My dear brothers and sisters: The Liturgy of the Word during the season of Lent charts the course we must follow in our spiritual development. The readings for the First Sunday of Lent tell us to overcome temptations. Now, on the Second Sunday of Lent, we learn that we must listen to Jesus and become chosen ones, “beloved ones of the Father.”
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 tells us to “put our faith in the Lord, as Abram” did. To put our faith in the Lord as Abraham did is to offer to the Lord absolutely everything we have and love, for Abraham would not spare his only begotten son Isaac from the Lord. In response to that faith, the Almighty promised him: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.” We now know the true meaning of the promise to Abraham: not an earthly dwelling but an eternal dwelling through and with the ultimate heir of Abraham, the Lord Jesus.
In Philippians 3:17, 4:1, St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to “Join with others in being imitators of me.” Throughout the ages, the Saints show us how one puts his “faith in the Lord.” They have shown us the way to live and act as “chosen ones” of God; let us follow their example and by our own faith provide a good example for others. Their most powerful example is perseverance; as St. Paul proclaims, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.” We must resist the temptation to give up half-way through our struggles.
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke 9:28-36 reveals the key to becoming the chosen ones of God: when Sts. Peter, John, and James see the Lord Jesus in his glory, they hear a voice from Heaven proclaim, “This is my chosen son; listen to him.” We must listen to God, when we pray, when we worship, when we adore the Blessed Sacrament. We fail to put our faith in the Lord, we lose heart and fail to stand firm in the face of the trials of the Evil One, when we fail to listen to his commands and his promises.
Let us, as we continue our journey through Lent, model ourselves on Abraham, St. Paul, and all the Saints, and above all, let us model ourselves on he who was like us in all respects except sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that begins with listening to what he has to say to us.
--Fr. Mingel D'Souza
Message for the First Sunday of Lent
As we enter into the first week of the season of Lent, we have already been reminded on Ash Wednesday that "dust we are and unto dust we shall return." The first thing we need to do is to OVERCOME TEMPTATIONS. Satan did not even spare Our Lord; what about us? But Jesus shows us the most powerful way to overcome temptations.
The first reading, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy 26: 4-10, tells us that the great leader of the chosen people of God, Moses, reminds us "what a mighty God we serve." Moses spoke to the people: "He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.” This discourse tells us with full assurance that we can overcome temptations if we rely on this mighty God.
Similarly, St. Paul writing to Romans 10: 8-13 reminds us of the Risen Lord with these words: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” What an assurance that “no one who believes in him will be put to shame.” Let us learn to use the power of the Most High God, the Risen Lord.
We have the account of the temptations of the of the Lord in Luke 4: 1-13. Here we see that, though Satan is able to quote the scriptures and twist and turn to his convenience, Jesus is able to overcome him with an answer which showed what is more important. If Satan thinks that after forty days of fast, Jesus should satisfy his intense hunger by making stones into bread, then Jesus shows him: "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The word of God is so important for us to live. Unfortunately, Satan has gathered a big kingdom because we easily fall into his clutches. Since Jesus came to save souls, Jesus would do anything to get them. The foolish demand was that Jesus, the son of the Most High God, should bow and worship Satan.
Jesus has summarized in word and action that "God only is to be worshiped." Putting God to test is the third foolish temptation Satan put to Jesus. We very often fall into this temptation when we ask for something which we really do not need. This we should never do, as Jesus teaches us.
The most powerful means given to us to overcome temptation is to be aware of the Mighty Hand guiding us, the power of the Risen Lord, and only to be fed by the word of God, worship him and never put Him to a test. I wish and pray all of us learn to overcome temptation and be most disciplined Christians in this holy season of Lent.
--Fr. Mingel D'Souza
The first reading, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy 26: 4-10, tells us that the great leader of the chosen people of God, Moses, reminds us "what a mighty God we serve." Moses spoke to the people: "He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.” This discourse tells us with full assurance that we can overcome temptations if we rely on this mighty God.
Similarly, St. Paul writing to Romans 10: 8-13 reminds us of the Risen Lord with these words: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” What an assurance that “no one who believes in him will be put to shame.” Let us learn to use the power of the Most High God, the Risen Lord.
