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, “The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone!” “What stone?” asked the sage. “Last […]
Year B – Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 version of the gospel text of today: (1) the role of unity and permanence of
Year B – Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 things come our way we want to be the exclusive recipients! We want to be
Year B – Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 be the greatest in any particular field but deep down we like to feel that
Year B – Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 fingers into the mark of the nails in the hands and feet of the Risen
Year B – Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
“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 does not sadistically justify the suffering of Christians. In fact, Tertullian uses this expression in
Year B – Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 social phenomenon is on the decline. Perhaps human beings are growing out of their adolescent
Year B – Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
You have the message of eternal life, and we believe! (Jn 6:69) With today’s gospel reading we conclude the five weeks of reflection on the Bread of Life from John 6. This conclusion offers a mixed sense of reaction to whatever has preceded in Chapter 6. On the one hand, some disciples have found the
Year B – Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
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 the woman fleeing to the desert prepared by God for her. In the second reading
Year B – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Read More »
“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, the Salesians in Florence have a beautiful modern fresco-type of a mural in the background
Year B – Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
