DATE: 15TH JUNE 2017 THURSDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: 2Corinthians 3:15 ? 4:1, 3-6 PSALM: Psalm 85:9-14 GOSPEL: Matthew 5:20-26 THEME: ANGER

Anger is not a mere fleeting emotion. It is a force which controls if it is not controlled. The steam of uncontrolled anger expresses itself in words, actions and inactions with disastrous consequences. Friendships have been destroyed because of anger; marriages have broken down because of anger; there are people languishing in prisons because of anger; civil and world wars have snuffed out the lives of millions because of anger. Uncontrolled anger is an escalator to the gates of hell.

In narrating Jesus' sermon on the mount, Matthew presents us with six antithesis that can be found in Mt 5:21-28 (An antithesis is a kind of rhetorical contrast of ideas marked by the choice and arrangement of words). The formula used in each of the six antithesis is: ''You have heard'' ''but I say'' In each of the six statements, Jesus makes reference to an Old Testament law and then stamps his divine authority by perfecting and giving it a new rendition with a deeper meaning.

The Gospel text for today presents us with the first of the six statements: "You have heard how it was said to our ancestors: 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell' (Matt. 5:20-22) (Raca is an insult, verbal abuse, in the Aramaic language which means something like 'blockhead', 'empty head' or 'numskull').

As anger grows, its disastrous effects also grow. We see in the above text, an escalating movement from a local court verdict to the Jewish Sanhedrin and then to eternal punishment. In sum, it does not pay to harbour anger for long.

Do you feel embittered on account of something that has happened? Are you harbouring anger in your heart? The best way to deal with anger, according to Jesus, is reconciliation. Take note that Jesus makes it clear in the Gospel text that we must take the initiative for reconciliation. We should not wait for the other party to extend a hand of peace before responding. We should do everything within our means to sow the seeds of peace wherever there is strife.

We reconcile not because we are at fault but because that is the way to go. Reconciliation is the act of reconstructing a bridge that both offender and offended need to cross over to paradise.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you came to bring us freedom. May your Spirit of truth hover over every heart that stands in need of freedom, and as you inspire us to take steps of reconciliation may we discover the peace and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Amen

DATE: 14TH JUNE 2017 WEDNESDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: 2Corinthians 3:4-11 PSALM: Psalm 99:5-9 GOSPEL: Matthew 5:17-19 THEME: THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

Rabbi Chanina is quoted as saying, ''When two sit together and pronounce the words of the Law, the shekinah( the divine presence) is among them'' (Pirke  Abot 3:2). This quote captures the high regard the Jewish society have for the Torah and for that matter the Jewish Scriptures.

Jesus himself, a Jew, shows deep respect for the Law when he says ''For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished'' (Mt. 5:18). However, before making this statement, Jesus makes an important point: ''Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill'' (Mt 5:17).

The word 'fulfill' as translated from the Greek 'pleroo' carries with it the sense of making full that which was not yet full, i.e. bringing to completion that which was previously not complete. However, the completion that Jesus brings is not an additional law but the Spirit of the law. It is the infusion of this Spirit into a believer that enables him/her to live to the full the demands of the law.

Paul, in the First Reading, refers to this 'completion' as  ''a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit''. He goes ahead and says ''for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life'' (2Cor 3:6).

The Spirit of the Law is that which makes a person to act not because of an external law written in books but because of an internal law written on one's heart. In other words, I do the good that I do not because someone or something, external to me, is policing me or asking me to do it but because I am moved from within to do it. Doing what is right becomes my new nature, thanks to the covenant of the Spirit. This would explain why there are some illiterates who cannot read the 'Law or Prophets' but are able to live to the full what is prescribed there. They have within them the Spirit of the law. This is what brings a person a glory that surpasses that of Moses.

Let us therefore pray to God to pour into our hearts the Spirit who enables us to love God for who He is and to love your neighbour as ourselves.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, fill me with your Spirit so that I may love God and my neighbour not because a law says I should do so but because I want to do so. Amen

DATE: 13TH JUNE 2017 MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH FIRST READING: 2Corinthians 1:18-22 PSALM: Psalm 119:129-133, 135 GOSPEL: Matthew 5:13-16 THEME: AGENT OF CHANGE

One lighted candle may not be able to chase darkness away completely but it certainly makes a difference in a dark room. The presence of a pinch of salt in a big bowl of soup may not be felt much and yet no matter how little it is, it adds value to the soup.

The entrenching presence of evil in our world can sometimes be so overwhelming that it leaves many good-hearted people discouraged. There are many Christian communities worldwide and yet evil appears to be on the increase daily. Like thick darkness blurring our vision, there are moments when there appears to be no headway in the fight against evil and we succumb to lamentation.

Jesus, in our Gospel text, reminds us of a very powerful truth: ''You are the salt of the earth'' You are the light for the world'' (Mt. 5:13-14).  He uses salt and light as metaphors to illustrate the effect Christians ought to have on the world. The essence of this saying of Jesus is that our Christianity must count.

