St. Philip's Parish
415 King N0N 1R0 Petrolia, ON, Canada

Thought for the Day February 23, 2021 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isa. 55.10-11) This passage comes from the last chapter of the second part of Isaiah, known as Second ...Isaiah (Chaps. 40-66). It speaks with hope and encouragement of the approaching end of the Babylonian Exile, in contrast to the earlier prophecies which rather emphasised the punishments which Israel had merited by her infidelities. We are reminded that God has his plans for the world, and they will not be frustrated. Those plans are not arbitrary. They are for the wellbeing of all creation. He is the loving Father to whom we pray with confidence every day. The prophet expresses these ideas in a poetical language. The inevitability of God’s word being realized is like that of the gentle rain that makes the earth fertile and fruitful and so produces the seed that provides the bread on which we live. The word of God is fruitful and capable to produce hundredfold as we see in the Gospel. But since we are human beings endowed with knowledge and freedom we can make, in our life, the word of God fruitful or not fruitful, less fruitful or more fruitful. In any case, God’s plans will be fulfilled, and His words will bear fruit, but if we do not cooperate with those plans or go against them that will be detrimental to us. See more

Thought for the Day February 22, 2021 FEAST: Chair of ST. Peter the Apostle. (1Pt. 5.1-4; Mt. 16.13-19) This feast has been kept at Rome since the 4th century. It is celebrated as a symbol of the unity of the Church. The principal diocese of the Catholic Church is Rome, and the Pope is its bishop. His cathedral is not, as many people think, St. Peter’s Basilica but the Church of St. John Lateran. The Bishop of Rome is not ranked above other bishops but is rather primus inter ...pares, first among equals. The special status of Rome is because of its links with St. Peter, on whom Jess said he would build his church, and hence the unity of the Church is expressed by the solidarity of each diocese with the diocese of Rome and with each other. Today’s Gospel passage records a dramatic moment in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. At Caesarea Philippi, an area which significantly was home to both Jews and Gentiles, Jesus is asking them about himself. After hearing about the opinion of the public he is asking what they think about him. Then Simon confesses saying, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus says this, in reality, was not Simon’s finding but a revelation from the Father. So, Simon is chosen as the foundation of the Church which he was going to build. Jesus gives Simon another name Peter. In Greek petra means rock and Petros means Peter, hence Peter is rock. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, it is his community under the unifying leadership of Peter which will have the mandate to continue the work and mission of Jesus. In the first reading Peter as a elder, and as one who was a personal witness of the sufferings of Christ and looking forward to share his risen glory, is exhorting the fellow elders (presbyters) to take care of their flocks as good shepherds, drawing them but not forcing them and not pursuing their own personal gain but with enthusiasm for their well-being. So, the over all message of today’s feast is of generous and eager cooperation of all members of the Christian community in building up the Body of Christ as the sacrament of the Kingdom of God throughout the world. See more

Thought for the Day February 21, 2021 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT (B) (Gen. 9. 8-15; 1 Pt. 3. 18-22; Mk. 1. 12-15) In the first reading we heard that God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants after him. In the Old Testament we hear about other covenants too. The first one was with Abraham, the next one was on Mount Sinai which God made with Israel. In the New Testament we see another covenant, the one Jesus made with his followers, during his Last Supper. ... What is a covenant? It is a solemn agreement between two parties requiring an unconditional faithfulness. There are conditions which both parties are supposed to fulfill. God promised to Noah that He will never again destroy the whole world with a flood, to Abraham that He would give him a land flowing with milk and honey and would make him a great nation and his descendants shall be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore, and on Mount Sinai He made Israel the People of God. During the Last Supper Jesus establishing the Eucharist promised his followers eternal life. The second party in the covenant, the people, were asked to be faithful to God, worshipping Him only and obeying His Commandments the Ten Commandments received on Mount Sinai and the Commandment of Love they received from Jesus. God is the first party in these Covenants, and He is always faithful to his promises, whereas the second party, the human beings, are very often unfaithful. In today’s second reading St. Peter reminds us that our baptism is the symbol of our covenant with God we are made children of God and are promised eternal life. Lent is a time to examine and re-evaluate our commitment to God, how do we fulfill our promises! In his Lenten message, Pope Francis urges us to renew our faith, draw from the ‘living water’ of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God, who makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. The traditional Lenten observances of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (cf. Mt. 6.1-18), enable, and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope, and effective charity. Pope Francis reminds us that, Fasting involves being freed from all that weighs us down like consumerism or an excess of information, whether true or false in order to open the doors of our hearts to the One who comes to us, poor in all things, yet full of grace and truth, the Son of God our Savior. In the Gospel we heard Jesus saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news. The time to repent and start a new life is today, now; let us not wait or postpone for tomorrow or to the next week; the kingdom of God is wide open to us now, let us enter! See more

