Category Archives: Ordinary Time II

ECHARISTIC ADORATION CHRIST THE KING SOLEMNITY Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: O SALUTARIS The King of kings is here among us. Let us pay our deepest adoration and love to Him. The One who has made us not just brothers … Continue reading →

The Last Days of Hope Year B (Mk 13:24-32) Everything comes to an end Since the age of 10, I have been in boarding schools. One of the exciting times in such schools is towards the end of term when … Continue reading →

God Prefers Generosity from the Heart There are two ways of being generous: the way of the scribes, and the way of the widow. The scribes were the experts in interpreting the Law of Moses, and the Law of Moses … Continue reading →

Three Dimensional Spirituality A conviction that deep contemplative prayer facilitates a three-dimensional spirituality (3D spirituality). I realized that at the core of Christianity is a way of life that integrates a wholesome relationship with the self, the other, and God. … Continue reading →

Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me (Mk 10: 47) The gospel story of this Sunday has many meaningful aspects for meditation. In the reflection below I focus on this powerful prayer: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on … Continue reading →

The Power of Suffering and Service Pleasure, Possessions and Power We are created to be happy. Our pursuit of happiness revolves around, and often misled by, the three P-wants: Pleasure, Possession, and Power. Pleasure is the ability to enjoy positive … Continue reading →

Do not be possessed by possessions Here is a story from Tony de Mello: When the sage reached the outskirts of the village and settled under a tree for the night, a villager came running up to him and said, … Continue reading →

Let the Children Come to me, in Families! (Mk 10: 2-16) ,Once again, the gospel text of today invites us to revisit Jesus’ mind regarding marriage and family. I would like to look at two dimensions emerging from the longer … Continue reading →

Stumbling blocks or stepping-stones. Num: 11:16-17, 25-29; Jam 5: 1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48; It sometimes happens that when misfortune befalls us or when disaster strikes, we sometimes wish other too have a taste of the same, but when good … Continue reading →

Powerless in His Kingdom Wisd 2: 12, 17-20. James 3: 16- 4:3. Mark 9: 30-37. Mohamed Ali, the one-time heavy weight champion would often boast, “I am the greatest!”, and people believed he was. We may not openly claim to … Continue reading →

The Superstar with the Scar “Anyone who loses his life…will save it” (Mk 8:35). The great orator Bishop Fulton Sheen in one of his many sermons makes a positive comment on the eagerness of Apostle Thomas wanting to put his … Continue reading →

“Look, your God is coming”: The Messiah is here! “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity.” May be you’ve heard this expression before. It was written by one of the Church Fathers, Tertullian (197 AD). This sentence … Continue reading →

From Religious Traditions to Religious Spirituality Some of the recent, popular books in the study of religion include, Why God Won’t Go Away?, God is Back, and A New Religious America. What these books suggest is that secularism as a … Continue reading →

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY What is common in the Mass readings today is “movement.” In the first reading (Day Mass) we see a mother about to give birth: there is movement from the womb into the world. Another movement is … Continue reading →

“The bread … for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51) Some years back, I was staying at the Salesian community in Florence, Italy, for a few weeks. Florence is known for its art and architecture. Following that great tradition, … Continue reading →

(Jn 6:24-35) Do you seek the bread that the Father gives, or do you seek the Father who gives you bread? <p style="text-align: justify"A few years ago a priest was back in India on his home-leave. And he met a … Continue reading →

From Emptiness to Abundance (Jn 6:1-15) Which is the only miracle of Jesus (besides the healing of the blind man – with differences in detail!) that is narrated in all the four gospels with similar details? It is the miracle … Continue reading →

“The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught…” (Mk 6:30) Ministry to young people forms part of the identity of the religious order I belong to. Much of our formation as Salesians is carried out … Continue reading →

“This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary…” (Mk 6:3) The gospel text of today narrates to us how the people of his home town reacted to Jesus, despite what they heard and saw in Jesus: the wisdom and … Continue reading →

JESUS MAKES ALL THINGS NEW Stories of two women: The gospel reading of today narrates to us two stories. Both, stories of women. One story is contained within another. Both are stories about women who are ‘dead’ in their own … Continue reading →

“You of little faith!” Mk 4:35-41 1. There is a beautiful incident narrated in the letter of St. Francis de Sales. St. Francis had noticed a custom of the country districts in which he lived. He had often noticed a … Continue reading →

The Kingdom of God is like… (Mk 4:26) The Reign of God Is Like… In the gospel of this Sunday, Jesus speaks of one of his favorite themes. He compares the “reign of God” to some of the ordinary scenes … Continue reading →

“This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many” (Mk 14: 24) There are two feasts in the liturgical calendar that invite us to meditate on the mystery of the Eucharist: Maundy Thursday and the Feast … Continue reading →

God in Three: Our experience of the Divine In the novel and movie, The Shack. Mack, the main character of the story, receives an invitation from ‘Papa’ to visit the shack – a hut in the forest. From his scanty … Continue reading →