Category: Year A

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Jer 20:7-9; Psalm 63:2,3-4,5-6,8-9 (R.v.2ab); Rom 12:1-2; Matt 16:21-27 In his famous book, “The Confessions,” St. Augustine declared, concerning God, “You made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” The prophet Jeremiah noted in the First Reading that the more he resisted the Word of God, the more his heart burns towards it (Jer 20:9). It is not as if it is so much of a comfort following God. Both the First Reading and the Gospel talk about the presence of the cross in following him. Jeremiah...

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Isaiah 22:19-23; Psalm 138:1-2a, 2bcd-3,6 and 8bc (R.8bc); Rom 11:33-36; Matt 16:13-20 The Readings of today point out the fact that every authority comes from God. Other themes that might also be developed from them would serve to support that major theme. In the Gospel, Jesus handed the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter. The First Reading, like the Gospel, refers to that key as a sign of authority. There are some points that need to be clarified here: First, Jesus handed the leadership of the Church over to Peter but...

Twentienth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Isaiah 56:1.6-7; Psalm 67:2-3.5.6 and 8 (R.4); Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Matt 15:21-28 In the readings of last Sunday, we saw audacity of faith that Peter displayed by daring to accept Jesus invitation to come to him walking on the sea. However, the insufficiency of that faith showed up when he was faced with the troubled sea and took his gaze off Jesus. In the gospel reading of today, the Canaanite woman is set before us as example of undoubting faith which does not take a ‘NO’ for an answer. The faith of this...

⏰Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) ????1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85:8ab and 9,10-11, 12-13 (R.v.7); Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33 Every sportsman knows the importance of fixing his gaze on the target that would win him the desired point. For instance, every goalkeeper that wants to be efficient at the goalpost must not keep his eyes away from the ball. The same thing happens in our journey of faith. Jesus is object of faith. To win the prize, which is salvation, we must focus our gaze on him. Consider the drama that occurred in todays Gospel in that light....

⏰Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (30 July 2017) ????1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Psalm 119:57 and 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 (R.v.97a); Rom 8:28-30; Matt 13:44-523 Wisdom is a major theme that runs through the readings of today, especially the First Reading and the Gospel. We are all encouraged to seek this wisdom and possess it. The writer of the Book of the Proverbs noted thus, Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the one who gains insight. For she is of more value than silver and more useful than gold. She is more precious than pearls; nothing you...

⏰Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) ????Wis 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16a (R.v.5a); Rom 8:26-27; Matt 13:24-4 The patience and tolerance of God is made evident through the parables in the Gospel of today. In the first parable concerning the good seeds and the weeds, we see the image of the ever-tolerant God in the man, who sowed good seed in his field, opting to allow the weeds grow alongside the seeds instead of yielding to the suggestions of his servant to have the weed removed immediately (Matt 13:27-30). The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom makes...

⏰Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) ????Isa 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 (R. Luke 8:8); Rom 8:18-23; Matt 13:1-23 Christianity is like a tree that is planted in the soil, wherein the soil is our heart. In Agricultural Science, we learn that the growth and productivity of different fruit trees depend so much on the type of soil in the place where such trees are planted. In addition to that, how much manure that is applied to the soil is equally important especially in places where there are no much nutrients in the soil. The parable of the...

⏰Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) ????Zech 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13cd-14 (R.v.1); Rom 8:9,11-13; Matt 11:25-30 Are you a Christian? Then you must be a friend of Jesus, and if you are a friend of Jesus, you have nothing to worry about because Jesus always takes care of the worries of his friends. The Gospel says that much. In the first place, Jesus thanks God for revealing the mysteries about God and salvation to those considered as the little ones of the world. Mark that word, little ones. That does not just mean little children as in...

⏰THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) ????2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a; Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19 (R.v.2a); Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Matt 10:37-42 My dear, last Sunday, we were presented with the vertical effect of the presence of Jesus among us – protection and redemption. That is, with Christ among us, our song shall be the song of victory. Today, while the vertical effect is extended to also include provision from God, we are introduced into what should be the horizontal effect of that presence, which is what we are required to do with the gifts that God has given to us....