30th Ordinary Sunday

LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOUR

The liturgy of the Word invites us to reflect about love, to understand its true meaning and to love God and neighbour with a sincere love. The First Reading portrays certain expressions of love: justice for all, compassion towards the helpless and kindness towards the poor. The Second Reading reveals the Thessalonian community as example of love of God manifested in receiving the Word with the joy of the Holy Spirit, abandoning idols and embracing the true God; their examples help others to strengthen their love for God and neighbour. In the Gospel, Jesus gives love of God and neighbour as the greatest commandment of the Law and invites all the listeners to love with all their being. Jesus is the embodiment of love and he gave expression to that love by dying on the cross to save humanity. For our failure to love God and others according to the commandment of God, we shall seek God’s forgiveness.

Liturgical materials for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11bCN1heJAb6wz3oh1ZuXSIEQ9VKc0GEl?usp=sharing

Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/KST0RLherOc

29th Ordinary Sunday

TO SANCTIFY THE WORLD

Today’s Gospel passage describes an attempt made by the enemies of Jesus to trap him into saying something incriminating. But Jesus is more than a match for his enemies. Well aware of their malicious intent, Jesus deftly escapes the trap and teaches them where their true allegiance should be. It is pointless to pit our allegiance to God against our obligations to those who rule us. We give to God something that we do not give to any earthly ruler. That is our worship. And it is precisely for this we are gathered here as a community – to worship God, Creator of the universe and Lord of all. But sadly, in practice we don’t always do it with an undivided heart, putting God first in our lives.

Liturgical materials for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z2DEcsYR4BYfaDKAJ4rrt1fDmGPqiqOH?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/t8iF_L5muVo

New Song on Word of God - https://youtu.be/7OPPtqX_ec8

28th Ordinary Sunday

WEDDING GUEST

Dining together in Israel was one the most profound gestures of intimate relationship with others. The Jewish hospitality had no parallel in the world. We see this happening in the time of Abraham who gave a banquet to the three angelic figures who came to his tent to predict the birth of Isaac. In Exodus (24:11) we read about seventy elders eating and drinking on the mountain. This banqueting also had a spiritual connotation. Partaking of the sacrificial meal was part of the ritual offering. The Eucharist is a sacrificial meal in memory of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. It presupposes purity of heart of the ones participating in it through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance. After opening our hearts with the Word of God, we are united to the Body of Christ through Communion. In and through today’s Readings the Lord is inviting us to join this divine banquet in a worthy manner. It is possible that we have not accepted this invitation wholeheartedly in the past or have participated in this banquet without proper preparations. For this let us now ask God’s pardon and mercy.

Liturgical materials for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fAVeoDZQs9nKStdN_a6K1ZJ7Ke83NEFR?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/1kwMk1GDdfM

27th Ordinary Sunday

BEARING FRUIT

‘What are we built on? What are we building?’ are the questions that haunt us today as Christians. In the First Reading of the day, Isaiah sings of God as a friend who bestowed care on a vineyard and got only sour grapes. Through the Second Reading of the day, we have the most touching scene of Paul’s tender and caring encouragement and advice to the Philippians. The Gospel of the day sternly warns us of the dire consequences of constructing our life’s foundation on the cornerstone of jobs and money, and family and activities. Rather, Jesus invites us to build our lives on him who is the cornerstone of our eternal life.

Liturgical materials for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UnBpbls0Ik4BIyAsFpbWWXzOah_DwecJ?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/1gT_ynQs41Y

26th Ordinary Sunday

OBEY THE LORD

Obedience is one of the unpopular words in our modern culture but it is a non-negotiable of Christian life. The dominant theme of today’s Scripture Readings is to live a life by being obedient to the will of God. Obedience to God proves our love for Him, demonstrates our faithfulness to Him and opens avenues of blessings for us. According to St Thomas Aquinas, “Obedience unites us so closely to God that it transforms us into Him, so that we have no other will but His.” Being Christians we cannot settle for selective obedience. Rather, we are to obey all the commandments of God, not merely the convenient ones, and our obedience should be manifested both in words and actions. As we prepare to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, let us quietly listen to God with the desire of knowing His will for us and translate it into our life through loving obedience. For the times we have failed to discern His will and adhere to it let us ask His pardon and mercy.

Liturgical materials for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uVmPlOzLKpU5qc-3bxpiXvP6V_Sv8ksi?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/qLtcMv2fS-c

25th Ordinary Sunday

GOD'S GENEROSITY

We all agree that we do not think or act as God thinks and acts for God’s ways are superior. The fact of the matter is that the higher ways and thoughts of God are not meant to subdue human beings or to gain superiority over them and control them. From what we read in today’s Readings it becomes clear that when God wants the wicked people to get away from their wicked and unrighteous ways, it is to help these people to repent and to turn away from their bad ways. When they do these forgiveness and pardon will follow them. When the owner of the vineyard representing God wishes to pay to the last worker as much as the one who worked the whole day, it shows the generosity of God who cares for the last worker as much as he cares for the first. The last man too needs a denarius to feed his family. What we need to learn is that we have a God whom we can trust, for He works for our benefit. Are we willing to change our outlook towards God who cares for us?

Liturgical materials for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oYPtlZXwlL8fFdOin3YOyufcpU1iPEOv?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/1PcUmYZgi0Q

24th Ordinary Sunday

UNLIMITED FORGIVENESS

The liturgy of the Word deals with the theme of forgiveness. The First Reading states that anger and wrath are abominations; the measure in which we forgive others will be the measure that we experience the forgiveness of the Lord. Experience of healing in our lives too will depend upon our willingness to let go of the various hurts in our lives. The Second Reading reminds us to do everything including forgiveness by being conscious of the fact that we belong to the Lord. In answering the question asked by Peter in the Gospel, Jesus reiterates the need to forgive without conditions. Humans as we are, we have experienced hurt. We also have hurt others. Experience of forgiveness helps us to live our Christian life more meaningfully. When we forgive, we experience forgiveness from God and others. Let us feel sorry for the revenge and ill-feelings that we have nurtured in our hearts.

Liturgical materials for the 24th Ordinary Sunday.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/119tueHrR4ytGEOLrA987m4G3n-hqcWyF?usp=sharing

Tamil Response Hymn - https://youtu.be/lb59Ij1rlgo