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THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

Each year, on 9 November, the Catholic Church celebrates the Dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran. This event commemorates the consecration of the cathedral church of  the Bishop of Rome. Known as “Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and the World”, St John Lateran holds a unique place in the history and liturgy of the Church. Although the basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Holy Father as Bishop of Rome, today’s liturgy focuses not on the Petrine ministry but on the place of God’s house, the temple. In the First Reading – Ezekiel tells us From the temple, water flows eastward, bringing life and freshness to everything it touches, with fruit trees along its banks providing food and healing. In the Second Reading we are told that  we are God’s building, with Jesus as the foundation. Each must build carefully, for we are temples of the Holy Spirit, sacred and protected by God. 

The Gospel  from John tells us that Near Passover, Jesus visits the in Jerusalem, expelling merchants and overturning money-changers’ tables, condemning the commercialization of the sacred space. Challenged by the Jews for a sign to justify his actions, he mentions rebuilding the temple in three days, a reference to his resurrection understood later by his disciples. The feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran symbolises the unity of the universal Church and the spiritual leadership of the Pope. This celebration calls all of us to reflect on our own role as “living stones” in the spiritual temple of God. We no longer look upon stone edifices to see God’s presence on earth, but we look on the broken body of Jesus on the cross. He is both the high priest and the offering acceptable to God. Paul’s message continues this truth. We are living stones forming a building.  God’s presence according to Paul is through us. We are built on the foundation of Jesus’ message but we must be careful in the way we build. As we live out our lives we grow individually energized either by the Spirit of God or by the spirit of the world.  The Spirit of God unites, forms us into a single building. The spirit of the world destroys unity and forms warring factions where each side competes with the vother for power, wealth, influence and pleasure.  So we must be careful how we build our life. We are the presence of God to one another through the Spirit that dwells in us and energizes and directs us. So, why do we celebrate the dedication of a Church building in Rome?

St. John Lateran basilica becomes a sign and a symbol for us.  It is a sign of God’s presence in the world. It is high on a hill that is visible for all to see and for all to take hope from its strength.   It is a symbol of those who believe and work to grow in faith hope, love and concern for God’s creation, and all those who are within it. It rejects no one, opening its arms to embrace not only the privileged but also the ordinary people.  Even the ones ignored and forgotten are welcomed and find a place where they might be healed and find life. The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica inspires us to embrace the call to be a living temple of God. Just as the Basilica in Rome is a physical representation of the Church, we are called to be living stones, united in faith and working together to build up the Kingdom of God through his Church. Each person has a unique role to play in the Church and that their contributions, no matter how small, are essential to the overall mission of spreading the Gospel in the world today. May the feast we celebrate this weekend inspire us to cherish our heritage, embrace our mission, and strive to make the Church a true sign of God’s presence, hope, and unity for all the  people wherever we are in the world.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October is the month when we pray for the missionary efforts of the Church and the missionary men and women who bring the gospel message to those in other countries so that the people there will have faith in Jesus and what he teaches. Also during the month of October we are encouraged to pray the Rosary with the feast of our Lady of the Rosary on the 7^th October. The readings for this Sunday reminds us to trust God, even when life feels unfair or unclear. The readings speak of faith that waits with hope and service that does what is needed. Each passage points to a life that relies on God, not on our own strength. In the First Reading  from  the prophet Habakkuk we are told that despite witnessing violence and injustice, the plea for divine intervention is met with God’s instruction to record a future vision that promises fulfilment and vindicates the just who live by faith. In the Second Reading  from St Pauls second letter to Timothy we are called to Reignite the divine gift within us, embracing God’s spirit of power, love, and discipline, and steadfastly proclaim your faith, guided and protected by the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel for this Sunday is made up of two apparently unrelated sayings of Jesus, one dealing with the gift  of faith and the other a very stark and challenging reminder to the apostles of the call to service they have received as people sent by God to share in Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the Good News. We might be tempted to skip over such ‘hard sayings’ but we are asked to listen to them because the Gospel always liberates us from false ideas about ourselves and. Perhaps we think that having faith means believing certain things. Thinking our faith is small can keep us from doing so many things that we are called to do by our faith in Jesus the Son of God.  The disciples must have thought their faith was so small they couldn’t act on it. But Jesus wants his disciples and by association ourselves to trust and act on our god given faith. The alternative to acting out of faith would be saying things like: I can’t take on that responsibility, I don’t have enough faith. The disciples may have felt similar inhibitions after hearing what Jesus just taught about not leading others into sin. But Jesus teaches, “Act on the little faith you have.  You’ll be surprised what you can do.” His example of the deep-rooted mulberry tree underlines his lesson to us about the power of the smallest seed of faith to work marvels. We may find ourselves doing something that surprises us and those who know us. But despite the remarkable things we might do, we must acknowledge the source of all our good deeds the faith planted in us by God. Realizing this we can say with those servants in the parable: “We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.” We could also add: “We have only done what our faith has enabled us to do.

