Category: Cycle A

An addition to my homily today…

Today we hear of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fish. Do we give Jesus everything we have for His service? Two practical examples of people who did so were St. Mother Teresa and my community’s founder, St. Stanislaus Papczyński. St. Mother Teresa – seeing the poverty outside the walls of her convent – obeyed the Lord’s request that she herself take care of the poor and impoverished along the streets of India. With nothing but the clothes on her back – and the mockery of others – she offered herself and her talents to the Lord. Today, there are over 4,500 Missionaries of Charity serving the poorest of the poor throughout the world. What is key to resolving the needs of others and the evil in the world is simply obedience to the Lord’s request: “Feed them yourselves.” We entrust to Him our talents, and He will multiply them!

Another example is St. Stanislaus Papczyński. Having several visions of the souls in Purgatory, he exhorted the Marians and all people to pray for the souls in Purgatory: “…it is the greatest charity to pray earnestly to God for the freedom of the souls remaining in purgatory, or to assist them by merciful alms as by various other means” (Mystical Temple of God). Jesus told St. Faustina that, even if we do not have enough material means to do corporal works of mercy, we can always do spiritual works of mercy which are more meritorious and do not require money (Diary, 1317). We can unceasingly “feed” the souls in Purgatory with our prayers, hungry as they are for help and to enter Heaven! Bl. George Matulaitis, the Renovator of the Marians, suggested to the Marians to make a complete offering of all one’s work and suffering for the souls in Purgatory each day. If we have nothing else to bring to Jesus, we can bring that – our work and suffering – to feed the souls in Purgatory who need our help.

Do you share the faith with others or do you keep silent? We are called to cast our nets into the deep and share the Good News!

 

Today the Gospel for the Memorial of St. Martha is from Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.”  The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

In our first reading today we continue our journey with the Israelites in the desert.

Today on the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne we hear in our first reading the account of the Israelites grumbling in the desert. Do we grumble to the Lord or do we open our hearts to His will?

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. James the Apostle. His mother asked Jesus that he and his brother sit on his right and his left. Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”
He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”