Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

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

Today, as  the world celebrate the beginning of a new year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Mother of God. It is the oldest of all Marian feasts in our liturgy. It is also a feast appropriate to those of us concerned with new beginnings, with new resolutions, and renewed hopes.

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

1 Sam 1:11, 20-22, 24-28; 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk 2:41-52

Two brothers were playing on the sandbanks by a river. One ran after another up a large mound of sand. Unfortunately, the mound was not solid, and their weight caused them to sink in quickly.

Christmas Vigil

Is. 62:1-5; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt. 1:1-25

About a week before Christmas a family bought a new nativity scene. When they unpacked it they found 2 figures of the Baby Jesus. "Someone must have packed this wrong," the mother said, counting out the figures. "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three

Cycle C 4th Sunday in Advent

Micah 5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

Repeated prophecies about the coming of a messiah abound in the sacred writings. But these prophesies were shrouded in obscurity. A clear picture of the messiah is given in about 700BC by prophet Mica. We listened to his description in the First reading. 

Cycle C 3rd Sunday in Advent

Zeph 3:14-18; Phil 4:1-7; Luke 3:10-18

In today’s Gospel  John the Baptist tells  his listeners that “His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his  threshing floor and to gather  the  wheat into his  barn, but the chaff he will  burn  in a  fire that will  never go out.”

Dependency

Pilgrim places are always filled with many people. Spiritually powerful person or place is an attraction to many. We like to depend on someone who can comfort us. A person of genuine love, strong principles, good character, attitudes, etc is an attraction to others.

Cycle C 2nd Sunday in Advent

Bar 5:1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6

In 539 BC   the streets of Babylon were echoed with a great declaration from Cyrus, the king of Persia. It announced freedom to Jews, allowing   Jews to return home. In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the Kingdom of Judah and took away Jews to Babylon

Cycle C 1st Sunday in Advent

Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thess 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

History of salvation has been very dynamic. It has moved forward with a promise and the consequent hope, and the fulfillment of the promise.

Today we begin the season of advent. The reminder of the greatest promise in the history of salvation - The promise of a Saviour.

Cycle B Christ the King

Dan 7:13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:3-37

The contemporaries of Jesus grew up hearing the stories of the cruelty of the ancient kings and rulers. Biblical Accounts give vivid descriptions of the cruelty of the Assyrians. In 722 BC Assyrian armies swept through the Near East. They became notorious

Cycle B 33rd Sunday in Odinary Time

Dan 12:1-3; Heb 10:11-14, 18; Mk13:24-32

In today's gospel, Jesus speaks about the displacement of celestial bodies at the end of the world, followed by the appearance of the Son of Man in glory to establish the Reign of God. The coming of the Son of Man, "in clouds with great power and glory," echoes a

Family Life

The basic values are learned or taught in family. Parents have the duty to teach their children. Children also have the duty to help their parents to learn the modern values or make them updated about the present world without loosing the respect and love.

Cycle B 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44

In the temple of Jerusalem there were thirteen collecting boxes. They were for the contributions for the sacrifices and daily expenses of the temple. Many people threw in quite considerable contributions. Then came a widow. She flung in two mites.

Missionary Work

The primary duty of a missionary is to take care of the Mission but not taking care of missionaries. Missionary has to take care of the mission, if he has to be taken care, then he is adding work to the mission.
Today Mission needs real Missionaries.

Cycle B 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deut 6:2-6; Heb 7:22-28; Mk 12:28-34.

The central message of today's readings is the most fundamental principle of all religions. It is to love God in loving others and to love others in loving God.

In history we find thousands of people who have manifested their love for God even by sacrificing their lives.

Cycle B 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 31:7-9; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52

Today's Gospel describes Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem through Jericho, an ancient city, fifteen miles away from Jerusalem. Jericho was the first city conquered by the Israelites when they entered Palestine. It was a city of great wealth and remarkable

Cycle B 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 53:10-11; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45

 Todays Gospel places before us two beautiful themes. The trust and confidence of James and John, the sons of Zabedee, in the glory of Jesus and the teaching of Jesus to be practiced in his kingdom to attain glory.

