, or perhaps even less.

Prayer is supposed to become our daily companion and the source of answers for our questions: how to solve the problems, how to be a good father and good mother, a good husband and a good wife.

If faith and prayer are present in our homes, if Christ is present in our families, we can face the most difficult moments and the most challenging situations in our life and be sure that we will stay united and victorious throughout all harsh and ruthless moments of contemporary life. Where Christ is, there will be mutual understanding, love, strength and building up of our family life. Our family then, following the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth, will truly become the Family of God.

And this is exactly what we, the pastors of this parish, wish sincerely to all FAMILIES today on the Feast of the Holy Family , the patron of our Parish: My OUR parish be composed of Holy Families, following the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Christmas Eve - 2012

As every year the Faith or the tradition guided us today to the church, to take part in this Mass.

As every year we are listening to the story of the Nativity of Christ among us.

As every year in our way through the year we are once again celebrating Christmas.

We are sending to our friends and relative the same Christmas wishes, sometimes singing the same Christmas Carols.

Apparently everything the same, repeated every year in the same or similar sequence …

But only at our tables there is somebody lacking, and instead of the person who should be there … there is an empty place …

And I? I am a little bit older, maybe a little bit more clever more modern, more eloquent and at the same time more tired, more busy, and –let us be frank- weaker and more fragile.

And what about God?

Throughout centuries the same, unchangeable, unalterable, eternal. With every Christmas He is becoming one among us, Emanuel - God with us. Is He closer to me, every year? Am I closer to Him every year?

For centuries the same Triune God: the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, trying constantly to offer me a deeper faith, more authentic love and stronger hope. He is striving to have a place in my life.

And what about the world?

Throughout centuries and millennia more beautiful, more attractive, more tempting and trying to overwhelm me, trying to take over on my faith, my love, my hope and finally my life. The world is constantly trying to separate me from God, to delay me in my journey to Bethlehem, to distract me so that I have no time, no possibility to meet the newborn Christ. The world is trying to distract me and to defend to listen and to see that He is weeping over the world, becoming more and more Godless.

But we are here today, we came to the crib, to kneel down and recognize Him as a Son of God. We are coming today to the church to worship and to meditate this mystery of God's love. We are coming here to the source of this love, to get something from this unutterable Mystery of God's Love. We are coming to ask Him to be a constantly present among us, so that the world through its sins does not fall away from His Love. We are coming to ask Him also for ourselves, so that we don’t fall away from His love. Let us pray for the intention that in our world we can see more God's presence in our brothers, so that God don’t weep over the inhuman world.