We have the account of the temptations of the of the Lord in Luke 4: 1-13. Here we see that, though Satan is able to quote the scriptures and twist and turn to his convenience, Jesus is able to overcome him with an answer which showed what is more important. If Satan thinks that after forty days of fast, Jesus should satisfy his intense hunger by making stones into bread, then Jesus shows him: "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The word of God is so important for us to live. Unfortunately, Satan has gathered a big kingdom because we easily fall into his clutches. Since Jesus came to save souls, Jesus would do anything to get them. The foolish demand was that Jesus, the son of the Most High God, should bow and worship Satan.
Jesus has summarized in word and action that "God only is to be worshiped." Putting God to test is the third foolish temptation Satan put to Jesus. We very often fall into this temptation when we ask for something which we really do not need. This we should never do, as Jesus teaches us.
The most powerful means given to us to overcome temptation is to be aware of the Mighty Hand guiding us, the power of the Risen Lord, and only to be fed by the word of God, worship him and never put Him to a test. I wish and pray all of us learn to overcome temptation and be most disciplined Christians in this holy season of Lent.
--Fr. Mingel D'Souza
Welcome To My Website!
Dear friends,
I am very happy to reach you through my website. As a matter of fact, I am proud to tell you that my message is all that I have learned in the presence of the 'Blessed Sacrament'. This way of learning I got from the teaching of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen of New York. I totally base my message on the revealed word of of God. I will try to reach you every Saturday evening with the message for the weekend. This is what our Holy Father Benedict XVI desired on the 'World Communication Day' for all the priests.
I am grateful to Meredith, a leader of the Legion of Mary at the Church of the Assumption, Nashville. She helped me to reach you through the website. God bless her and her dear ones.
God bless you all.
With all good wishes.
In Jesus lovingly and gratefully.
Fr. Mingel
I am very happy to reach you through my website. As a matter of fact, I am proud to tell you that my message is all that I have learned in the presence of the 'Blessed Sacrament'. This way of learning I got from the teaching of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen of New York. I totally base my message on the revealed word of of God. I will try to reach you every Saturday evening with the message for the weekend. This is what our Holy Father Benedict XVI desired on the 'World Communication Day' for all the priests.
I am grateful to Meredith, a leader of the Legion of Mary at the Church of the Assumption, Nashville. She helped me to reach you through the website. God bless her and her dear ones.
God bless you all.
With all good wishes.
In Jesus lovingly and gratefully.
Fr. Mingel
Message for the Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time
My dear brothers and sisters: in today’s Holy Gospel, Luke 6:17, 20-26, the Lord proclaims that the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated shall be “blessed.” The Lord uses this word, “blessed,” four times in today’s Gospel and eight times in the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5:3-10. What does he mean by it? When the Lord says these shall be “blessed,” he means that they shall be happy beyond measure, and that their happiness cannot be taken from them.
But how can the poor, hungry, weeping, or hated be happy? To suffer seems the very contradiction of happiness. In truth, however, it is no contradiction, but a paradox. The first key to understanding this paradox is Jeremiah 17:5-8, in which the prophet, who witnessed the destruction of his nation and the enslavement of his people, is able to proclaim: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.”
But how can we hope in the Lord, in the face of poverty, hunger, weeping, and hatred? Because, as St. Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has died and is risen! As St. Paul explains, “If Christ has not been raised, our faith is vain; you are still in your sins.” But, thanks be to God, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The Son of God achieved glory by humbling himself and conquered death by dying — these statements would be contradictions but for his glorious Resurrection. In the same way, the Resurrection resolves the paradox of the Beautitudes: the poor in spirit, the humble, will be lifted up; those who hunger for the bread of life will be filled; those who weep and cry out to God for help will be answered; and those who endure hatred, exclusion, and insult in this world for sake of Jesus will enjoy peace beyond all measure in the next.
Let each of us trust in the Lord, even in poverty, hunger, weeping, and hatred, so that we too may be blessed.
