"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

  1st Reading      Acts 10: 34a. 37-43 Psalm               118:1-2. 15c-17. 22-23 (R. 24) 2nd Reading   Colossians. 3: 1-4/ 1 Corinthians. 5:6b-8 Gospel             John 20:1-9 THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE Dear friends, we have finally arrived at Easter. Lent prepared us, Holy Week brought us closer, and the Triduum led us into Easter.  We celebrate our redemption from sin and death. In this way, hope and everlasting joy have been restored. Our sins affected God, and one who is equal to God or above God could plead on our behalf. Because no one is equal to or above Him, God himself took human flesh to effect that redemption. He took human nature so that he might be one of us to plead and redeem us. Therefore, we have every cause to be happy and grateful for such a great and unfathomable love. Easter is the Sunday of all Sundays. It is the mother of all Sundays because, without the ...

A. Gospel before Procession     Mark 11: 1-10 B. Readings after Procession  1st Reading         Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm                    22. 8-9. 17-18a. 19-20. 23-24 (R. 2a) 2nd Reading       Philippians 2: 6-11 Gospel                  Mark 14: 1-15:47 FROM BETHPHAGE, BETHANY, MOUNT OF OLIVES TO DISCIPLESHIP Dear friends, today is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. With this celebration, we launch into the crucial moments of the Holy Week. Many activities pertaining to Jesus in the Scriptural passages are going to have Jerusalem in view. In fact, the Word of God for this Sunday (Gospel before procession) tells us this when it starts by saying,  "when they drew near to Jerusalem" (Mk. 11: 1-10).  I would like us to focus on a few details from Mark 11: 1-10. Of course, this passage is Mark's account of Jesus' triumphal ent...

  1st Reading          Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm                    51:3-4, 12-15 2nd Reading        Hebrews 5: 7-9 Gospel                   John 12: 20-33 A HEART THAT CONTEMPLATES GOD'S LAW Dear friends, today is the 5th Sunday of Lent, and we are gradually drawing the curtain on the season of Lent, and we have the week of Weeks, the Holy Week, in view. As we prepare to enter this Holy Week, the Word of God for this 5th Sunday zooms in on the issue of Covenant , which is very clear in the First Reading. I believe that we are beginning to talk about COVENANT because we are about to enter into a new relationship with the Lord after the season of Lent has offered us the opportunity to assess our previous life and journey with the Lord. The first reading comes from Jeremiah 31: 31-34. It is a very interesting passage in many ways. One of such...

  1st Reading        2 Chronilces 36: 14-16, 19-23 Psalm                  137:1-2. 3. 4-5. 6 (R. 6ab) 2nd Reading      Ephesians 2: 4-10 Gospel                John 3:14-21 FINDING HOPE IN EXILE We have arrived at a very significant part in our journey through Lent. Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent, popularly called LAETARE SUNDAY , because this Sunday calls us to Rejoice as indicated in the Entrance Antiphon taken from Isaiah 66: 10-11. We are rejoicing because "we are almost there." Our sorrow and penitence (violet) are met with the hope of redemption (white). It is the mixture of this violet and a little white (the glimpse of Easter joys) that we have the Rose colour for this Sunday. Today, we reassure ourselves that all is not lost, and the Word of God gives us this assurance when the 1st Reading ends by saying "LET HIM GO UP" (2 Chronicles 36:23). Let us loo...

1st Reading                 Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm                             19:8. 9. 10. 11 (R. cf. Jn. 6:68c) 2nd Reading                1 Corinthians 1: 22-25 Gospel                           John 2: 13-25 RECLAIM THE SENSE OF THE SACRED AND RESTORE YOUR LIFE Today is the 3rd Sunday of Lent and the first Sunday in March. As a reminder, the month of March is traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus. As a man who speaks very few words in the Bible, we too can learn to speak very few words and allow God to take the course of our lives, especially when we are faced with issues beyond our control. Ite ad Ioseph (Go to Joseph). The word of God for this Sunday touches on very important details to help us live the season of Lent. Le...

  1st Reading          Gen. 22: 1-2. 9a. 10-13. 15-18. Psalm                     116: 10 and 15. 16-17. 18-19 (R. 9). 2nd Reading        Romans 8:31b-34 Gospel                   Mark 9: 2-10 CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN AND OFFER THE BURNT SACRIFICE We continue to reflect on our lives in this penitential season of Lent. Today, we focus on one of the key elements in this season — PRAYER.  The first reading has the infamous story of Abraham being tested by God (Gen. 22: 1) to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to him. The passage is quite challenging because this is the first time in Scripture that God is demanding human life as a sacrifice. The question is, "How can God who created man in his image and after his likeness" (Gen. 1: 26-27) and even raised him to a dignity that mankind is considered the highest of all God's creation, making him a litt...

1st Reading      Genesis 9:8-15 Psalm                 25: 4-5ab. 6 and 7bc. 8-9 (R. cf. 10) 2nd Reading    1 Peter 3: 18-22 Gospel               Mark 1: 12-15 SHOOTING THE RIGHT ARROW THROUGH THE RIGHT BOW Dear friends, today is the 1st Sunday of Lent (Year B). The Season of Lent reminds us of our humanness and thus tells us that "we are dust, and unto dust, we shall return". In reflecting on our lives, we are given the words of the prophet Joel (2:13): "Rend your heart and not your garments". In this season, we put ourselves in a kind of introspection to put things right with God and our neighbours.  I think we should look at the first reading for this Sunday. It comes from GENESIS 9:8-15 . This is a very famous passage in the Bible. Let us go a little backwards to uncover the whole situation.  From Genesis 6, we start hearing the whole story about a man called NOAH and th...