Thought for the Day February 20, 2021 Isa. 58. 9b-14 Today’s reading is a continuation from yesterday’s, where we saw that people were complaining that God was not noticing their fasting and listening to their prayers and the Lord through the prophet Isaiah said that the reason is because while they were fasting, they continue to exploit the workers and get involved in fights and quarrels. Today he is talking about the conditions for God to hear our prayers. We must be rid of... any form of oppression, false accusations, or malicious speech. We need to share our bread with the hungry and console the afflicted. Then we will become as lights shining in the darkness and the Lord will guide us continually and satisfy our needs. We will become like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. There is also a call for observing the Sabbath, the Lord’s day It should be observed in an honorable way reflecting and thanking God for all the blessings we have received, and not by going our own ways, or serving our own interests, or pursuing our own affairs. Then we will be able to take delight in the Lord. Lent, then, is really a time for us to reflect on the meaning and direction of our lives and to consider what changes are necessary not just at this time but for the year ahead. See more

Thought for the Day February 19, 2021 (Isa. 58.1-9a; Mt. 9.14-15) Here we have a wonderful prophetic call in the spirit of those great prophets who lived in the post-Exile period. The call is for an inward spirit to match outward observance, a call that pervades Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel. The people were asking God to come near. They were calling out for just laws. They wanted to have their fasting and their penances noticed by God. On the surface, they seemed to be so re...ligious, so pious, and docile, but all the while they were neglecting to do what God really wanted. They were asking God, Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice? They were doing these things to be noticed by others and not by God. God, through the prophet Isaiah, gives them a powerful response, one they hardly expected; instead of praise they got condemnation. They fasted at the same time they did their own things. They do business on their holy days and oppress their workers. They fast at the same time quarrel and fight and physically abuse the poor. They would bow their head down like a reed and would lie in sackcloth and ashes. The prophet is asking, Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Then he says what kind of fast the Lord cherishes: It is to lose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to free the oppressed and break every yoke and burden, to share one’s bread money and goods with the hungry and needy, to shelter the homeless, to clothe the naked, and to act responsibly towards one’s own relations. After many years Jesus would say, when he spoke about the Last Judgement, I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick, I was in prison .......... Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. What is really important is to reach out in love and compassion to those in need and to treat every single person with respect and dignity. The prophet promises, Then your light shall break forth like the dawn and when you call the Lord, he will answer ‘Here I am.’ Yes, God is with us in the midst of all our pains and miseries and tragedies; let us walk with him following his footsteps. See more

Thought for the Day November 24, 2020 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down. (Lk. 21.5-6) The First Jerusalem Temple was constructed under king Solomon, son of King David in 1000 B.C. and was destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 587 B.C. Construction of the... Second Temple was called for by Cyrus the Great and began in 538 B.C. after the fall of the Babylonian Empire the year before and completed in 515 B.C. The new temple was dedicated by the Jewish governor Zerubbabel. However, according to the Books of Ezra and the Nehemiah, there were four edicts to build the Second Temple, which were issued by three kings: Cyrus in 536 B.C., Darius I of Persia in 519 B.C., and Artaxerxes I of Persia in 457 B.C., and finally by Artaxerxes again in 444 B.C. The new temple was not as extravagant or imposing as its predecessor. Around 20 B.C. the building was renovated and expanded by Herod the Great, and thus the Second Temple became known also as Herod’s Temple. Jesus was looking at this temple and was foretelling about its destruction which was fulfilled by the hands of the Romans in 70 A.D. During the Old Testament times the temple was a place of worship where different types of offerings the Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering, the Peace Offering, the Purification Offering, and the Reparation Offering - were done for the forgiveness of sins but they were not able to fulfill their purpose. Now, Jesus is going to sacrifice himself once for all and replace all the offerings. This alludes to the non-necessity of the temple building. Now we are the living temple of God. In Eph.2.20-22 St. Paul says, You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. See more

