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

  1st Reading             Isaiah 50: 4-7 Psalm                        22: 8-9, 17-18a, 19-20, 23-24 (R. 2a) R:// "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 2nd Reading          Philippians 2: 6-11 Gospel                     Matthew 26:14-27:66 HELP THE HELPLESS Beloved, today is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Year A). This year, we have the passion narrative from the Gospel according to Matthew. In year A, we read from Matthew, in year B, we read from Mark, and you C we read from Luke. Because we are in Year A, we are reading from Matthew. John's account of the Passion is read on Good Friday every year.  I would like us to look at three groups of helpers in the narrative according to Matthew.  The first person is Simon of Cyrene. He came unto the scene before Jesus' ascent of the mountain. ...

Gospel                Matthew 21:1-11 FOLLOW CLOSELY Friends, Pax et Bonum! Today, we come to a very important day in the life of the Church, Palm Sunday of the Passion of Christ. This celebration ushers us into the Week of weeks, the Holy Week. On this day, we remember Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. We also commemorate such a journey in today's liturgy. The liturgy for this Sunday provides the reading of a Gospel before the procession into the Church begins. In year A, this liturgical year, the Gospel passage is Matthew 21:1-11. Let us dive a little deeper into it. We need to set the stage by looking at the movement of Jesus. He moves from Jericho where he healed two blind men (Matt. 20:29) toward Jerusalem. The author of the text beautifully tells us that in moving to Jerusalem, he came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 21:1). Read the passage again, omitting the detail about "Bethphage on the Mount of Olives" and you would realise tha...

1st Reading            Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm                       130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7b-8 (R. 7b) R:// "With the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption" 2nd Reading         Romans 8:8-11 Gospel                     John 11:1-45 THE VALLEY CANNOT HOLD US; GOD GIVES LIFE Friends, Pax et Bonum! Today is the 5th Sunday of Lent (Year A). This is the last full week of Lent. It means that next week is Holy Week. We are actually getting closer to the end of Lent and nearer to Easter than before. I wish to suggest that when the end is closer, the journey becomes tougher, if not toughest. At this point, we need reassurance. Do not give up! We are almost there.  The Gospel is from John 11:1-45. It is the narrative of the raising of Lazarus to life. However, I prefer we pay attention to the first reading from Ezekiel 37: 12-14...

1st Reading             1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a Psalm                        23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (R. 1) R:// "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want" 2nd Reading          Ephesians 5: 8-14 Gospel                     John 9: 1-41 ENCOUNTER, BELIEVE, REJOICE Friends, Pax et Bonum! Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent (Year A). This Sunday is called Lætare Sunday, also known as Rejoicing Sunday. This is seen particularly in the first words of the Entrance Antiphon, thus "Rejoice Jerusalem..." (Isa. 66:10). The author of Isaiah uses these words to invite all to be happy with Jerusalem. Those who once mourned for the destruction of Jerusalem are invited to be happy with her hope of restoration. What it means is that the city shall be alive again. That is cause to be happy, to rejoice. That hope becomes a reason f...

1st Reading                Exodus 17:3-7 Psalm                           95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (R. 8) R:// "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts" 2nd Reading             Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 Gospel                        John 4:5-42 JESUS MEETS US Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A). Let us look at what the readings offer us. The first reading is from Exodus 17:3-7 and thr Gospel is from John 4:5-42.  Let us pay attention to the Gospel passage and notice three very important details worth reflecting on. The Gospel passage is the encounter between the Samaritan Woman and Jesus at a Well. On the surface, this narrative sounds simple without weight. A deep dive into it will reveal tragedy, a heart struggling to survive, and God's intervention.  The...

1st Reading        Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm                    33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 (R. 22) R:// "May your merciful love be upon us, as we hope in you, O Lord" 2nd Reading        2 Timothy 1:8b-10 Gospel                   Matthew 17:1-9 BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today, we enter the second week of Lent. Today is also the first Sunday of March, the 3rd month of the year. We thank God for his providence and his many graces. March in the Catholic Church is traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph. Throughout the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, we do not hear Joseph talking much. He rather acts more. The lengthy parts of Lent this year is within March. I suggest that as we go through Lent, we should begin to learn from St. Joseph how to discern and carry out the will of God, even if it inconveniences us. Surrender your will to...

1st Reading           Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7 Psalm                      51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 (R. cf. 3a) R:// "Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned" 2nd Reading        Romans 5:12-19 Gospel                   Matthew 4:1-11 DO NOT TRADE BREAD FOR YOUR SOUL Friends, Peace and Goodness! We usher in the gracious and new season of Lent. Lent is a 40-day journey in preparation for the celebration of the Church's greatest day of Easter. We ask the Lord to be gracious to us as we embark on this journey. The first reading is from Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7 and the Gospel is from Matthew 4:1-11. Let us start with the Gospel and notice some interesting reflective details.  The Gospel is the temptation narrative as recorded by the author of the Gospel according to Matthew. The first thing we should notice is the locus or the setting of the narra...