Mary, Mother of God, 1 January 2012.


Num. 6:22-7; Gal. 4:4-7; Lk. 2:16-21


Welcome my brothers and sisters  to today's celebration of the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God.  I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year. I pray that the Lord Jesus fills your lives during the coming year with an abundance of blessings that will enrich your spiritual lives so you may continue to shine as brilliant lights in the world.
Today's Feast of "Mary, Mother of God" is very appropriate to start a new year. This celebration echoes that the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the

New Year Message

Come the new year 2012 and all of us wish each of our friends, family and colleagues. We convey our new year wishes to them and hope for their well being, success, prosperity and good health in the coming times through the new year messages.

New year messages show the anticipation of good times ahead and wish that our dreams and aspiration all come through.
It is the time to spread love, affection and warmth around every person we come across even if it is a stranger. But  we are unable to do that because there is

Cycle B - Christmas

Is 62:11-12; Titus 3:3-7 ; Lk 2:15-20

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son shared a passion for art collecting. Together they travelled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.

As war engulfed the nation,  the young man left to serve his

Cycle B 4th Sunday of Advent


2 Sam. 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Rom. 16:25-27; Lk. 1:26-38 

The Old Testament  gives many accounts of humanly impossible things that God had  done for his people. In order to  liberate the Israelites from the bondage in Egypt, God had performed many miracles.  Moses turned the water of the river into blood(Exodus 7:17). Moses smite all the borders of Egypt with frogs (Exodus 8:2). Moses sent darkness in all the land of Egypt for 3 days (Ex 10:22). The first born of

Cycle B 3rd Sunday of Advent

Is. 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; Jn. 1:6-8, 19-28

Socrate’s close friend Chaerephon once consulted God  at the Oracle of Delphi and asked, “Is there any person in the world who is smarter than Socrates?”

God answers: No man is wiser than Socrates.

Chaerephon happily informed Socrates of God’s answer. But to Chaerephon’s surprise,

Cycle B 2nd Sunday of Advent


Is. 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Pet. 3:8-14; Mk. 1:1-8

Sending envoys to prepare the way for the arrival of a king or a dignitary is not unknown to us. This practice is as old as the establishment of the monarchy. So, it was not unusual when the "King of kings" and the "Lord of lords" came into the world, He sent an envoy to prepare a way for Him: John the Baptist. However, the kind of envoy that was sent was as

Cycle B First Sunday of Advent


Is. 63:16b-17; 64:1, 3-8; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:31-37

Sergeant Charles B. Schlichter, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, had been soldiering most of his life. In June, 1950 he was a surgical technician at Madigan General Hospital. When the news of the outbreak in Korea came over the air, Charles Schlichter had a premonition that  "Something was going to

St. Francis of Assisi


see video


The creatures found shelter in lover of nature, St. Francis of Assisi

Cycle A : Christ the King

Ez 34:11-12,15-17; I Cor 15:20-26,28; MT 25:31-46

In the poem Ozymandias, the speaker recalls having met a traveler “from an antique land.” He told him a story about the ruins of a statue in the desert. Two vast legs of stone stand without a body, and near them a massive, crumbling stone head lies “half sunk” in the sand. The face reflects a frown and “sneer of cold command.” The memory of those emotions survives "stamped" on the lifeless statue. On the pedestal of

Cycle A 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

  Prov. 31:10-13, 16-18, 20, 26, 28-31; 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Mt. 24:36, 25:14-30
  
Today’s Gospel passage has taken us once again into the famous parable of the Talents. A man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two talents, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Talent was not a coin, it was a

Cycle A 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis. 6:12-16; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Mt. 25:1-13

Once a fox was roaming around in a forest looking for food. Suddenly, he saw a pig rubbing his tusks against the trunk of a tree.

The fox looked about carefully but couldn't see any danger for the pig anywhere. Despite being so clever, he couldn't understand why, the pig was doing that.

Make me a Channel of Your Peace

25th anniversary of the prayer of peace convoked by John Paul II is on 27th October. I am happy to tell you that the inaguration of my "La-Vox videos" (my video productions) with my first visualisation of a song "Makw me a Channel of Your Peace" is today. My youtube is www.youtube.com/loranview
Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRdF54jJk_Q

31st Sunday in the Ordinary Time A

Mal.1:14-2:2, 8-10; 1 Thess. 2:7-9, 13; Mt. 23:1-12
Two game Cocks were fighting fiercely to be king of the farmyard. One finally gained advantage and the other surrendered. The losing Cock slunk away and hid himself in a quiet corner, while the winner, flying up to a high wall, flapped his wings and crowed of his victory as loud as he could. An Eagle sailing through the air pounced upon the winning Cock and carried him off in his talons. The losing Cock immediately came out of his corner, and he ruled the farmyard from that day forward. (Aesop’s fables)

Pride is a cancerous, lethal, and destructive quality, which probably more than any

Cycle A 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

EX 22:20-26; Thess 1:5-10; Mt 22:34-40

“The Sniper,” is a story about the Irish civil war, written by Liam O’Flaherty.
At nightfall in Dublin, heavy guns and small arms boomed and cracked intermittently near the River Liffey. From a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper with fanatical eyes observed the scene while eating a sandwich and swigging whiskey.
.When an armoured car pulled up fifty yards ahead, he did not shoot at it,realizing that bullets

Cycle A 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 45:1,4-6;  Thes. 1:1-5; Mt. 22:15-21
Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel  is a Romanian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor.

Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Treblinka are just a few of the names which evoke nightmares of the Holocaust. The suffering and death at these and other concentration camps were greater than any before endured. The Holocaust created a void in the souls of many of those who survived.  Wiesel was one of those people. Before the Holocaust he had been one of the most devout Jewish children. Up until the end he waited for God to intervene in Biblical fashion. When that intervention was not forthcoming, he began to doubt in God and in His mercy.

Homily of Archbishop of Brussels







Homily on the Feast day of St. Francis of Assisi in French


Homily of Fr. Laiju OFM Cap


Homily

Please click the link below to read


28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Is. 25:6-10; Phil. 4:10-14, 19-20; Mt. 22:1-14
Once a king had invited his guests for a feast, but he did not tell them the exact date and time. He told them that they must wash, and anoint, and clothe themselves that they might be ready when the summons came. The wise prepared themselves at once, and took their places waiting at the palace door, for they believed that in a palace a feast could be prepared so quickly that there would be no warning. The foolish thought that it would take a long time to make the necessary preparations and that they would have plenty of time. So they went, the mason to his lime, the potter to his clay, smith to his furnace and went on with their work. Then suddenly the summons to the feast came without any warning. The wise were ready to sit down, and the king rejoiced over them, and they ate and drank. But those who had not arrayed themselves in their wedding garments had to stand outside, sad and hungry, and look on the joy that they had lost.

This story tells of the duty of preparedness for the summons of God, and the garments stand for the preparation that must be made. Today's readings from the Book of Isaiah, [Is. 25:5-10] the Letter of Paul to the Philippians [Phil. 4:10-14, 19-20] and the Gospel of Matthew [Mt. 22:1-14] speak of an invitation to the Great Feast.

It was Jewish custom that when the invitations were sent out for a great feat the time was not stated; and when everything was ready the servants were sent out with a final summons to tell the guests to come. So the king in the parable had long ago sent out his invitation; but it was not till everything was prepared that the final summons was issued – and insultingly refused.

This parable has many meanings. First of all, Jesus refers to the Jews who did not accept the invitation of God. Ages ago they had been invited to be the chosen people of God; yet they had time and again refused to accept the messengers sent by God. The final summons came from Jesus to leave their unjust ways and enter into the Kingdom of God. When this invitation was rejected, the invitation of God went to the highways and byways.

The parable also speaks of the consequences of rejecting the invitation. The people of Israel had experienced the tragic consequences of rejecting the ways of God. The remnants of those bitter experiences were remained with that generation too. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pilser and Shalmaneser. In 722BC, nearly twenty years after the initial deportations, the ruling city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, was finally taken by Saragon. In about 587 BBC again they were captivated by the Babylonians. These were terrible experiences of the Israelites, and they had been passed on to the succeeding generations. Before Mathew composed his Gospel the Roman armies had destroyed Jerusalem. Even today the violent nature and man-made disasters remind us constantly about the consequences of rejecting the invitation of God.
As Jesus referred to his contemporaries. Through this parable the church today points out to its members who get drowned in the daily hustle of life, and lose priorities. The things that made men deaf to the invitation of the king were not necessarily bad in themselves. One man went to his estate; the business. They went off on the excellent task of efficiently administering their business life. It is easy for a man to be so busy with the things of time that he forgets the things of eternity, to be so preoccupied with the things which are seen that he forgets the things which are unseen. The tragedy of life is that it is so often the second bests which shut out the best, that it is things which are good in themselves which shuts out the things that are supreme.

A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was full.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as God, family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work. The sand signifies the remaining "small stuff" and material possessions.

If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.

Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your life. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.

What are the priorities at our house? We are early for the game but late to the worship. We see to it that our children do their homework but never check to seek if Bible lessons are completed. We will not let them miss school even though they do not want to attend, but we cater to their whims and let them miss Bible Class. We know the names of their school teachers, but cannot call the names of the Bible Class teachers at church. We will serve as room mother or president of the PTA at school, but what about helping with a function in the Bible Class! They see us go to work even though we do not feel well but stay at home from church under the same circumstances. They see us look at and study their school work but never pay any attention at all to their handwork brought home from Bible Class. Yes, with such situations prevailing, what priorities are established in the hearts of our children! (Wendell Winkler).

