Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 22 October 2023 Homily for 22 October 2023 – Sunday

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6

For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. (4)

King Cyrus was a Persian who decreed that the Jews be set free! The Persian ruler becomes God’s instrument to deliver Israel from Babylonian captivity. Even as we pray for ourselves to find our ‘Cyrus’, we also pray for Israel today that peace be restored.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 96: 1, 3, 4-5, 7-10

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. (7-8)

Alleluia, Amen!

Second Reading: First Thessalonians 1: 1-5b

For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. (4-5)

Sts. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy address the church in Thessalonica and encourage them! In turn, they are motivating us too, 2000 years later! Some of us would try to understand the word of God with reasoning and logic. But it is God our Father who reveals himself to us! We cannot attempt this on our own. We need God to unravel God’s mysteries!

Therefore today, if we can even grasp a slice of the Gospel we must realize that we are blessed by God. To continue on our path we must attach ourselves to a catholic church-recognized community, where there is sharing of the word of God. We must pray for wisdom and ask God to reveal himself to us. We must be humble and repent of our sins. St. Paul recognized the chosen Thessalonians because they heard the word and accepted it. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that anyone is able to welcome the Word of God. The Thessalonians also witnessed the lives of the apostles among them. We can be witnesses for Christ through our works first and foremost.

We pray for wisdom, courage, and faith to pursue our path, In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gospel: Matthew 22: 15-21

So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. (16)

Sweet words, but beware where they come from! Christ Jesus handles these fake admirers with unmatched wisdom. In a world strewn with falsehoods, we must strive to sieve through the true feedback. We must not be discouraged, as we see even God was tested in this way.

In answering them, Jesus also proves them right that he is just to everyone and doesn’t show partiality. We learn that we ought to give to God what is God’s – that is everything! And we also must give to the authorities(ie) government/ rulers what is rightfully theirs.

We pray to Our Lord Jesus Christ for the Wisdom to discern and courage to act justly.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 15 October 2023 Homily for 15 October 2023 – Sunday

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10

It will be said on that day that this is our God; we have waited for him so that he might save us.

This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (9)

Praise God! He comes and He is near. Let us listen and not harden our hearts! Let us rejoice and be glad.

In Jesus’ name, Amen! Alleluia!

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 23: 1-6

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want; indeed, I shall not want! Amen, Alleluia!

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (13)

Our Christian faith has to be lived in our daily lives. The world and our flesh easily distract us. But the moment we turn our minds, hearts, souls, and spirits to our Lord Jesus Christ we can do all things through him.

St. Paul gives us his blessing when he says: “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (19)

Let us build our prayer life. We do not need to sit for hours in front of his altar. But we can carry his presence in us wherever we go. Our first waking hour or at least a few minutes each day can be spent with the Word of God. In the word of God, we will find him, waiting to speak to us. We can return to contemplate his word in our hearts when we are forced to wait for example, maybe at traffic lights. Putting small practices into our daily structure can help us build our relationship with God! He awaits us in those small private moments. We can renew our minds from distracted to contemplative through Christ.

Amen!

Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14

The King said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. (12)

Would the Lord say the same to us? We know he calls us “friends”, then a friend knows what he would be expected to wear to his friend’s banquet! We are reminded about the armor mentioned in Eph. 6: 10-20! We must prepare and put on the robe of righteousness, truth, faith, peace, and the helmet of salvation. Along with this, we must carry in our hearts the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. Let us persevere. Each time we fail; let us retrace our steps back to him,

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 08 October 2023 Homily for 08 October 2023 – Sunday

First Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

The Lord planted a vineyard on a very fertile land. He dug it and cleared it of stones. He planted it with Choice vines and built a watchtower in the midst of it. He also hewed out a wine vat in it. (Vv1-2) Similarly, the Lord planted us in fertile soil – the church, our Christian faith, and our birth into Christian families. He sowed the seeds in us, through our catholic upbringing and the catechism we learned in our formative years. He speaks his Word through the Holy Bible, which is our watch tower too. Yet we seem to bear wild grapes! Could it be, because we didn’t allow His word to prune us? With the storms of life did we just drift further away from him and justify our waywardness in the name of coping up or blending in with the crowd?

The justice he expects of us today could be in the little choices of our daily lives. The harmless addictions, the frivolous gossiping, or the vicious jealousy that we may harbour could well be the bloodshed He sees us commit. Or every time we groan about a certain difficulty/ issue; instead of being grateful for all his blessings; he hears us cry!

Let us realize that the problems we face today are part of the pruning process we need, to produce the fruit that the Good Lord expects of us. Let us turn to our watch tower and be guided on the right path so that we may produce the fruit expected by the Lord. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 80: 9, 12-16, 19-20

¹⁴ Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,

¹⁵ the stock that your right hand planted.

¹⁹ Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Amen.

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 6-9

⁶ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Once we entrust our cares unto the Lord, we develop a calm mind. In this calm mind, the Lord speaks to us, as to the course of action we need to follow. The Peace of Christ Jesus then guards our minds, our hearts, our souls, and our spirits.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gospel: Matthew 21: 33-43

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Let us look at what are the fruits of the kingdom. We have just learned from the first reading that justice and righteousness are expected of us. (Isa 5:7) When we pray and make supplications (Phil 4:6-9) with justice and righteousness at the core of our hearts; then we enter the assured peace of the Lord that surpasses all understanding.

But given all this knowledge, if we stubbornly continue to live like the Pharisees -revengeful and jealous; we risk losing the kingdom of God! Let us examine our hearts and strive to produce the fruits of the Kingdom of God.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil 4:13) Amen.

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 01 October 2023 Homily for 01 October 2023 – Sunday

First Reading: Ezekiel 18: 25-28

²⁶ When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed, they shall die.

We are clearly warned here that once we know the Lord and then turn away from him; we are at a greater peril! Those who in ignorance ran away from the Lord and then realized their mistake; turn back to him, and receive their salvation. Therefore, let us remain faithful to the Lord. Let us be committed to the way our Lord has shown us! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25: 4-9

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. ⁹ He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way.

Teach us O Lord and Let us Learn your ways. Amen!

Second Reading: Philippians 2: 1-11

⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Here, St. Paul offers both an instruction and a blessing! When the instruction is implemented, it becomes a blessing! In the previous verses, he provides the navigation tools we need to forge ahead!

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.

We can recognize God’s kingdom alive and active here on Earth when we see the above words being fulfilled in the work of His servants everywhere. We find them usually in church communities and parishes. But there are others too who privately and silently work in the Lord’s vineyard. Praise God!

Permit us, O Lord to follow the beacon of your words as we navigate the ocean of our lives.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gospel: Matthew 21: 28-32

³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.

We hear the Lord speaking to us in different ways. Let us be obedient to listen to his voice and “Do” what he asks us. Let us take the step out of the boat of our comfort and focus on Christ. May the Holy Spirit give us the courage to do as Jesus says. Let us put our faith into action. In Jesus’ name. Amen.