Thought for the Day November 18, 2020 As the crowd was listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So, Jesus said, A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ (Lk. 19.11-28. Please read from the Holy Bible)... In Mt. 25.14-30 we see a similar parable but there are some differences too. In that the slaves were given different amount of talents but here they are given equal amount, there they are making two-fold profit but here one is making ten-fold and another five-fold profit, and in both the third slave is not using the talent at all and he is punished. We can have different interpretations for this parable and today let us look at a possible one: Jesus himself is the nobleman who went to a distant country to get royal power. As we see in the Gospel, Jesus was going to Jerusalem where he would establish the kingdom of God. According to the thinking of the people it was a political kingdom, whereas for Jesus it was a spiritual kingdom. Through his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension he was going to the Father to be crowned as the King and will come at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. Before his departure he is entrusting his possessions, his mission to his followers. Now it is their duty to continue what he was doing, develop it and produce fruits of the kingdom, they are to be responsible servants. Before the ascension Jesus said to his disciples, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Mt. 28.19-20). We are the ones who are entrusted with this mission, we are given equal opportunities graces, blessings, sacraments, etc. and we have to make use of them responsibly. The profit we make will depend on the manner how we cooperate with the graces of God, how much we are ready to work hard sacrificing ourselves. If we do not spend ourselves, do not sacrifice ourselves, but remain lazy and selfish, we will not be able, not only to produce any profit but also will lose what was given. In this parable there is also another group who hated and did not want to accept the nobleman as their king. They were not only merely punished but slaughtered in front of him. It means that those people, if any, who do not cooperate with the graces of God, hate Jesus, and do not accept him, will be punished with eternal damnation. See more

Thought for the Day November 17, 2020 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. a man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I mus...t stay at your house today. So, Zacchaeus hurried down and was happy to welcome Jesus. All who saw it began to grumble and said, He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner. Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much. Then Jesus said of him, Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost. (Lk. 19.1-10) Today we have the story of another person who longed to see Jesus and how Jesus’ presence made him a new person. Here we see some happenings which are foolish in the sight of others: Though he was a chief tax collector and a rich man, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree, which an ordinary person would hesitate to do. That foolishness is rewarded by Jesus with, so to say, another foolishness Jesus is inviting himself to the house of Zacchaeus, who is branded a sinner, to stay and dine with him. Without being asked by Jesus Zacchaeus is declaring that he is going to give half of his possessions to the poor, and pay back four times as much if he had defrauded anyone another foolish thing: wasting all the hard yearned wealth. The climax is Zacchaeus becomes a son of Abraham a blessing to himself and a blessing for others. When we desire for God, we will do what is pleasing to Him, which may be foolishness in the sight of the world. But God will love us and will come and abide with us. We read in Jn. 14.23 Jesus saying, Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. That presence of God in us will completely change us and make us a new creation. Then we also will become the children of Abraham, and participants in the blessing of Abraham. What was the blessing of Abraham? Gen. 12.2, I will bless you and you will be a blessing. See more

Thought for the Day November 23, 2020 Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on. (Lk. 21.1-4) Jesus saw many people giving their donations to the temple, some were very large amounts and others ...less. But he noticed a poor widow giving only two coins, according to Mark’s gospel, equal to a penny, which he says is worth more than all the others’ contributions. Jesus tells the reason of his statement all the others gave from their abundance, but this poor widow gave whatever she had. All the others thought about themselves first and kept with them what they wanted and gave to the temple only something from what was left over, but this poor widow without keeping anything for herself gave everything she had to the temple. In this act of this poor widow we see two qualities of this woman: 1. Her desire to be a part of the life of the temple. The donations that the temple received from the people are used for two purposes expenses of the temple and charity to the poor. Without the participation of the people these purposes will not be attained, and she wanted to participate in the ministry of the temple and considered her needs as secondary to this. 2. Her complete surrender to and unshakable trust in God. She knew whatever she has is a gift of God and nothing will happen to her without God’s knowledge and permission, and if she gives anything to God, He will take care of her. She trusted not in the material wealth but in the providence of God. See more