The parable reminds us that in the last analysis that God's invitation is the invitation of grace. It is true that the door is open to all men, but when they come they must bring a life which seeks to fit the love which has been given to them. Grace is not only a gift; it is a grave responsibility. So, the moment we accept the invitation, we accept the inevitable responsibility and commitment to change ourselves. Hence, when we go to the house of God let us put on the garment of humble penitence, the garment of faith and the garment of reverence. So that when the king comes to see his guests we will prove ourselves worthy of the invitation extended to us.

Satish

Cycle A 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 5:1-7; Phil. 4:6-9; Mt. 21:33-43

Every detail of the parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants was familiar to the hearers. The vineyards were surrounded with a thick-set thorn hedge, designed to keep out both the wild boars and thieves. Every vineyard had its own wine press, and a watch tower.
The actions of the owner of the vineyard were all quite normal. In the time of Jesus, Palestine was

Cycle A 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ezek. 18:25-8; Phil. 2:1-11; Mt. 21:28-32

Zen stories are wonderful stories with deep insight. There is Zen story about the master Bankei. His talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. Once a  self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to debate with Bankei.  When he saw that a audience was attracted by the Master, Anger and jealousy took over him. He went to the master and challenged him:

Hey, teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what

Domain

My blog
www.lorantalk.in is changed 
to
www.lorantalk.org

Cycle A 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 55:6-9; Phil. 1:20-24, 27; Mt. 20:1-16

The people who gained greatness embarked on their career at various stages in their life. A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. Many writers have published their first major work late in life. Mary Wesley might be a classic example. She wrote two children's books in her late fifties, and her writing career did not gain note until her first novel at 70. Harriet

Mission

Mission is sharing our faith, hope and love to others

Cycle A 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir. 27:30-28:7; Rom. 14:7-9; Mt. 18:21-35
On December 27, 1983, in Rome's Rebibbia prison, two men shook hands. A victim and a would-be assassin. That is the historical moments that Pope John Paul II spent with his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. On May 13, 1981, Mehmet Ali Agca shot Pope John Paul II, as the pope rode in an open car across St. Peter's Square. Four bullets from the gun of Ali Agca pierced into the stomach and arms of the pope. The Pope in white robes, capsized backward on his seat, stricken. Emergency surgery saves

Cycle A : 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ezek. 33:7-9;  Rom. 13:8-10;  Mt. 18:15-20

There is a story adapted from Tales from Rumi.

Four Men entered a mosque and each busied himself in salah, humbly prostrating before Allah. Each one said the "Allahu Akhbar" after first having made his intention, and began to pray with humility. Meanwhile the Mu'adhdhin came in and gave the call to salah.

The first man blurted out to the Mu'adhdhin, "Are you calling to the prayer? Is it

Cycle A : 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer. 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt. 16:21-28

One of the very important events in the history of struggle for Indian independence was the Historical Salt March. During the British Colonialism in India the British Salt Tax rule was imposed, making it illegal to sell or produce salt. Gandhiji saw it as an injustice to the people of India. Gandhiji decided to protest against it. He decided to lead 78 people through 240 mile journey from his Ashram to the coastal village of

Cycle A 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 22:15, 19-23; Rom. 11:33-36; Mt. 16:13-20

We are all familiar with the term identity crisis. It is a modern phenomenon that man tries to find his own identity. Many today ask the question who they are?

In today’s Gospel Jesus confronts his disciples with a very difficult question. The opinion of people about him, and their personal opinion about him. It is of the most dramatic interest to see where Jesus chose to ask this question. There was no district that had so much religious association like that of

Cycle A : August 15 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rev. 11:19, 12:1-6, 10; 1 Cor. 15:20-6; Lk. 1:39-56
Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the "Assumption of Mary." The origin of the Catholic belief in the Assumption of Mary goes back to many centuries. It was defined as a  Catholic Doctrine  by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. The proclamation of the Church states that, revealed by God, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, she was taken up body and soul into Heavenly glory.

Cycle A : 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 56:1, 6-7; Rom. 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt. 15:21-28

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew, [Mt. 15:21-28] the account of Jesus and the Canaanite woman, is one of the rare encounters of Jesus with Gentiles. Most likely this woman  heard of the great miracles that Jesus was performing towards the Jewish people. Hence she took it upon herself to personally locate Jesus and to beg His mercy on her.  In deuteronomic and postdeuteronomic literature,

Cycle A 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs. 19:9, 11-13; Rom. 9:1-5; Mt. 14:22-33

It is our common experience that when we face certain unexpected problems, our first reaction is, “Lord save me.” 