--Fr. Mingel D'Souza
But how can the poor, hungry, weeping, or hated be happy? To suffer seems the very contradiction of happiness. In truth, however, it is no contradiction, but a paradox. The first key to understanding this paradox is Jeremiah 17:5-8, in which the prophet, who witnessed the destruction of his nation and the enslavement of his people, is able to proclaim: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.”
But how can we hope in the Lord, in the face of poverty, hunger, weeping, and hatred? Because, as St. Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has died and is risen! As St. Paul explains, “If Christ has not been raised, our faith is vain; you are still in your sins.” But, thanks be to God, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The Son of God achieved glory by humbling himself and conquered death by dying — these statements would be contradictions but for his glorious Resurrection. In the same way, the Resurrection resolves the paradox of the Beautitudes: the poor in spirit, the humble, will be lifted up; those who hunger for the bread of life will be filled; those who weep and cry out to God for help will be answered; and those who endure hatred, exclusion, and insult in this world for sake of Jesus will enjoy peace beyond all measure in the next.
Let each of us trust in the Lord, even in poverty, hunger, weeping, and hatred, so that we too may be blessed.
--Fr. Mingel D'Souza
Message for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
My dear brothers and sisters: the words Jesus spoke to Peter - "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men" - echo even to the present day. Let us meditate upon these promises of the Lord so that we, too, through the grace of God, may not be afraid and may catch the hearts of men with the Gospel.
In Isaiah in 6:1-2, 3-8, the great prophet first answers the call of God by expressing his unworthiness to serve God. The Lord responds by touching his mouth and saying, "See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged." Then God repeats his call: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" and the prophet, newly cleansed, answers, "Here I am, send me." Each of us is called - each of us has a vocation - to serve God, yet each of us is unworthy to serve God. We need not fear, however, because God himself purifies us so that we may say, "Here I am, send me."
In I Corinthians 15:1-11, St. Paul likewise expresses his unworthiness; he was not even one of the Twelve Apostles who walked with the Lord. Yet God called him and enabled St. Paul to answer: "Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me." Thus St. Paul is able to preach the word of God, so that others may know and obey God: "Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed."
In Luke 5:1-11, we see St. Peter, the prince of the Apostles and the Rock upon whom Christ's church is built, acknowledge his utter unworthiness when he sees the miracle of the great catch: "Depart from me, Lord, I am a sinful man." Jesus instantly replies by calling him to "catch men."
In each of these examples - the Prophet Isaiah, St. Paul, and St. Peter - we see that it is a gift of grace to see and acknowledge our own unworthiness to follow God, because in confessing our unworthiness, we entrust ourselves to God, who will not fail to make us worthy to serve the purpose he has for us. We need not be afraid; we need not run from our vocation or bury our talents. God knows we are unworthy and wishes only to make us worthy, so that we may glorify him forever.
In Isaiah in 6:1-2, 3-8, the great prophet first answers the call of God by expressing his unworthiness to serve God. The Lord responds by touching his mouth and saying, "See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged." Then God repeats his call: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" and the prophet, newly cleansed, answers, "Here I am, send me." Each of us is called - each of us has a vocation - to serve God, yet each of us is unworthy to serve God. We need not fear, however, because God himself purifies us so that we may say, "Here I am, send me."
In I Corinthians 15:1-11, St. Paul likewise expresses his unworthiness; he was not even one of the Twelve Apostles who walked with the Lord. Yet God called him and enabled St. Paul to answer: "Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me." Thus St. Paul is able to preach the word of God, so that others may know and obey God: "Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed."
In Luke 5:1-11, we see St. Peter, the prince of the Apostles and the Rock upon whom Christ's church is built, acknowledge his utter unworthiness when he sees the miracle of the great catch: "Depart from me, Lord, I am a sinful man." Jesus instantly replies by calling him to "catch men."
In each of these examples - the Prophet Isaiah, St. Paul, and St. Peter - we see that it is a gift of grace to see and acknowledge our own unworthiness to follow God, because in confessing our unworthiness, we entrust ourselves to God, who will not fail to make us worthy to serve the purpose he has for us. We need not be afraid; we need not run from our vocation or bury our talents. God knows we are unworthy and wishes only to make us worthy, so that we may glorify him forever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
