Feast of Triumph( Exaltation ) of the Holy Cross

Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Holy Cross .
Everywhere we look, the symbol of the Holy Cross is present to remind us of the infinite sacrifice that the Lord Jesus did for our redemption. The sign of the Cross is found in the Sacred Liturgy. The Holy Cross is in the Rite of Adoration. It is the symbol of blessing. It is found in the dedication of Churches, in the Schools, the homes, Hospitals, Seminaries, Convents, Religious Order, Crusades and even in cemeteries.
Today, let us look up to the Holy Cross as our symbol of faith and salvation. Let us always honour the work of Christ that was manifested through the Holy Cross, the true symbol of love, compassion and forgiveness.
Over and above being the symbol of Christianity, the Holy Cross brings to light many fundamental truths that are being taught by the Holy Catholic Church .
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Divine Love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Salvation. Through Jesus Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism, those who believe in Him and obey His teachings, they will enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Divine Mercy and Compassion. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but in order that the world may be saved through Jesus.
The history of the Holy Cross, its recapture in 629 A.D., reveals to us the Divine power of God that is behind this most Sacred object on which the Blood of Christ was shed for the sins of mankind.

In regards to the Holy Cross itself, when the Body of Jesus was removed from it, to prevent His followers from finding it, the Cross was thrown in a ditch or well, and then covered with stones and earth.
According to the history , Helena Augustas, mother of Constantine, at the age of 80 travels to the Holy Land and finds the True Cross, the cross upon which Christ was crucified.
The visit takes place around 325, when Constantine initiates the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and informs the bishop to spare no expense. This martyrium encloses what is believed to be the site of the tomb of Christ as well as Golgotha.
Helena visits the Holy Land to show a presence of the emperor and to view the places where Christ had lived and died. She becomes interested in locating the True Cross. There are several versions on how the cross is found. In some, Helena has a dreams telling her where the cross is buried. In another tradition, the Ethiopian Coptic tradition still celebrated as Mesquel, she follows smoke from a bonfire to the site.
In the version that receives the most circulation and became popular in the middle ages, she asks the people of Jerusalem to tell her the location. When the Jewish leaders of the city are silent, she places one of them, a man named Judas, in a well until he agrees to show her the site. After seven days, he prays to God for guidance and reveals the location. Afterwards, Judas converts to Christianity, and takes the name Kyriakis, "he who belongs to the Lord."

Helena finds the three crosses, nails, and title under a pagan temple. To determine which is the right cross, a dead girl is brought to the site. Upon being touched by the True cross, she is restored to life.
Helena is made a saint for her role in finding the cross and becomes the model for a Christian empress due to her many acts of charity. Part of the trip was to promote good will for her son, especially after he had apparently executed his wife and his favorite son, and to redress the wrongs inflicted on Christians by the other emperor, Licinius, who Constantine had recently defeated and killed.
A portion of the cross remained in Jerusalem, where it was exhibited on certain Holy Days. The remainder was divided between Rome and Constantinople. A portion of the title is sent to Rome, where it is hidden and then found again in the 16th centuryIn 614, Chosroes II, the King of Persia, invaded Syria and Palestine, at which time he carried away many of the great treasures of Jerusalem, including the relic of the True Cross. In 629, Emperor Heraclius of Constantinople marched into Persia and recapture the True Cross, seeing to it that Heraclius piously bring it back to Jerusalem while being clothed in sackcloth of penance and barefoot. On September 14 th, the Sacred Cross was restored to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. To commemorate this victory, in the 7 th century, the Church of Rome adopted the "Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross" on September 14 th.

Blessed Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross for everyone !

Homily for the Feast of Birth of Mary , Holy Mother of God

Homily 1 for the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God; PG 97, 805 (trans. Breviary)

Today is the dawn of our salvation

We are no longer to be enslaved by the elemental spirits of the world, as the apostle Paul says, or held in the yoke of slavery to the letter of the law (Col 2,8 ; Rom 7,6). This is the summary of the benefits of Christ for us; this is the unveiling of the mystery; this is nature made new: God is made man, and human nature assumed by God is deified. But so radiant, so glorious a visitation of God to us needed some prelude of joy to introduce to us the great gift of salvation. The present feast is such: the prelude is the birth of the Mother of God, and the concluding act is the union which is destined between the Word and human nature.

A virgin is now born..., and is made ready to be mother of God, the king of all for ever... A double gain will be ours: we shall be led towards the truth, and we shall be led away from a life of slavery to the letter of the law. How will this be? Clearly, inasmuch as the shadow yields to the presence of the light, and grace introduces freedom in place of the letter. The present feast stands on the border between these: it joins us to the truth instead of signs and figures, and it brings in the new in place of the old.

Let the whole creation therefore sing praise and dance and unite to celebrate the glories of this day. Today let there be one common feast of those in heaven and those on earth. Let everything that is, in the world and above the world, join together in rejoicing. For today a shrine is built for the Creator of the universe. The creature is newly made ready as a divine dwelling for the Creator.