Some 850 years before Jesus was born there appeared in the Kingdom of Israel an extraordinary man, Elijah. As a punishment for the sins of the king and his people, the prophet announced a terrible drought. It lasted for three and a half years causing famine everywhere. The revengeful queen swore to do

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard about the assassination of John the Baptist, He withdrew to a lonely place. He must have been emotionally disturbed and wanted to be alone. But when he arrived a crowd had already been waiting for Him. He was moved with compassion to the depths of his being. Jesus had come to find peace, quiet and loneliness; instead he found a vast crowd waiting to be comforted. Jesus showed his compassion by

Homily: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

1 Kgs. 3:5-12; Rom. 8:28-30; Mt. 13:44-52

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans believed that somewhere in the New World there was a place of immense wealth known as El Dorado. Their searches for this treasure wasted countless lives. The origins of El Dorado lie deep in South America. And like all enduring legends, the tale of El Dorado contains some scraps of truth. When Spanish explorers reached South America in the early 16th century, they heard stories about a tribe of natives high in the Andes Mountains in what is now Colombia. When a new chieftain rose to power, his rule began with a ceremony at Lake Guatavita. Accounts of the ceremony vary, but they consistently say

The Seed of God

God speaks to us in many ways. That seed is falling on us every day, by what ever happens to us. For God intends all of it, you know. What kind of ground do you give for His seed?

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Wis. 12:13, 16-19; Rom. 8:26-27; Mt. 13:24-43
The Battle of Gaugamela took place in331 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius 111 of Persia.
According to historians 1,000,000 troops of Darius and 40,000 troops of Alexander met in the Battle of Gaugamela. In the battle thousands of men lost their lives. But, the empire that was built at the cost of thousands of lives did not last long. It too sank into oblivion in a short span of time.

Cycle A 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 55:10-1; Rm. 8:18-23; Mt. 13:1-23

Jesus taught the good news for three years. The message of Jesus penetrated the heart of each of his listeners because he spoke with tenderness using the vocabulary of the common man. In order to make himself understood more easily He made abundant use of comparisons which He took from the everyday life of the people. Today’s Gospels presents before us the parable of the sower. A sower went out to sow. and as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns

Feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus

Deut. 7:6-11; 1 Jn. 4:7-16; Mt 11:25-30

The heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. It is really nothing more than a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. But it is the powerhouse of human beings. Heart is so important that it has found a place in mythology, literature and even in everyday language. There are 154 words with heart, 61 of them begins with the word “heart.”
The Heart has long been recognized across cultures as being a symbol of love, charity, joy a

The Body and Blood of Christ A

Deut 8:2-3, 14-16; I Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-52
October 17, 2008, a 22ft dinghy with 30 Dominican refugees aboard drifted for 15 days after getting lost at sea en route to Puerto Rico. WHAT began as a journey to a better life went horribly wrong. According to the men, they were all told by the Captain, Francisco Soler of Miches, not to take any food and water on board since it was a one-day trip.

Two days after the boat left on, they complained of hunger and thirst to the Captain who could offer them no solution as

Homily: Feast of Holy Trinity

 Ex 34:4-6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18
 
The world, we live in, is not as simple as it might seem to be. It is full of unexplained mysteries that raise several questions that remain to be answered till date. There are many such mysterious phenomena, which find no satisfactory explanation in science. Many of the mysteries keep us wondering, asking questions, and striving to learn more about our world are simply amusing. They have perplexed individuals all throughout history. 

The Bermuda Triangle is believed to possess certain supernatural powers due to which

Homily: Feast of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor. 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23

Feast of Pentecost is believed to be the oldest feast in the Church. The story of Pentecost dates back to the first century A.D. It coincided with the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which occurs 50 days after the Passover (Deuteronomy 16:10). According to Jewish tradition, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses 50 days after the first Passover, which freed the Hebrews from their bondage in Egypt. As the Hebrews settled into Canaan, the feast became a time to honor the Lord for blessing the fruits of their labors. Since this Jewish holiday took place at the same time of the Pentecost, many Jewish Christians appropriated its celebration into their Christian commemoration of the coming of the Spirit.

According to book of Acts, the Church came into being on the day of Pentecost. As 120 worshipers, including the Disciples, were fasting and praying in an

Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11; Eph. 1:17-23; Mt. 28:16-20

Today the Church celebrates the  glorious entry of Jesus into heaven, after his short life on  the Earth. When Jesus  accepted the human form he submitted himself to the limitation of time and space. His life was limited to the territory of Galilee and surrounding regions. His life also was  bound by the limitation of time - 33 years in our terms of calculation. But the risen Lord was  no longer bound by time or space. He appeared to the disciples at various places. For forty days Jesus continued his presence among  His people. He was seen by many; He was experienced by many, and  He was touched and felt by the disciples.  After  40 days in the sight of the disciples Jesus was taken up into heaven.

The ascension of Jesus  gives us two important messages. First of all it is the reentry of Jesus into glory