October 2011

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

My dear brothers and sisters what does it mean to love our neighbor as ourself? The readings for today’s Sunday tells us how to love everyone who comes into our life, not only friends and family, but also our enemies.

Love is very important not only in our relationship between people on earth, but in future, because love is reaching heaven. Jesus Christ many times tells us in the Scripture that the Kingdom of heaven is about loving God and our neighbor.

The first reading from the Book of Exodus tells us about how we should treat strangers and foreigners.

“You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry.”

We have to be compassionate, loving, forgiving and help all those in need like God is compassionate, loving and forgiving.

During today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was asked by the Pharisees what was the greatest Commandment.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The second greatest Commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The second Commandment means that if we truly love God with all our heart, soul and mind, this love should shine towards others, our neighbors. Our neighbors include everyone, our families, our friends and even strangers. The love we have for our family should be equal to the love we have for everyone else because we are all one large Christian family through Jesus in the Body of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church.

My dear brothers and sisters we have to remember that, if we discriminate towards one person within the Body of Christ, then we do not have the love of God in us. If we break the second commandment by not loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, then we do not love God. We may say that we love God, but in reality, we do not love God.

Jesus said, what you do to others, you do to Him. If you give someone a drink of water, you are giving a drink of water to Jesus. If you dress the naked, you are giving clothing to Jesus. If you feed the hungry, you are feeding Jesus.

My brothers and sisters, I ask that you reflect on these words this week and pray to the Holy Spirit that He may come to you to sanctify you in Christ by the grace of the Heavenly Father. May the grace of God work abundantly in each and everyone of you so that the commandment of love will be lived.

Give to God the things that are God’s.

My dear brothers and sisters,

We receive lot of gifts and blessings from God in our daily life. Many times we do not recognize that the gifts came from God and we do not see that something happened in our life because of God. We have to remember that everything that happened in our life after our Baptism is from God. Through our Baptism, God gave us all a new creation and He opened the doors to Heaven. He gave us our salvation through Christ.

Christ died for us. He gave us the Holy Catholic Church to continue the apostolic work of Jesus. He gave us the Sacrament of Baptism so we may be born again through faith in Christ, water and the Spirit. He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation so we may change our life. He gave us the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist so we may enjoy the Living Bread that leads us to the Kingdom of God. And the list continues… How numerous are His Divine blessings for each and every one of us!

From the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, we learn more about the greatness of God. Saint Paul gives thanks to God in prayer for all the blessings that the Thessalonians had received from God. Paul emphasized that it was not just his words that transformed the Thessalonians, but the “power” of the Holy Spirit. “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” The Holy Spirit was responsible for all the spiritual manifestations of righteousness.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus was asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus asked for a coin and said, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They answered, “Caesar’s”. So Jesus told them: Then repay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Give to God the things that are God’s.

Today’s message my brothers and sisters is, let us appreciate what God has given us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us preserve our gifts and blessings with all our souls, our minds, our spirits, our hearts and our strength. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, let us keep these gifts stainless so one day, when we will appear before God, we will proudly give Him back what He gave us. Then, we will rightfully inherit the assurance of our salvation.

Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today’s celebration of the Holy Mass. Every Sunday we joyfully come to our church to the House of the Lord. Our gathering confirms that the grace of God is working in each and every one of us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s readings from the Book of Isaiah, the Letter of Paul to the Philippians and the Gospel of Matthew speak of an invitation to the Great Feast of the Lord Jesus. Summarizing these readings, the first speaks of the Great Feast that is to come. The Second Reading echoes how God provides for our needs. The Third Reading tells us that God calls everyone but few answer His calling.

The reading from the Book of Isaiah is a prophecy regarding the promised salvation that was to come, it having been fulfilled through the Blood of Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life has been fulfilled through the Blood of Christ when Jesus gave up His life on the Holy Cross for the sins of the world. Since then, commemorating the Last Supper, Christians participate in the Holy Mass, the great banquet, to receive Christ and His salvation through the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

The Second Reading shines in Divine Providence, showing how the Lord God provides for His children. God gives them all that they need in this life to perceive the Kingdom and to live in the Kingdom.

Reviewing the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we perceive that there is a spiritual meaning involved. We are no longer at a Great Feast but at a Royal Wedding Feast. It is a Wedding Banquet that the Father gives for His Son. The Son is Jesus. The Bride is the invisible Kingdom of God on earth, the Mystical Body of Christ that is made visible through the Holy Catholic Church. The Holy Catholic Church had its beginning in Jerusalem on Pentecost Day when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.

From the Old Testament, we learn that the first guests who were invited to the Wedding Banquet were the Jewish people and their leaders, they being God’s chosen people. Having rejected God’s invitation, the Lord sent out His invitation to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people. The invitations were sent out to all people, all races, the good and the bad. Today, the invited Gentiles are all those who have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Having been born again through faith in Christ by water and Spirit, they qualify as children of God if they persevere in their living faith until the end.

In a few moments, we shall continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass. The Holy Mass is the Great invisible Wedding Feast that is opened to all those who have been baptized and who live their faith in Christ. During The Holy Mass we receive the Living Bread, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; we participate in the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal salvation. Let us continue to praise and worship the Lord for having blessed us with this great Feast through Christ our Lord.