December 30, 2012

Feast of Holy Family

First Reading: 1 Samuel 1: 20-22,24-28

   In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him. The next time her husband Elkanah was going up with the rest of his household to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows, Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband, "Once the child is weaned, I will take him to appear before the LORD and to remain there forever; I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite." Once he was weaned, she brought him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said: "Pardon, my lord! As you live my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD." Hannah left Samuel there.

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Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2,21-24

   Beloved, see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-52

   Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   Family is the place where one should grow to maturity. Every child should remain with parents. Only when the child is grown and became mature (And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.) then only that person becomes independent and ready for public life. Until then that person grows to maturity in the presence of the parents. He is even removed from the temple to the family.
   In the family, the parents long for the child and want the good of the child and want the child to remain with them and they are even ready to face any sacrifice to bring the child back to the family. So child is the centre of the care, concern and even the life of the family. If there in no child then there is no family and that is the reason for the parents to go and search for the child. Family is incomplete without the child. The response of the child is one of obedience to the parents and grow to be mature in the sight of men and God.

December 23, 2012

4th Sunday of Advent

First Reading: Micah 5:2-5

   Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

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Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

   Brothers and sisters, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:39-45

   Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   When God enters into the world and when God begins to act man is only a recipient. Man’s response to God will be one of wonder, gratitude and submission. In this man recognizes God’s greatness and accepts his own limitations in humility. Man, on his own, cannot do anything. Whenever God enters into history it is like a new creation.
   Mary finds herself to be in a similar situation. She knows the situation of the society and her own situation as well. The transformation that is taking place in the society or in the world or in the history or in her own life is not through any human intervention but purely of the action of God. It is a new creation. She accepts in humility and rejoices at God’s action. That is the faith of Mary.

December 16, 2012

3rd Sunday of Advent

First Reading: Zephania 3:14-18

   Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

தமிழ்

Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

   Brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading: Luke 3:10-18

   The crowds asked John the Baptist, "What then should we do?" He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed." Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages." Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   People believed in John the Baptist. He was preaching repentance. He was also baptizing them with water. People thought that he was the expected messiah. So each one as an individual or as a representative of a group went to meet him and asked him "What then should we do?”. People wanted to be in right (correct) relationship with God.  
   John the Baptist answered each one according to his life style or according to his job that one was doing. His reply centered on sharing with the poor; being just in dealing with the others; and not demanding more than one deserves as wages. He was telling them about integrity, justice and sharing. He clearly said that he was not the messiah.

December 9, 2012

2nd Sunday of Advent

First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9

   Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: Wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children Gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, And that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God's command; For God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.

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Second Reading: Philippians 1:4-6,8-11

   Brothers and sisters, I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Gospel Reading: Luke 3:1-6

   In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. He went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   Biblical God works in history and through historical persons and God is referred to in relation to historical person. God’s action is definite and real because God acts in historical, sociological and religious contexts. It is not addressed in a vacuum rather it is addressed to a historical person and he becomes the transmitter of the word of God to the others.
   John son of Zechariah was made use by God to do this work of communicating the word of God to the people. God makes use of human persons to communicate himself to the world. This communication is to reveal the salvation of God to people and it is a call for repentance. Divine gifts are through human means.

December 2, 2012

1st Sunday of Advent

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

   The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: "The LORD our justice."

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Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

   Brothers and sisters, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. Finally, brothers, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God-- and as you are conducting yourselves-- you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21:25-28,34-36

    Jesus said to his disciples: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   "But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." (Luke 21:28) Christian readers are puzzled over this passage. What did this passage tell the readers of the first century and what does it say to us the people of the twenty first century. For them it was speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the vindication of the followers of Jesus.
   Roman Empire joined hand with the leaders of Jerusalem and destroyed Jesus (the Son of Man) but now they are overthrown. The kingdom of God has come.  The present world must realize this and if the reject God’s invitations then they are heading for destruction. The followers of Jesus should practice patience at this time.