“God gives us the grace to do great things in his name as Mary puts it in the Magnificat the Lord has done great things for me and holy is his name. As we pray for our faith to be strengthened we thank god for all those people who helped us to have faith in the first place, our parents, families, teachers, friends and our clergy throughout our lives all of them played their part in giving us the faith.   Although Christ was speaking to the Apostles, His words apply to all of us, in our own lives here and now. Following the example of the Apostles, we must all pray for greater trust and faith in God and his love for all of us especially in our time with all the turmoil that is in the world. This Sunday we are called  to keep our faith alive and active. We are  reminded that faith grows when we trust God living each day in hope, love, and quiet faithfulness. . As we journey through October, may our prayers, and our trust in God continue to bear fruit in our lives and the and the lives of the people in world around us.

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday warn us against selfishness and ignoring those in need. God asks us to live with kindness and care, not to turn away from the poor or weak. We are reminded that faith is shown in how we act and also in what we say. In the First reading the prophet Amos speaks to the wealthy of Judah and Israel. Their crime is that they could  not care less about the plight of the poor. God condemns those living in luxury and indifference, foretelling their exile and the end of their extravagant celebrations. In the Second Reading from St Paul’s letter to Timothy we are told as Jesus was faithful to his call in the face of  the hostility that led to his death, So Christians facing persecution should be faithful to Gods call. We are encouraged to pursue virtues and keep the commandments until Christ’s return, honoring the immortal, unseen God.

This Sunday the gospel story tells us about two people, a rich man and a poor man it is a good reflection on the situation in the world at the present time where those who are rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor who are getting poorer. The rich man is wealthy in clothes and food; he is also rich in privilege and  freedom he is free from the worry that besets those who are poor even though he was poorer than the poorest man because of the way he lived his life. You can imagine Lazarus praying: “Give us this day our daily bread.” But he didn’t get  a crumb. You cannot imagine the rich man praying, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Because the privilege he has blinds him to Lazarus the man who lies at his own gate. Both men eventually died as all of us will.  Lazarus went straight to heaven to the joy  of endless happiness.  On the other hand the rich man fares very differently. His enjoyments are over. He is now in Hades and he is told that he can expect no relief. Abraham tells him why he is in his present state: he abused his time on earth he acted as though there would be no judgment day of course there was and he sees the truth of this. He knows that he has no one to blame but himself which adds to his torment. It is also a cause of additional grief to him that his bad example will lead his fellowmen to a similar fate.

This rich man is in eternal torment because he let his wealth become his master and forgot God and his neighbor and all  that leads us to eternal life. In our world today We see men and women who completely ignore their real future while they know that their stay on this earth is of very short duration and that they will have to leave it and yet they still act and live as if they had a permanent home here none of us do. For all of us there is a simple question are we going to be like the rich man and ignore those around us who are the Lazarus’s of our own time and place. There are times when our lack of compassion and action is our crime think of how we react to the homeless, the refugees or those who don’t have enough daily bread. Christ, shared his riches with everyone we should do the same and not be like the rich man in the gospel story?

This weekend Let us take the warnings of Amos, the encouragement of St Paul, and the lesson of Lazarus and the rich man to heart. May we be people of compassion, action, and faith sharing our blessings and building a community of Love ,hope  and joy where no one is left at the gate.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we gather this weekend many places in the world are still at war with each other. We continue our prayer for peace in Gaza and Ukraine as well as all the less talked about wars. This  weekend we  are asked to reflect on our use of worldly resources and our responsibilities to others. The readings challenge us to live with honesty, justice, and faithfulness to God above all else.  In the first reading we hear about Amos who was a great champion off social justice. In this short reading he depicts the religious employers waiting impatiently for the Sabath to end so that they could get on with their lucrative and dishonest trading. Psalm 113 shows that God lifts up the lowly and cares for those who are in need. This shows His love for those who trust Him. In the Second Reading Paul urges the Christian communities to pray for everyone especially those who hold public office as God wants everyone to be saved.

