Monday 2 October
The Holy Guardian Angels Monday of week 26 in Ordinary Time First reading - Exodus 23:20-23 “The Lord says this: ‘I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Give him reverence and listen to all that he says”. This Word of the Lord shows the personal love of God to each one of us. The Lord has a plan for us and the Lord sends an angel before us to guard as and to lead us according to that plan. The love of the Lord is personal, and He takes care of us in a personal way. Here comes the role of our guardian angels whose feast we celebrate today. The presence of guardian angels in our life is a true fact as the love of God to us which is personal and concrete. Celebrating the feast of the guardian angels is the celebration of the personal and concrete form of God’s love in our daily life. While thanking the guardian angels, let’s be aware of the love of God concretely in our life. The best way to listen to the guardian angel is to be grateful. Let’s reflect: Do I acknowledge the presence of my guardian angel in my life?
Sunday 1 October
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 - 1897) First reading - Ezekiel 18:25-28 “When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die”. Repentance heals our lives. Repentance is renouncing sin to become law-abiding and honest. We renounce sin to abide to the law of love towards God and neighbour. We move from selfish love to selfless love. We renounce our ego to embrace the other without selfish motives. This is repentance. Then we can be honest too. Often, we cannot be honest, because we have our selfish interests in loving God and loving others. So, when we renounce our selfish interest, we can be honest. This honestly is primarily an honesty towards oneself. This honesty clears the path of grace which was previously blocked by us. Therefore, following the law of selfless love and by being honest, we have the life to live. Let’s reflect: Am I ready to renounce my selfish interests to become honest towards myselfe and towards others?
Saturday 30 September
Saint Jerome, Priest, Doctor Saturday of week 25 in Ordinary Time First reading - 2 Timothy 3:14-17 As we celebrate the Feast of St. Jerome, the reading helps us to understand the importance of Scriptures in our life. “All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work”. It’s vital to be close to the Word of God because it contains the inspiration of God Himself. The Word of God teaches what we must know in our relationships. The Word of God helps us to refute the errors of selfishness. The Word of God guides our lives. The Word of God instructs us to be holy. So, the more we are close to the Word of God, the more we learn. This is the way to prepare ourselves for our mission. By being close to the Word of God, we equip ourselves fully and prepare for any good work. In other words, for any good work we need the support of the Word of God. Let’s reflect: Do I equip myself with the Word of God or am I concerned about other preparations?
Friday 29 September
Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels - Feast First reading - Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 Today we celebrate the feasts of Archangels. “I gazed into the visions of the night”. Angels are the answers to the darkness of the night. They present the presence of God in His majesty. The sovereignty glory and kingship of the son of man is really presented by the Archangels in different situations in the salvation history. This presence of God is close to all peoples, nations, and languages. As the sovereignty is eternal, the presence of the angels also is for always. Whenever we have a need for the presence of God, then that presence is made effective by these angels. The divine intervention or providence in our daily affairs are acts of these angels. Today is the day to thank them, to entrust ourselves more to their protection. Let’s reflect: Do I thank the Archangels for their presence in my life?