Cycle B 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 7:7-11; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30

There is an old story about an 18th century man who was moving overseas. His life's savings of gold and silver coins were carried in a big money belt he wore around his waist. The ship hit an iceberg and started to go down. It was sinking so fast that many people had to jump in the water

Cycle B 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

Marriage has been a mystery throughout human history. From the time immemorial philosophers have reflected on this mystery, poets have sung about it, and religious men have glorified it. They realized that marriage is a union of man and woman in physical, mental, religious and   social realms.

Cycle B 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

[Numb. 11:25-29; Jas. 5:1-6; Mk. 9:38-43, 45, 47-48]

The conflict between good and evil is one of the precepts of the Zoroastrial faith, first enshrined by Zarathustra over 3000 years ago. It is also one of the most common conventional themes in literature, and is sometimes considered to be a universal part of the human condition.

Cycle B 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

Cycle B 24th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Is 50:5-9; Jas 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35

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

Cycle B 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 35:4-7; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37

"The Country of the Blind" is a Short story written by H.G Wells. While attempting to summit the unconquered crest of Parascotopetl, a fictitious mountain in Ecudor, a mountaineer named Nunez slips and falls down the far side of the mountain. At the end of his descent, down a

Cycle B 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deut 4:1-2,6-8; Jm 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

For the Jews the holiest part of the Bible was the "Pentateuch" or the first five books, which they thought had been personally written by Moses, and which they reverently called the "Law." The Pentateuch contained Sacred Laws such as the "Ten Commandments" and customary laws

Cycle B 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jos 24:1-2, 15-18; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69

In today's first reading we see the challenge that Joshua set before his people. He assembled all the people at Shechem and threw a challenge before them: to follow Yahweh or to choose the gods they liked. Shechem has been a holy place for the Israelites since ancient times.

Cycle B 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prov 9:1-6; Eph 5:15-20; Jn 6:51-58

 The desire of man to feel and experience God is as old as man himself. Only a few individuals had that opportunity. Moses met God on mount Horeb. Then people saw that God was within him. The prophets encountered God, and people experienced the presence God.

Cycle B 19th Sunday in Ordiinary Time

1King 19:4-8; Eph 4:30 - 5:2; Jn 6:41-51.

In history we find many famous people who made certain predictions which were proved wrong shortly after that. Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer and inventor of the vacuum tube, said about  rockets: "To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling

Cycle B 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ex.16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35

Once there was a young  hermit who lived as an ascetic in a forest.  He owned nothing except a pair of loincloths.  One morning, to his great disappointment, he found that mice had destroyed one of the loincloths.  He brought a cat to kill the mice and then a cow  to give milk to the cat. 

The Butterfly Effect

Part of our hope lies in the fact that we believe good is contagious. There is a theory called the butterfly effect. It posits that one small action can produce a result that spawns another action, which in turn produces a further effect, and so on. The saying is that if a butterfly flaps its

Cycle B 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kg 4:42-44; Eph 4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15

There were times when Jesus desired to withdraw from the crowds. When the disciples returned from their first mission Jesus withdrew with them into privacy. Jesus went up into the hill behind the plain and he was sitting there with his disciples. Then the crowd began to appear. At the sight

Cycle B 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

Jesus sent out his disciples with the mission of bringing God's message to the people. When they came  back from their mission they  reported to Jesus all that they had done.  The demanding crowds were  so insistent that they had no time even to eat; so Jesus took them  to a lonely place that they might have peace and rest for a while.

Cycle B 15th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Amos 7:12-15; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13

Today's gospel, tells the story of Jesus' commissioning of the twelve apostles to preach the "good news". Jesus gave clear instructions to his disciples for their first mission. They should be walking illustrations of God's love and providence in action. They were instructed by Jesus not to take

Prophetic Role in Family

There is prophetic role in family life. A prophet is a messenger of God. Anyone who does this task is a prophet.

Husband receives God's messages through his wife and wife receives through her husband. Husband and Wife are with a Prophetic Role in Family Life. God chooses them to find God in the other and to help each other to find God.

Cycle B 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 2:2-5; 2Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6

Today’s readings introduce Jesus as a prophet and explain how prophets and other messengers from God inevitably suffer rejection. Most of the famous men have experienced rejection not once, but many times. Colonel Sanders is the founder of KFC. He started his dream at 65 years

Cycle B 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis; 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43

On 20^th June (2012) a 4-year-old little girl, Mahi slipped into a borewell. Mahi was stuck at a level of 60 feet (20 meters).

The operation — launched soon after Mahi fell into the bore-well on Wednesday night during her birthday celebrations and was prolonged by almost 85 hours as the rescue team  pulled her out.

Father's Day

In Liberia, Africa, there were some Indians. One of the Liberian boys saw an Indian with his father. He asked to an Indian, “This is his born pa or real pa?” [“pa” means “father”]. He answered, “In India, there is only one father.”

Cycle B 12th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Job 3:1, 8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41

Once a man approached a Guru, and said that he wanted to be his disciple and learn from him. The Guru asked him, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am Peter." The Guru said, "That is your name. But who are you?" He said, "I am an engineer." The Guru said, "That is your profession.

Cycle B 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 17:22-24; 2Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34

 The nature is full of mysteries, and man stands helpless before them.

 The 'Taos Hum' is a low-pitched sound heard in numerous places worldwide, especially in the USA, UK, and Northern Europe. It is usually heard only in quiet environments, and is often described as sounding like a distant diesel engine. Since it has proven indetectable by

The Tabernacle

When we receive the Holy Communion we become the tabernacle where Jesus is present.

Cycle B Body and Blood of Christ

Ex 24:3-8; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

The Pelican is excessively dedicated to its young one. The pelican collects small fish and stores in the pouch at its neck. In the process of feeding them the bird presses the pouch against its neck. There is a reddish tinge at its breast plumage and redness   at the tip of its beak.  All these specialties of the pelican have given rise to a legend of the Pelican feeding its young with its own blood.

Cycle B Trinity Sunday

Deut 4:32-34, 39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20

One day St Augustine of Hippo was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on the doctrine of the Trinity. He suddenly saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled her cup, came and poured it into the hole she had

Cycle B Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-11; Gal 5:16-25; John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

One of the popular plays of William Shakespeare   is "The Merchant of Venice." Antonio, a successful merchant of Venice got into trouble because of his generosity. His friend Bassanio requested him to lend him some money. Antonio agreed, but, as all of his assets were tied

Cycle B The Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20

There is an interesting Zen story.

Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank. In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the scorpion fell in. The monk saved

Cycle B 6th Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 Jn 4:7-10 ; Jn 15:9-17

In 1941, the German Army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, the lives of at least 250 Jews were spared. He managed to

Cycle B 5th Sunday of Easter

Acts 9: 26-31; 1 Jn 3: 18-24; Jn 15: 1-8

The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde is a touching short story. The first character is a boy. This boy is sad because a girl promised to dance with him on condition that he brought her red roses, but he did not find any red rose; there were white roses and yellow roses.

Cycle B 4th Sunday of Easter

Acts 4:8-12; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18

There is the story of a particular census taker who went to a poor home in the mountains of West Virginia to gather information. He asked the mother how many children she had. The woman began, "Well, there is Rosie, and Billy, and Lewella, Susie, Harry, and Jeffrey. There's

Cycle B 3rd Sunday in Easter

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; 1 Jn 2: 1-5; Lk 24:35-48

There is a beautiful story concerning the love of Paul Tournier, one of the world's most beloved and respected Christian doctors, for his wife Nelly. Nelly used to talk about death after her first serious bout with coronary thrombosis while they were in Greece. She knew how gravely ill

Cycle B 2nd Sunday in Easter

Acts 4:32-35; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31

After the death of Jesus, for fear of the Jews the Apostles confined themselves to a closed room. They received the news of the resurrection of Jesus from many sources. He was seen by the women who visited the tomb. Peter saw the empty tomb. He appeared to the apostles themselves. But these

Cycle B Easter Sunday

Alexander the great went to Corinth, to see the great philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope.  Alexander was thrilled to meet him. He wished to do him some favour. But Diogenes replied, "Give me a little of immortality."

Cycle B Good Friday

Evil can never be conquered by evil; but only by goodness, violence by non-violence; and hatred by love for the enemy. That is the message of Good Friday.

Cycle B Holy Thursday

Many people desired to leave behind them a concrete symbol for the posterity to remember them. The Pharaohs of Egypt had thus built the great pyramids of Egypt. It stands high, embraced by the heavenly clouds, still bearing witness to the memories of Pharaohnic rule.

Cycle B Palm Sunday

The royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem echoes many details from the life of the ancient kings of Israel and contemporary history.