Our gospel reading tells us about the rich Man and his dishonest steward. The steward who looked after his master’s estates is accused of wasting his employer’s goods; he is dismissed, but before he goes he must submit the final account of his stewardship.  In this time of crisis the steward takes firm and immediate action to ensure his own future. He is praised not for his dishonesty, but for his resourcefulness in coping with an emergency with such speed. If a dishonest man can use his employer’s money to ensure there will be people to welcome him when he’s out of a job, how much more should honest people use their money in such a way that they will be welcomed into the kingdom of God when they arrive there. One of the central themes in Luke’s gospel is the suspicion Jesus conveys towards worldly wealth.  Material things can divert our attention and in some cases they can take the place of what truly matters in life. These particular words of Jesus are a warning to those who follow him on the road to heaven, the warning is that we shouldn’t get too attached earthly pocessions and wealth. Our Lord didn’t say who he was warning and his words are meant for all of us today.  What Jesus warned against was not the just acquisition of this world’s goods but their unjust acquisition, and the dishonest use of them when they were justly acquired.

In This gospel story we see an example of someone who knew what he had to do in a crisis situation and Jesus asks all of us to remember no matter what situations we might find ourselves in that we shouldn’t become slaves to pocessions or the wealth that we have and that we shouldn’t be afraid to use whatever our resources we have for the good of everyone especially those in need. The scriptures warn against idolising wealth or allowing possessions to harden our hearts. Instead, we are encouraged to use what we have whether a little or a lot  to serve, uplift, and restore. This is not a call to reckless giving, but a call to thoughtful generosity that reflects God’s own care for the poor. There are many people throughout history who have taken this gospel story  to heart and  decided to act quickly and decisively when required in order to help others and in their time of need. As we reflect on today’s readings and the state of our world, let us renew our commitment to live with honesty, justice, integrity and faithfulness. May we be people who care for the poor, pray earnestly for peace, and practise generosity not just with our resources, but with our hearts. In doing so, we align our lives more closely with God’s ways remembering that very often gods ways are not our ways and then  become true stewards of his love in a world longing for healing, peace, reconciliation and hope. Let us go forth in hope ready to pray, to serve, and to give, trusting that even in the darkest times, God is calling us to be instruments of his peace where we are.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that we celebrate this Sunday remembers the Cross of Jesus. It has been celebrated by the Church for centuries. The feast began in the 4th century, when the True Cross was found by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. Tradition says she found the Cross in Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified. This discovery made a deep impression on Christians and led to honouring the Cross in a special way.

The liturgy for this feast draws from several scriptural readings that reveal the depth of the Cross’s meaning. In the first reading, the Israelites, weary and frustrated, complain against God and Moses during their journey. In response, God allows venomous serpents to afflict them. After the people repent, God instructs Moses to craft a bronze serpent; those who look upon it are haled. This act foreshadows the healing and salvation brought through Christ’s crucifixion.The second reading presents the humility of Jesus. Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not cling to equality with God but emptied himself, embracing humanity and obedience—even to the point of death on a cross. For this, God exalted him and gave him a name above all others. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, explaining that the Son of Man must be “lifted up” in the same way Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness. Through this “lifting up” on the cross, Jesus brings eternal life, not condemnation, to the world. He is sent as a gift of salvation—a ransom for many. The cross as a sign of hope is a paradox. It is like the writing we can read on tombs in old graveyards: Ave crux, unica spes – Hail cross, our only hope. That is a good summary of the Christian faith: in the cross of Jesus, our hope has dawned. We say, “Where there’s life there’s hope.” As long as we live we’re able to hope and open ourselves to the future. Our hope gives direction to our lives; it gives us a reason to keep going. But we know that when we hope we become vulnerable. Hoping is always a risk because it looks to what is not here. To avoid the pain of disappointment some people give up hoping. Like the people of Israel in today’s first reading: they stop hoping in God because of the pain that goes with their new found freedom. They want freedom without wilderness; they want liberation without suffering. God sent the plague of serpents to bring the people to their senses. The God who sent the serpents later sends his beloved Son who died on the Cross for our salvation.

On the cross Jesus does what so many want to avoid: he suffers so that others might be free. To suffer and be rejected are the signs of the cross. In Jesus, God does not despise a broken humanity but takes it to himself. Jesus reveals God by making himself vulnerable. He takes on his back what we all want to avoid: responsibility for our sins. He is nailed to the cross. He does not die a natural death; he is put to death. In all this, he does not despise what is human. As Paul says, Jesus does not cling to his equality with God, he enters the deprivation of humanity becoming a servant  then God raised him high and gave him the name that is above all names . In the Cross and then in the resurrection, hope is born again. Hope is born out of realism; it is born out of love and it leads us to great joy in our lives on earth and in heaven. That is why Paul was right for in the cross there is new life and there is triumph. As we honour the Holy Cross, we recognise it as the sign  of hope especially in this Holy Year dedicated to the theme of Hope.