August 6, 2012 – Daniel 7:9-10; 13-14 – Visions of the Four Beasts - Judgement before the Ancient One

As I watched, throne were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool: his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and flowed out for his presence. A thousand thousand served him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. The court said in judgment, and the books were opened. 

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came to the ancient one and was presented before him. To him was given dominion, glory, and kingship that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. 

Transfiguration

Last August 6, 2012, a CIVIC Holiday in Canada, we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The transfiguration is one of the greatest miracle that happened to Jesus himself when he transfigured and became radiant upon a mountain. When Jesus went to a mountain with three apostles, he shined with bright rays of light. Then, prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to him and  talked to them.

August 5, 2012 – John 6:24-35 - The Bread from Heaven

Holy Communion

Jesus  answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which is the son of man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal. Then they said to him, “What we must do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. So they said to him, What sign are you going to give us then so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestor’s ate the manna in the wilderness as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, “Sir give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  

August 3, 2012 – Matthew 13:54-58 – The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

Jesus the carpenter's son

Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

August 2, 2012 – Matthew 13:47-52 – Three Parables / Treasures New and Old

Jesus Fisher of Men

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind, when it was full; they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out, separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.      

                                                                                               

And he said to them, therefore, every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. When Jesus had finished this parable, he left that place.

August 1, 2012 – Matthew 13:44-46 – Three Parables

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

 

Father Nino Cavoto said that the gospel invites us to contemplate and dwell on the parable of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven. It is compared to a fine pearl like a treasure that gives joy and great appreciation to the owner. We need to sacrifice everything in order to have something of value that gives us joy. Joy is differentiated from happiness in terms of state of mind and orientation of heart because joy is deeper and more profound. Joy is a constant state not affected by gain or loss; something unaffected by circumstances. Joy is the result of passing treasure and the treasure itself is the kingdom of God.

July 31, 2012 – Matthew 13:37-43 – Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the son of Man, the field is the world, and the good seeds are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with dire, so will it be at the end of the age. The son of man will send his angels, they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the king of their Father’s. Let anyone with ears listen.

Father Glenn McDonald spoke about the forgotten spirituality of the sacred heart of Jesus, an image of His heart burning with fire and entwined with thorns. The sacred heart flows from the experience of pining with unrequited love just like unwanted love for children, those facing odds with parents, and families that are disenfranchised of rights or deprived of privileges. The sacred heart is about the experience when you love someone and felt unanswered and painful. The sacred heart is the point of contact to speak to young people on how to love and deal with experiences with unanswered love. Let us pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to grant us with the gift of unfailing love especially those who are disconnected with their families and loved ones.

July 28, 2012 – Matthew 13:24-30 – The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

"He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among them and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.” …..But he replied, No: for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time, I will tell the reapers, collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

Father Patrick Fitzpatrick mentioned that “mass-going” and “right-living” must go hand in hand. The message of the parable in the gospel is “Do not uproot the weeds among the wheat and permit them to grow together.” We are invited to contemplate whether we should excommunicate unwanted persons in the society, expel bad students from school or get rid of others. Can we learn from these people or find a place for them? Let us grow together, take and sort them out at harvest time and let live for now.

July 27, 2012 – Matthew 13:18-23 – The Parable of the Sower Explained

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart: this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises because of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the words and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirty."

Father Nino Cavoto shared his message on the gospel’s theme about the parable of the sower, to quote:  “Only hearts who are open to the whispers of God can hear the word of God.” God does not shout but whispers and listens. Jesus retells the parables of the sower who scattered seeds on tilled soil. He compared the solid soil to our hearts needing to be tilled which means our hearts needs to receive the words of God as He utters in whispers. The tilling of the heart pertains to suffering, pain, and disappointments. It is only the voice of God that gives us comfort when our hearts are being tilled. We can compare our hearts to the soil where we lived on earth - the Ontario clay – made up of solid art clay, hard in dry hot weather, difficult to till so it needs a sharp spade so seeds can penetrate. We should ask ourselves what kind of soil we are – rough patch or stone patch. Tilling is important by opening our hearts to the word of God that gives us new life. Let us say this prayer: “O Lord, open our hearts to hear your whispers.”