Many of us have encountered politicians who try to convince us to vote them into public office by explaining to us what is wrong with the system, what they believe, and how they intend to make our lives better. Some of us have also identified with certain political parties or ideologies because of the manifestos that define and moderate their political worldview. We may also have been lured into relationships with businesses and corporations who got us through compelling advertisements of their mission statements that assured us of their position as our best option.
READ MOREFrom the year 2019, and following Pope Francis’ directives, the third Sunday of Ordinary Time of every year is set aside for the celebration of the Word of God. The purpose of this celebration is to re-emphasize the centrality and absolute importance of the Word of God, not only in the Liturgy of the Church, but also in our individual lives. We are urged to reflect on the joy of the Gospel and invited to lend and commit ourselves to the universal and joyful proclamation of and witnessing to the Gospel values knowing that the ultimate reward for faithfully sharing this joy in our world and time disproportionately outweighs whatever cost we may incur and have to bear in the process.
READ MOREWith the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord on Monday this week, we effectively brought to a close the Holy Season of Christmas. The Baptism of the Lord symbolizes the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. On Tuesday, we were ushered into the first part of Ordinary Time which will continue until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday when we shall begin the Season of Lent and celebrate Eastertide thereafter.
READ MOREThis weekend the Church celebrates the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany, or Theophany, is the self-revelation or manifestation of God to the world. The first chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel attempts a chronological demonstration of the authenticity of Jesus’ Messiahship by tracing His genealogy back to King David, and farther to the Patriarchs, thereby establishing not only Davidic descent but also His unbroken ancestral connection to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
READ MOREIn the Liturgy of the Catholic Church, the first day of every year is celebrated as the “Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.” On this day, when we thank the Lord for the blessing of a new year and look forward in hope for an abundance of God’s gratuitous gifts, the Holy Church commends all of us to the unfailing maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of Our Divine Lord, and illuminates some of her virtues for us to imitate. With the Virgin Mother of God interceding for us, we can rest assured that God’s benevolence will find us.
READ MOREMerry Christmas to you! We celebrate today, after four weeks of Advent preparation, for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to reconcile us to God and to teach us to love Him through our neighbor. Our joyful hope is fulfilled as we commemorate the Good News of God becoming man, born of a virgin as the prophets foretold, so that all men can become Children of God.
READ MOREWe are in the fourth week of waiting for the coming of Jesus into our lives. But do we really know what it means for Jesus to come into our lives? Are we aware that when Jesus is allowed into our lives, He is very likely to effect significant changes that will alter the course of our lives?
READ MOREThe theme of patience and joyous hope runs through the Readings of this year’s Third Sunday of Advent. We who await the arrival of our salvation are encouraged to do so joyfully, patiently and full of hope.
READ MOREFor the ancient Jewish people, there were three boxes to be ticked in order to prove the authenticity of the expected Messiah. The Messiah would have to come from the royal household of King David, He would establish justice in the land, and He would cause the restoration of the incredible peace found in the original garden of Eden.
READ MOREWelcome to the Season of Advent, the Season that begins the Liturgical Year of the Church and invites us to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. During this Season, the Church invites us to prepare for the commemoration of the historical birth of Jesus Christ which is marked with the solemn celebration of Christmas, and for the second coming which will take place at the end of time. This is why the theme of preparation runs through the readings of the First Sunday of Advent.
READ MOREWith the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe today, we shall bring to a close the Church’s Liturgical Year. When we come to Church next weekend, we will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent which serves the dual purpose of ushering us into the Advent Season and effectively begins a new Liturgical year, Year “A.” The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted as a feast in the Liturgical calendar by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and in 1970 its observance was moved from October to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus, the end of the Liturgical year.
READ MOREIt is the penultimate weekend of the Liturgical Year and we know the last few Sundays of every Liturgical year are dedicated to reflections on the four last things: Death, Resurrection, Judgement and Heaven/ Hell. Last weekend we were invited to reflect on the Resurrection and its implications. This weekend, the Readings suggest a solemn consideration of post-Resurrection Judgment.
READ MOREWe are gradually approaching the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year and so the Readings are beginning to tilt towards explaining the reality of the end of life on earth and what we should expect thereafter. This weekend we are expected to consider the concept of the Resurrection of the dead.
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