God's Word for Today (Scripture Reflections)

                                                                                                      Sunday 01 September 2024 – XXII Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)  Mass Readings: Deut 4:1-2.6-8    Ps 15    Jas 1: 17-18. 21-22. 27    Mk 7:1-8.14-15.21-23 Key verse to meditate: There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile" (Mk 7:15). My dear Brothers and Sisters, The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time brings a cautionary message about keeping our hearts aligned with God's commandments and becoming doers of the Word. The first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy reminds us that it was God who commanded the Israelites to observe all His commandments as a sign of their obedience and their wisdom in setting an example for other nations. The purpose of Moses' teaching of the law was directed toward the future life of the Israelites in the Promised Land. In the second reading, in line with the central

  Homily - XXI Week in Ordinary Time (B) - Sunday 25 August 2024 Mass Readings: Jos 24: 1-2.15-17.18    Ps 34    Eph 5:21-32    Jn 6: 60-69 Key verse to Meditate: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68). Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time comes with the final part of the sixth chapter of John, focusing on the ‘bread of life’ discourse that we have been meditating on for the past five weeks. The discourse, which began with the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, ends with some of the disciples leaving Jesus. The false disciples stop following Jesus and abandon Him. But Peter makes a faith-filled, million-dollar response: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:68). Jesus, the Lord who is the bread from heaven, is the one who has the words of eternal life. The liturgy of the Word of God this Sunday invites us to consider the choices that we make in o

  XX Ordinary Sunday of the Year (B) - 18 August 2024 Mass Readings: Pro 9:1-6   Ps 34    Eph 5:15-20    Jn 6:51-58   Key verse to Meditate: “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (Jn 6:51). Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, Over the last three Sundays in this ordinary time of the year, we have been reflecting on the theme of “Jesus, the true bread of life that came down from heaven,” as presented in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Today, we conclude our readings on the ‘bread of life discourse.’ Today’s Gospel makes many references to ‘eating’ and ‘drinking.’ To possess eternal life, one must feed on Christ the Lord in the Eucharist and in the bread of His holy word. We all live in a spiritually hungry world, desperate for meaning and hope in life. But God’s word today gives us a ray of hope and assurance in Christ the Lord, who is the ‘medicine of immortality’ for our souls in the Eucharist. We must feed on Christ the Savior, t

  Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother-  15 August 2024 Mass Readings:   Rev 11:19; 12:1-6.10    Ps 44    1 Cor 15: 20-26    Lk 1: 39-56 Key Verse to Meditate: And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour (Lk 1:46-47). My dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord , Today, holy Mother the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed into heaven in both body and soul. This Marian dogma of faith was solemnly proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. At the end of her earthly life, Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, was preserved from sin and corruption and was raised in glory, body and soul, to be closer to her Son in heaven. The empty tomb of Mary, along with the image of the empty tomb of Jesus, demonstrates to us the total victory of God, the giver of life, over death. At the end of the world, He will cause the physical death of each of us to rise into eternal life together with Christ. The Se