The crowd around Jesus was aware of King Solomon's royal procession on David's royal mule as he

Cycle B 5th Sunday in Lent

Jer 31: 31-34 ; Heb 6: 7-9 ; Jn 12: 20-33

As human beings, we are naturally drawn to nature. A beautiful vista evokes in us a sense of wonder and awe. Earth's splendour captivates us; its oceans, mountains, deserts, plains and forests help us to find within its quiet places a guiding force, a unity and oneness with Creation.

Cycle B 4th Sunday in Lent

2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23; Eph 2: 4-10; Jn 3: 14-21

Tiny subterranean termites are daylight avoiding pests that are literally causing billions of dollars in property damage around the world. They are virtually impossible to control with any approved pesticide. An interesting fact about them is that they cannot tolerate light. They prefer to

Cycle B 3rd Sunday in Lent

Ex. 20:1-17; 1 Cor. 1:18, 22-25; Jn. 2:13-25

George Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." Wythe was a planter and slave holder.  He became an abolitionist after the Revolutionary War. After his second wife's death, he divested himself of most of his

Cycle B 2nd Sunday in Lent

Gen 22: 1-18; Romans 8: 31-34; Mk 9:2-10

A man and a woman had a little daughter. They lived for her. They were shocked when they discovered that she became chronically ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best doctors, they became totally discouraged and inconsolable.

Cycle B 1st Sunday in Lent

Gen 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Mk 1:12-15

There are many famous treaties made between the countries. The Treatyof Verdun, ( August 843) was a treaty between the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, the son and successor of Charlemagne, which divided the Carlingian Empire into three kingdoms. It ended the three

Cycle B Ash Wednesday

Jo. 2:12-18; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; Mt. 6:1-6, 16-18

My brothers and sisters today we are entering a new Season, one of penance and sacrifices. Together, we have gathered here to celebrate "Ash Wednesday," the first of forty days of the Lenten Season. On this special occasion, we are called to be reconciled to God. Through the

Cycle B 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lev 13:1-2, 44-46; 1 Cor 10:31–11:1; Mk 1:40-45

The novel "Untouchable" written by Mulk Raj Anand gives a touching account of  the plight of the untouchables in India. The story is narrated by Bakha who is a hard working boy who never disobeys his father despite his repugnance for him and his lifestyle. Bakha endures one of the

Cycle B 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Job 7: 1-4, 6-7; I Cor 9:16-19, 22-23;  Mk 1:29-39

The 14th century speaks of catastrophes. Some of them man-made, such as the Hundred Years' War,  the Great Famine and the Black Death. All caused millions of deaths. Together they subjected the population of medieval Europe to tremendous strains, leading many people

Gurucharanam - Vithu

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Cycle B 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deut. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:32-35; Mk. 1:21-28

In the ancient world it was customary that when a king conquered a kingdom, he rebuilt the city as he wanted. Alexander the great conquered Egypt and resolved to leave behind a populous and large Greek City which would bear his name. Thus the world famous city of Alexandria was built.

Cycle B 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jon. 3:1-5, 10; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Mk. 1:14-20

The story of Jonah and the Whale is one of the oddest accounts in the Bible. God commanded Jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh.

Jonah found this order unbearable. Nineveh was known for its wickedness. It was also the capital of the Assyrian empire, one of Israel's fiercest enemies.

Cycle B 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Samuel 3: 3-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6: 13-20; John 1: 35-42

When it comes to rags to riches stories, there are no rags lowlier than those worn by American slaves. Rising from the shackles of slavery to extraordinary success required monumental amounts of hard work, tenacity, and passion, and Frederick Douglass had these qualities in spades.

Seeking God in Media and Popular Culture

Introduction

There is no need to repeat the statistics that today people all over the world spend a lot of time with mass media. The role and meaning of media in people’s life have become hot topic of discussion and debate. People get most of their information from the media, and reality for many is what the media present. The media make

Cycle B Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60:1-6; Eph 2:2-3, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Some events and happenings are powerful enough to upset the life of an individual, or even to change the course of history.  In the play “Macbeth” Shakespeare shows how Macbeth’s life was influenced by the prophecy of the three witches. Macbeth was returning after a victorious battle. Then, in the wilderness, he was met by three witches.