The first reading from the book of Isaiah paints a picture of what was going on towards the end of Isaiah’s prophecy. Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace, “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station.” Shebna was meant to be a steward in the royal palace but suddenly, he began to see himself as a king forgetting his position as a steward. In his arrogant behavior God speaks through Isaiah that he would pull him down from his office and get Eliakim to take over whom he will elevate to be a father to many inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. There are times when many people forget that they are mere servants or instruments in God’s hands. Some even tend to arrogate themselves to the position of God. Many others forget that without God all their accomplishments in life would not have been possible. The message of Isaiah in today’s first reading calls for true humility recognizing our position as God’s children.

Today’s gospel presents us with the story of a Canaanite woman who seeks Jesus’ help for her daughter who is under demonic influence. Jesus’ response and the woman’s faith challenge us on how to respond when we seek God’s assistance in moments of need, trial, and difficulty.

This woman’s love for her sick child of demonic influence is profound as this compels her to take the misery of her child as her own misery. The love she has for her child is a true reflection of God’s love for us, His children. God makes our own misery His own and takes our challenges upon Himself. It is because of this love that made her suffer the rebuffs and insults from the hand of Jesus. It was love which made her accept the silence from Jesus without minding; it was love which made her approach Jesus even when she knew within herself that she was not qualified being a non-Jew. So, we can say that love for her child was the driving force in her heart and there is nothing stronger than this deep love in her heart for her child. In this way, it is this love that our Lord Jesus has for us His children which made Him suffer the agony of the cross and finally gave His life for us.

Today’s liturgy assures that Jesus is with us even when the storms of life try to hit from different sides. We should focus our eyes on Jesus who always comes to our aid. We should not only turn to him when we are in need or when we are in big trouble but should always go to him at every time as a child goes to the mother all the time. Let us not forget that Jesus awaits for us to come to him with our joys, sorrows, challenges, fears and troubles.

“The Transfiguration reflects Christ’s divinity in an extra ordinary way. Just as at His baptism, the voice of his Father was heard calling Christ his ‘beloved son’. Moses and Elijah both encountered God on a holy mountain and represent the Law and the prophets. Christ at the center of the three indicates He is the center of the Revelation.”

What particular gift would you ask of God if he spoke to you in a dream tonight and gave you your choice? Many would ask for badly needed health for themselves or for a family member. Others may ask for financial help just to pay off debt and keep the family comfortable. Others would wish to live for many years. But those who would ask for the gift of true wisdom to govern their earthly lives according to justice and charity may be a small percentage. Yet this is the only gift that has eternal value.

We are presented with the Book of Wisdom in the first reading of today. It is one of the last Old Testament books to be written and it gives a good reflection on final judgment, resurrection, and eternal life. The Book of Wisdom covers topics like immortality, righteousness and encourages us that God’s wisdom can be gained through a life of humility. God grants wisdom to His children who are humble and obedient. The part of the book we read today reflects on God’s mercy and how God judges with clemency and gentleness.

Isaiah in the first reading says, “my word shall not return to me void but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it”. This is a powerful demonstration of the force in the power of God to transform, revive, change, and accomplish whatever it declares. It means that God’s words are not empty words but carries with it such power that it transforms whatever it encounters. God’s words are spirit, and they are life. God’s words, in this first reading, serve as a source of great comfort in our society today where there is chaos, confusion, injustice and evil.

I had written the faith digest for the week before reading the gospel for this Sunday and behold the Lord’s invitation: “Come to me all you who labor”. This seems to confirm the urgency of the message from the cross.

The prophet Zechariah prophesied about 520 BC as a contemporary of the Prophet Haggai and they both championed the course of the Second Temple restoration. We read today, his Messianic prophesy about the coming reign of peace and liberation for the people of God. The Messiah will be a powerful, victorious yet humble king, riding in glory on a donkey. This prophecy is fulfilled in the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem which we celebrate on Palm Sunday (Mt 21:1-11; Lk 19:28-48; Mk 11:1-11; Jn 12:12-19).

Dear Friends,

Today, we address the question about the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary.

The story of the Blessed Virgin Mary starts with the fall of Adam and Eve. God placed a curse on the serpent, putting enmity between it and the woman and between its seeds and her seed (Gen 3:15). The Bible and the Church hold Our Lady as the new Eve and Jesus the Seed promised here. Jesus became accursed to free us from this ancient curse (Gal 3:13). St. Paul explains Christ as the New Adam who brings life as against the old Adam who brings death (Rom 5:12-21 1 Cor 15:45-49).

A story was told of a child who was very calm in a flight in the midst of very severe turbulence, while other passengers on board panicked, screamed and prayed. When everything returned to normalcy the kid was asked why he remained calm as the turbulence raged, he simply replied “Because my father is the pilot, so I know that everything will be fine”. If this child could have such confidence in his father, with his limited human abilities, how much more confidence ought we to be in God our Almighty and All-knowing father?

The popular 19th century hymn by J. Oatman of New Jersey, Count your blessings exhorts us to count our blessings in times of serious troubles. The refrain of this song ends thus: Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings see what God has done. A modified version of it ends with …and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Also the Archangel Raphael taught us that it is right to keep the secret of the king but a duty to reveal and publicize the deeds of God, and to thank him honorably (Tobit 12:7,11). The reason behind these admonitions is that when we feed our minds with memories of the past great deeds of the Lord, we become emboldened to believe what God can still do in our current situation. Such testimonies give vital force to our faith, dispel our fears and doubts, and strengthen our hope. Above all, they show us the color of God’s love.

Today, we celebrate the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. We celebrate Christ’s great gift of himself to abide with us forever. The sacred body and blood of Christ is our viaticum (our companion for the journey). The Lord feeds us with heavenly food to strengthen us in our pilgrimage to the kingdom of God. It is the assurance of life eternal for Jesus says “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:54). His flesh is indeed real food (Jn 6:55).

In the collect for this mass we pray, “God the Father, who by sending into the world, the Word of truth and the Spirit of Sanctification, made known to the human race your wondrous mystery…” This prayer points to us the truth that what we know about God is only what He reveals to us about Himself and the highest point of this divine self-revelation is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The invisible God became visible in time and walked with us on earth. This revelation is further consolidated in the sending of the Holy Spirit.