June 29, 2014

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

First Reading: Acts 12:1-11

   In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. --It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.-- He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, "Get up quickly." The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals." He did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that (the) Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting."

தமிழ்

Responsorial Psalm: 34:2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9
Response: The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
   I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (Response)
   Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (Response)
  Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.  (Response)
   The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him. (Response)

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18

   I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.  The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 16:13-19

   When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   Leadership of the Church is given by Jesus to Peter. Leader of the Church should be firm like a rock. He should be willing to be the foundation stone: unnoticed and unrecognized. He should also be ready to carry the weight of the whole structure. He should also make sure that the netherworld (evil) does not overtake the Church.
   All these are done to him only when he openly declares that Jesus is the Messiah and the only son of the living God. Only when Peter declared Jesus as Messiah, he is given the role of a leader of the Church. Faith of Peter and public acknowledgement of Peter about Jesus makes Peter the foundation of the One True Church.

June 22, 2014

Solemnity of the Holy Body & Blood of Christ

First Reading: Dueteronomy 8:2-3,14-16

   Moses said to the people: "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."

தமிழ்

Responsorial Psalm: 147:12-13.14-15.19-20
Response: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. (or) Alleluia!
   Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (Response)
   He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! (Response)
   He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia. (Response)

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

   Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

Sequence - Lauda Sion
  Laud, O Zion, your salvation, Laud with hymns of exultation, Christ, your king and shepherd true: Bring him all the praise you know, He is more than you bestow. Never can you reach his due.
   Special theme for glad thanksgiving Is the quick’ning and the living Bread today before you set: From his hands of old partaken, As we know, by faith unshaken, Where the Twelve at supper met.
   Full and clear ring out your chanting, Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting, From your heart let praises burst: For today the feast is holden, When the institution olden Of that supper was rehearsed.
   Here the new law’s new oblation, By the new king’s revelation, Ends the form of ancient rite: Now the new the old effaces, Truth away the shadow chases, Light dispels the gloom of night.
   What he did at supper seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, His memorial ne’er to cease: And his rule for guidance taking, Bread and wine we hallow, making Thus our sacrifice of peace.
   This the truth each Christian learns, Bread into his flesh he turns, To his precious blood the wine: Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives, But a dauntless faith believes, Resting on a pow’r divine.
   Here beneath these signs are hidden Priceless things to sense forbidden; Signs, not things are all we see: Blood is poured and flesh is broken, Yet in either wondrous token Christ entire we know to be.
   Whoso of this food partakes, Does not rend the Lord nor breaks; Christ is whole to all that taste: Thousands are, as one, receivers, One, as thousands of believers, Eats of him who cannot waste.
   Bad and good the feast are sharing, Of what divers dooms preparing, Endless death, or endless life. Life to these, to those damnation, See how like participation Is with unlike issues rife.
   When the sacrament is broken, Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken, That each sever’d outward token doth the very whole contain. Nought the precious gift divides, Breaking but the sign betides Jesus still the same abides, still unbroken does remain.
   Lo! the angel’s food is given To the pilgrim who has striven; see the children’s bread from heaven, which on dogs may not be spent. Truth the ancient types fulfilling, Isaac bound, a victim willing, Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling, manna to the fathers sent.
   Very bread, good shepherd, tend us, Jesu, of your love befriend us, You refresh us, you defend us, Your eternal goodness send us In the land of life to see. You who all things can and know, Who on earth such food bestow, Grant us with your saints, though lowest, Where the heav’nly feast you show, Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

Gospel Reading: John 6:51-58

   Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   Jesus starts his argument saying that he is the bread that has come down from heaven. From where the bread comes is more important. Jews have already argued saying that Moses gave bread in the wilderness. But here it is the father who gives the bread. Jesus is arguing about his origin. He says that he is from the father and he has come down from the father. Father is in the heaven and he has sent the son from heaven and hence anything to do with the son will in turn take the people to where he has come down from.
   Whoever eats the son (bread from heaven) will have the same effect. They will in turn reach heaven. Jesus argument is regarding his arrival from and his journey to. Jesus abiding presence is with those who eat his body and drink his blood. (Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me). Indwelling of Jesus helps the believer to be in union with the father. And that is eternal life.

June 15, 2014

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

First Reading: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9

   Early in the morning he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD." Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."

தமிழ்

Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52.53.54.55
Response: Glory and praise for ever!
   Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. (Response)
   Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. (Response)
   Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. (Response)
   Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. (Response)

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

   Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.

Gospel Reading: John 3:16-18

   God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   Trinity (One God in three persons) is expressed in love. God loved the world so much. God’s love was visible in His sacrifice of the only beloved son. Love is seen in sacrifice. Sacrifice itself was to share eternal life or to rather to give eternal life to the believers. Only believers receive this gift. The gift is given freely without and conditions. And the sole purpose is to save the world. There is no either or from God’s point of view. God’s action is only to save. God’s action can only save the people.
   Trinity is presence. This is where, Jesus before he left this world sent the Holy Spirit to be with the believers; that the salvation that was effected by the sending of the son by the father and the sacrificial love of the son be continually present in the world and made continually present for the believers and the believers to come. Trinity has one purpose that is to save the world; and it has only one means that is by the sacrificial love; and it has one method and that is by the continual presence.

June 8, 2014

Solemnity of Pentecost

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

   When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

தமிழ்

Responsorial Psalm: 104:1,24.29-30.31-34
Response: Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. (or) Alleluia!
   Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O Lord! the earth is full of your creatures. (Response)
   May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the LORD. (Response)
   If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Response)

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13

   Brothers and sisters: No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Sequence - Veni, Sancte Spiritus
   Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine! Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine.
   You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.
   O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill! Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill.
   Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray.
   On the faithful, who adore And confess you, evermore In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

Gospel Reading: John 20:19-23

   On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   The disciples were afraid of the Jews and locked themselves in the room. Jesus appeared before them and wished them peace and the disciples rejoiced at the presence of Jesus. They saw Jesus who was crucified. So the peace comes from Jesus who was crucified. Jesus was sent by the father with a particular mission. The mission was to proclaim the kingdom and establish the kingdom. Jesus completed this mission through his suffering and death.
   Now Jesus is sending his disciples with the same mission. They are asked to continue the same mission. Indirectly Jesus is telling them to expect the same treatment. Jesus sends them with the Holy Spirit. He breathed on them the spirit. They have not only a model to follow but also the presence of the spirit to accompany them. The spirit will be present with them always while they carry on with their mission. Their mission is to forgive the sins of the people.

June 1, 2014

The Ascension of the Lord

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11

   In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about thekingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit." When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

தமிழ்

Responsorial Psalm: 47:2-3.6-7.8-9
Response: God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
   All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. (Response)
   God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. (Response)
   For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. (Response)

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23

   Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:16-20

   The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Reflection: Fr. James Theophilus

   The disciples went back to Galilee. They met Jesus on a mountain. Mountain is the place where God dwells. Mountain is the place of revelation (Sinai, Tabor, Zion etc). After resurrection Jesus revealed himself to the disciples on a mountain. The disciples also worshiped him. Jesus was accepted as God and worshiped on a mountain.
   Jesus affirms his Godhead (all power in heaven and on earth has been given to me); commissions them (go therefore and make disciples) to baptize them and teach them; and assures them of his continual presence till the end of days. He takes the role of god among his people. After resurrection Jesus takes the role of God and fulfils it among his disciples.