Thought for the Day November 16, 2020 As Jesus approached Jericho, a man who was blind was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Then he shouted, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and... when he came near, Jesus asked him, What do you want me to do for you? The man said, Lord, let me see again. Jesus said to him, Receive your sight; your faith has saved you. Immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. (Lk,18.35-43) Today we see the healing of the Blind Beggar of Jericho. Let us pick up a few points for our meditation: 1. The blind man’s persistence in prayer. When the blind man came to know that it was Jesus who was passing by and he could be cured by Jesus, he started shouting for mercy. When he was ordered by the crowd to keep quiet, he even more loudly shouted because he knew it was the last chance for him to be healed and did not want to miss it. We too need to be healed by Jesus and he is the only one who can heal and save us. As the time passes by our chances also are passing by and we may not get another chance. So, we must pray to Jesus continuously, no powers or matters should discourage or keep us away from seeking Christ. 2. The compassion and generosity of Jesus. This blind man is praying for physical sight, but Jesus is giving him spiritual sight as well he received faith and that changed even his way of life. God is not only able but gives graces and blessings much more than we ask for when we pray to him. With confidence let is continue in our prayer. 3. The blind man’s gratefulness. We have seen before when the ten lepers were healed only one of them returned to give thanks to Jesus; but here this man is not only joining the crowd glorifying God but made others also praise and glorify God. When we receive blessings, let us not be just thankful to God but make others also thank and praise God. Jesus tells in Mt.5.16 Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 4. Jesus’ readiness to listen and help. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem; there he was going to complete his work of salvation by his passion, death, and resurrection. On the other hand, there was a very large crowd following him with different hopes, plans, and agendas. Jesus was busy with all these problems. But when Jesus heard the cry of a needy, he stood still, called him, and gave him more than what he asked for. We may be personally busy or worried about many things, but we should find time to listen to and do whatever we can for the needy people. In doing so we will be becoming ‘other Christs’. See more

Thought for the Day November 22, 2020 Jesus said to his disciples: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Mt. 25.31-46) Today, on the Feast of Christ the King, let us reflect on a few points: 1. Jesus will come a second time.... More than two thousand years ago was the First Coming of Christ, and that is what we call Christmas. In Jn. 1.14 we read, And the Word was made flesh and lived among us. Again in Isa.9.6 we read, For a child has been born for us and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. In today’s gospel Jesus tells that the Son of Man will come in his glory and will sit on the throne of his glory and will judge people. This is the Second Coming of Christ, the day and the time of which no one knows but only the Father. So, we have to be prepared. 2. All will not enter the kingdom of heaven. There are some people who think that all will go to heaven irrespective of what they do and how they live, but that is not right. In Mt. 7.21 Jesus says, Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. He goes on to say that on that day many will say that they preached, did miracles in his name but he will not accept them. Any act, even if it is a very good action in itself, if done with selfish motives, not for the glory of God, will become an evil action. 3. We will be judged based on how we treated others, especially the poor. Jesus will say, I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was naked, and so on and when you did it or did not do it for one of these least ones you did it or did not do it for me. It proves that Jesus is not merely present in the poor, but he is them. So, there are no excuses on the part of those who claim to have known Jesus. They cannot say that the poor were not working, or they deserve to be poor, or they should get a job, and so on but do whatever is in their power to alleviate the sufferings of the poor. 4. God wants everyone to go to heaven, not to hell. The King will say, Come and inherit the kingdom prepared for you. God has prepared heaven for us from the foundation of the world and our responsibility is to inherit, claim it. The hell, the eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels and those who go there will be accursed due to their actions, it is not God’s punishment but their choice. See more

Thought for the Day November 15, 2020 The Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25.14-30) In this parable we see the following points: 1. Talents or money belonged to the rich man, which he entrusted to his servants and at his return is asking for an accounting.... 2. The servants were given not the same but different amounts of money, according to their ability. 3. The master goes for a journey and comes back only after a long time, is not interfering in their work. 4. The first two servants did not make the same amount but were rewarded the same way. 5. The third servant put the blame of his failure on others, especially on the master. He was punished not because he did not make any profit but because he proved himself untrustworthy due to laziness. Let us apply this to our life: 1. Whatever we have and whatever we are is a gift of God, we are only the stewards not the owners and we will have to give an accounting at the end of our life. From this it follows that abortion, euthanasia, etc. are wrong, for life belongs to God and He only has power on it. God’s plan is that we make use of our gifts for our good and the welfare of others. 2. Our gifts are different; all do not have the same talents because God knows our abilities. 3. Our responsibility is to develop our talents, and nothing more. 4. We must never be jealous of other people and their abilities but must concentrate on our own abilities. We should never think why he is given that gift and I am not; I have other gifts what others do not have. 5. God does not interfere with our daily life and our usage of the gifts because he has trust in us and has given us freedom; we should never prove untrustworthy. 6. God will ask and accounting of what we were given, not of what another one was given. Each one is responsible for oneself. 7. We should never try to find excuses or put the blame on others for our failure. 8. We should never misjudge others; our decisions and conclusions are based on what we are. 9. We should never be afraid of others but love and trust them, then we can be joyful. 10. When we do not use our talents, we are destroying them. That servant, by hiding the talents in the ground thought that he was saving the money but in fact he was depriving his master even of the profit he could have gained in the form of interest. See more

Thought for the Day November 21, 2020 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a question. For they no longer dared to ask him another question. (Lk. 20.27-40) In our text today, Jesus is presented with an extreme hypothetical question. His opponents do not even have their initial premise correct. Their argument is senseless because what they are arguing for cannot happen in the first place. Yet, their goal is to embarrass Jes...us theologically. Sadducees were the aristocrats of the Jewish religion. They were the elite of the day. The Sadducees were made up of the High Priest, Chief Priest, and the Sanhedrin; they were small in number but very powerful. They denied the Resurrection, Spirit or Soul, Existence of Angel, all the Bible except for the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses. They came to Jesus with an agenda. They wanted to discredit him to his followers by making him look bad. However, in the end, they are the ones who were made to look bad and they are discredited. Let us see some points by which in the answer of Jesus how he exposed their foolishness: 1. They were wrong. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark we see Jesus telling the Sadducees, You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God (Mt.22.29). They ignored to learn the scriptures and the actions of God but depended only on their intellect. The main problem here is that these Sadducees were making themselves the authority over our Lord, and Jesus was supposed to answer them. When man places himself over the Word of God he will very quickly come to folly. When man speaks from his own knowledge he will immediately speak as a fool. We must always look to the authority of God’s Word and not our own opinions. We come to know God’s Word from the Bible and the Teachings of the Church. 2. The glorious age to come is nothing like this present age. In the present age there is marriage because there is a need to propagate the human race due to death but not in the glorious age, in the life after resurrection. Those who are worthy of that age are children of God, being children of the resurrection, and are like angels do not die. 3. There is resurrection because the Lord is the God not of the dead but of the living. Jesus specifically proves the reality of the resurrection from the very section of the Bible which they accepted, namely the Books of Moses. From the Burning Bush God revealed himself to Moses saying, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Ex.3.6). And Jesus says, For Him all of them are alive because they made themselves worthy of a place in that age. The problem of the Sadducees was that they did not really even understand the Books they claimed to accept. See more

Thought for the Day November 20, 2020 Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers. Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard. (Lk. 19.4...5-48) In our Gospel today Jesus goes to the temple and did not like what he found there and is trying to clean up the mess. Jesus drives the sellers because he loves the temple, he wants the best of them. We often think Jesus is angry, but in reality, he is disappointed. He is re-focussing priorities and challenging the people to get back to the essential purpose of the temple. By overturning the tables and stopping the misplaced business, Jesus is symbolically and literally preparing the world for a new way of thinking as he goes to the cross and gives his own life as the final sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The animal sacrifices will no longer be needed because Jesus himself dies in our place offering a life of peace with God for those who accept him. Quoting Isa. 56.7 Jesus says, It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers. The normal thinking was that the temple is the place of sacrifices and offerings and Jesus is challenging that notion. In the temple sacrifices and offerings happen but the purpose of them is that the people’s lives to be transformed and they are made whole before the Lord Almighty. The original purpose of the money changers and the sellers of animals and birds in the temple was to help the worshippers but now it has become a means of robbery. How do we consider our churches? Why do go to the church? Many people, especially many young people, say that they do not go to the church because they do not get anything from there, and it is boring. The church is a place of gathering, socialization, there is singing, preaching, and so on. They are not the purposes for which we go to the church but the means to the purpose our growing toward God. Besides the church building there is another temple of God our own body. St. Paul in 1Cor. 3.16 asks, Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? Again in 1Cor. 6.19-20 he asks and draws the conclusion, Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body. See more

Thought for the Day November 14, 2020 Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not lose heart. He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while the judge refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothe...Continue reading