September 8, Nativity of the Virgin Mary

With delight I rejoice in the Lord.--Isaiah 61:10
Mass readings: Micah 5:1-4 or Romans 8:28-30 / Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 or 1:18-23

Pondering God's Ways
Today's feast, the birth of Mary, has been celebrated by her Son's followers since the eighth century. Mary and St. John the Baptist are the only two saints whose births are celebrated in the Church's calendar. For many centuries, as Church Fathers studied and prayed over Mary's role, the Holy Spirit guided the unfolding of Marian teaching so that it puts the proper emphasis on Jesus.
One of the best ways to honor Mary today is to remember how she ''pondered all these things in her heart,'' as St. Luke puts it. To ponder God's will and ways, noted the late Cistercian Father Basil Pennington, doesn't mean to simply think about them. It means to let them sit and find a home in our hearts, even if we don't understand them.
Prayer: Mary, help us to imitate you, pondering in our hearts whatever God asks of us.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
Matthew 18:15-20

Today is Wednesday of the nineteenth week in ordinary time. Think about that: ordinary time. We know what that means liturgically but I think that it describes how many of us live our lives spiritually. Anyone who sets out on the journey of becoming like Jesus embraces certain spiritual practices. Service, prayer, worship, meditation on Scripture, and other disciplines become important to us.

The chapter 18 begins with Jesus teaching us about our need for humility (verses 1-5).
He uses the analogy of body parts to show the importance of not offending little ones (verses 6-10). He then gives the Parable of the Lost Sheep to show His concern for every sheep (verses 11 - 14). He instructs about how we should deal with offenses among us (verses 15-20). All chapter is great teaching of Forgiveness , the only way to save ourself and obtain forgiveness for our sins .
This day gospel is ending with sublime encouragement to pray for each other , with entrustment that our Lord shall be present in the midst of us .
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Every faithful christian has the presence of Christ with him; but the promise here refers to the meetings where two or three are gathered in His name, not only for discipline, but for religious worship, or any act of Christian communion .
When we come together, to worship God in a dependence upon the Spirit and grace of Christ as Mediator for assistance, and upon his merit and righteousness as Mediator for acceptance, having an actual regard to him as our Way to the Father, and our Advocate with the Father, then we are met together in his name.
Thank you Lord for your Holy Word and Divine Mercy , thank you for being always with us !

Aug 10 - Homily: True Treasure of St Lawrence

Almighty God, Who called Your deacon Laurence to serve You with deeds of love, and gave him the crown of martyrdom: Grant that we, following his example, may fulfill Your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving You with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Aug 08 - Homily

Aug 07 - Homily: Saint Cajetan

Blessed Feast of Transfiguration ( August 6 )

This is an excerpt from a homily by St. Leo the Great (Sermon 51, 3-4, 8: PL 54, 310-311, 313) explaining the meaning of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor. Saint Leo contrasts the law, symbolized by Moses, with the grace of the gospel brought by Jesus Christ, providing a great Lenten reading used in the Roman office of readings for the 2nd second Sunday in Lent, given that the gospel of the day is the Transfiguration.
The Lord reveals His glory in the presence of chosen witnesses. His body is like that of the rest of mankind, but He makes it shine with such splendor that His face becomes like the sun in glory, and His garments as white as snow.
The great reason for this Transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of His disciples, and to prevent the humiliation of His voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed.
With no less forethought he was also providing a firm foundation for the Hope of Holy Church. The whole body of Christ was to understand the kind of transformation that it would receive as His gift. the members of that body were to look forward to a share in that glory which first blazed out in Christ their head.
The Lord had himself spoken of this when He foretold the splendor of His coming: Then the just will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Saint Paul the Apostle bore witness to this same truth when he said: I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not to be compared to the future glory that is to be revealed in us. In another place He says: You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
This marvel of the Transfiguration contains another lesson for the Apostles, to strengthen them and lead them into the fullness of knowledge. Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appeared with the Lord in conversation with Him. This was in order to fulfil exactly, through the presence of these five men, the text which says: Before two or three witnesses every word is ratified. What word could be more firmly established, more securely based, than the word which is proclaimed by the trumpets of both old and new testaments, sounding in harmony, and by the utterances of ancient prophecy and the teaching of the Gospel, in full agreement with each other?
The writings of the two testaments support each other. The radiance of the Transfiguration reveals clearly and unmistakably the one who had been promised by signs foretelling Him under the veils of mystery. As Saint John says: The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In Him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of the prophecy through His presence, and makes obedience to the commandments possible through grace.
In the preaching of the Holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the Cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.
No one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice; no one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on Himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in Him and in our love for Him, we win the victory that He has won, we receive what He has promised.
When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears: This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.

God Bless each one of you !

Aug 03 - Homily: If Today You Hear His Voice