A true disciple of Jesus has what it takes to influence the world. Often, we dwell so much on the darkness around us that we ignore the light inside us. Just imagine this: If every disciple of Christ would make the effort to light his/her little candle of holiness, darkness would be chased away completely from our world.

The fear of being ridiculed and rejected has made many of us tasteless in a world that is quickly passing away. Jesus warns that if we lose our taste as Christians, we would no longer be good for anything but thrown out and trampled underfoot (see Mt. 5:13).

The time to stand tall in our faith and let our presence be felt is now. Now is the time to let our light shine in our marriages and families, among our friends, at our workplaces, in the shopping malls and wherever we find ourselves.  ''A city built on a hill cannot be hidden''(Mt. 5:14).
Yes, you are the agent of change for our world.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, make me your instrument of change in a world that stands in need of renewal and transformation. May my words and deeds bring light into every dark situation and flavour into the lives of those I meet daily. Amen
 

DATE: 12TH JUNE 2017 MONDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 PSALM: Psalm 34: 2-9 GOSPEL: Matthew 5: 1-12 THEME: IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS

If you desire a change, you must change your desires. Desires have the power to drive a person to particular destinations in life. Some desires would drive you to a place of happiness and others would bring you to the doorsteps of gloom. We all have desires but we are all not driven by the same desires in life because our value systems are not the same.

A personal value system is a set of principles/ideals that guide one's life. It gives structure and purpose to one's personal world. Latent desires in each one of us become potent depending on one?s value system. A change in a value system would lead to a change in desires and a change in desires would cause a change in one's world.

In our Gospel text for the day, Jesus proposes a value system that leads to happiness and blessedness. It is traditionally referred to as the Beatitudes. It forms part of what is known as the 'sermon on the mount'. Jesus addresses this sermon to his disciples, i.e. those who aspire to learn from him and follow in his footsteps. A close look at the text shows that the beatitudes are counter-cultural: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness are said to be blessed. The vision that Jesus shares with his disciples goes against the spirit of the world which engenders pride, hedonism and hatred, and places value on what the world scorns.

Happiness has eluded many of us because although we search for it so hard, we do so at the wrong places and in the wrong things. The search for happiness must start from within. As we submit our inner person to the transforming power of the Word of God, something would change in us and a new desire would well up from within and lead us to where true happiness can be found.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you are my happiness and in you my soul is content. I give you all I have and I am and I receive from you all that you have and are. May the joy I have found in you be my strength his day. Amen.

DATE: 11TH JUNE 2017 THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY FIRST READING: Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 PSALM: Daniel 3:52-56 SECOND READING: 2Corinthians 13:11-13 GOSPEL: John 3:16-18 THEME: I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD

The bedrock of any love relationship is COMMUNICATION. It takes communication to start a relationship and it takes communication to sustain it. We do not say everything about ourselves the very first day we enter into a relationship with someone. Self-disclosure is gradual and it deepens as the relationship matures.

In entering into a relationship with the human race, God chose to communicate and to reveal himself gradually. The First Reading gives us one of the early written accounts of God's self-revelation to humanity. On Mount Sinai, God is said to have passed before Moses and proclaimed: "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exod. 34:6). Although Moses heard him, at this stage of self-disclosure, God remained invisible.

With the passage of time, the invisible God made himself visible in and through the person of His Son Jesus Christ. This second stage of the self-disclosure of God is captured in our Gospel text: ''For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life''  (Jn. 3:16). To encounter Jesus is to encounter the God who spoke on Mount Sinai.

The person of the Holy Spirit completes the threefold self-disclosure of God. Thus Paul, in the Second Reading, writes: ''The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all'' (2 Cor. 13:13).

The Church has never disputed the fact that there is only one God. In fact the Catechism of the Catholic Church states emphatically that ''We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons...'' (CCC 253).

There are three important lessons that we can learn as we celebrate Trinity Sunday. First and foremost, Trinity Sunday should make us humble.  Often, we are tempted to think that our minds are the yardsticks for all truth. The revelation of the Most Holy Trinity has taught us that God is greater than our minds.

Secondly, the celebration of Trinity Sunday is a call to re-examine the image we have of God. One's image of God influences one's character. We bear the image of the one we worship. If God, for you, is a warrior, you will end up being a warrior. If your God is a God of wrath, you will emulate his anger. For us Christians, we call our God, ''Abba, Father'' and this loving Father has revealed himself to us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. 

Thirdly, Trinity Sunday should inculcate in us the spirit of unity and cooperation. Just as the three Divine Persons come together to accomplish the work of salvation, we too will need oneness of vision and purpose to accomplish great things in our families, parishes and nations.

May the Holy Triune God live in our hearts and in the hearts of all people.

PRAYER: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen