“When it comes to our everyday habits, it's important to ask: 'Am I putting God first?'”

Put God first in everything you do ... Everything that I have is by the grace of God, understand that. It's a gift ... I didn't always stick with Him, but He stuck with me. - Denzel Washington: Born December 28, 1954: is an American actor, director, and producer.)

Gospel Text: (LK 14:25-33)

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple."

Today’s gospel is a reminder that there will be difficulties along the way, but it also assures us that with awareness, with planning and preparation we can persevere and be successful.

Towers are built brick by brick, according to a clear vision and with commitment, daily labor and determination. Christian discipleship likewise is achieved by women and men taking up their crosses each day and following in the way of Jesus – step by step.

“Beliefs are choices. First you choose your beliefs. Then your beliefs affect your choices.”

Those who believe there is one God who made all things and who governs the world by this providence will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who hold in reverence that being who gave them life and worship Him through adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving will make choices different from those who do not. Those who believe that mankind are all of a family and that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who believe in a future state in which all that is wrong here will be made right will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who subscribe to the morals of Jesus will make many choices different from those who do not. - Benjamin Franklin, the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living

Gospel Text: (LK 14:15-24)

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
"Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God."
He replied to him,
"A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
'Come, everything is now ready.'
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.'
And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.'
And another said, 'I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.'
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled,
the blind and the lame.'
The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.'
The master then ordered the servant,
'Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

The king has planned a great feast.  Invitations are sent.  The lowly heed the call and show up.  They know they need help; they have learned to listen.  Others are too busy to celebrate.  They send in excuses and retire to their own affairs.   But now is the time to wake up.  We are alive.  Let us come together while there is time. 

“Money is not the only commodity to give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love or simply give a smile. What does that cost? The point is, none of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give.”

Our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent.  For deeds prove the lover more than words.  - St. Cyril of Jerusalem: (313 – 386 AD: He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1883, Cyril was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII).

Gospel Text: (LK 14:12-14)

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about how to create a guest list and He teaches us that giving has a certain quality to it.  The way we give and the spirit in which we give is what is important.  True giving must have “no strings” attached…..no expectations of getting anything in return.

“Do you think the devil is impressed by anyone's Bible knowledge or degree-certificates? Not at all. Satan fears only holy, humble men and women who know God."

You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. - St. Vincent de Paul: (1581 – 1660: was a French Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.)

Gospel Text: (MT 23:1-12)

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Our Gospel reading today exhorts us to be humble, "Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great."

In this age of “selfies” and “me-time”,  it seems unreasonable to be humble.

However, conversion and change happen only when we learn to humble ourselves and admit the truth about our own lives and condition, no matter how ugly and painful these may be. Only then will we recognize and admit our pretenses, which in turn will enable us to move forward.

We can pray for the grace to be humble and the grace to see ourselves as we truly are. We can reflect further on how our Lord Jesus, our Creator and Savior, knows, loves and takes care of us as we are, with all our weaknesses and difficulties, sufferings and pains.

“It is often easier to fight for your principles than to live up to them.”

The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?  -  Congo proverb

Gospel text: (LK 14:1-6)

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?"
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
"Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?"
But they were unable to answer his question.

Our Lord warns us in the book of Matthew:

"Woe to you! You do not forget the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you pay the tenth of everything, but then forget what is more fundamental in the Law: justice, mercy and faith." (Mt 23: 23) May God preserve us from such blindness and hypocrisy in our lives.

“We must empty purgatory with our prayers.”

“Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life. Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being.” - Pope Benedict XVI

Gospel Text: (JN 6:37-40)

Jesus said to the crowds:
"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."

The practice of praying for the faithful departed goes all the way back to the early Christian era when names of the deceased were posted in places of worship so that all could pray for them. The catacombs of Rome testify to this practice.

Purgatory is not a physical location but a stage for the purification of souls before entrance into God's heaven. St. Pope Gregory the Great reminds us that souls needing purification undergo a process of further cleansing which allows them to enter heaven. Jesus tells us that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will be condemned (Mk 3: 29) but for lesser offenses there would be purification before entrance into heaven. Based on Scriptural passages which speak of cleansing and purification, the Church teaching on purification was formulated at the Councils of Trent and Florence (CCC# 330, 331)

When we pray for the faithful departed we simply practice what we profess in Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the communion of saints ... the resurrection of the body." We are all adopted sons and daughters of God. The deceased have gone ahead to be with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. While we grieve at the loss of loved ones, we trust in Jesus' words that all who believe will be saved.

Purgatory is not some kind of prison where one is expected to make restitution for offenses of the past; rather purgatory provides for inward transformation to make it possible to be united with God.

Perhaps purgatory may be likened to a boot camp for heaven. No matter who or how we may be, boot camps are meant to prepare us for future tasks and responsibilities. It is a time to deepen one's relationships with the merciful and loving Father who sent his only begotten Son so that we may have eternal life.

The celebration of All Souls reminds the living to pray for the departed that they may rise again as promised by Jesus to his followers. 

“If you do this one thing you will become a saint. If you don’t do it, you never will. The one thing is this: Let Jesus interrupt your life”

“God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners.” ― Søren Kierkegaard: (1813 – 1855: was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.

Gospel Text: (MT 5:1-12A)

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

Yes, as today’s Gospel explains, they are “blessed” for they lived and loved unselfishly. The Beatitudes (blessings) describe the saints — they refused to conform to the values of the world, to live self-centered lives. Rather, they were sensitive to the needs of their neighbors. They chose to be meek rather than arrogant, to live with a poverty of spirit rather than with inflated egos, to work for what is right (God’s will), and to live with pure (sincere) hearts. People may have laughed at them, but the saints got their reward: “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."