30 March 2015- GOSPEL: John 12:1-11

Monday of Holy Week

GOSPEL: John 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, v saw Jesus once again at Bethany. This time He was there to celebrate a "return to life" party for Lazarus.

Martha was as usual busy serving Jesus & d guests. Lazarus was simply sitting there quietly. Bt Mary once again chose d best part, sitting at the feet of Jesus, anointing Him with costly oil.

She did it bz Jesus had done a gr8 favour to her by raising up her dead brother - Lazarus. Mary was also gr8ful to Jesus for all d lessons He had taught her when she sat at His feet.

Her anointing of Jesus' feet wt a very costly perfume manifested her gr8fulness & true love for Jesus. Mary's joy of giving was precious. She did it out of love for Jesus. Her gift was precious bz it prompted by love.

Not like Judas who always pretended to show his love for Jesus, bt actually he always craved for money & never understood d true love of Jesus.

As v hv entered into d Holy Week, let us get into d feelings & passion of Jesus & experience His true love for us.

Hv I been gr8ful to Jesus for what He has done for me?

Hv I understood d real love of Jesus for me?

Jesus loves u. Hv a blessed Holy Week. God bless.

💐💙Wt Love. ...Fr Robin, Powai💙💐

26 March 2015 — GOSPEL John 8:51-59

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

GOSPEL John 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, Jesus very solemnly said, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

There is a vast difference between Abraham & Jesus.

Abraham was a friend of God and Jesus is d Son of God. Abraham was gr8, bt his gr8est glory is being d father of d Messiah - Jesus Christ. Abraham lives in God's house as a slave, bt Christ Jesus reigns there as d Son.

Abraham is d father of faith & a best example of faith, bt Jesus is d object of faith. While Abraham founded many nations, Christ Jesus founded & inaugurated d eternal Kingdom of God. Abraham was a gr8 leader, bt Jesus Christ is d gr8 Saviour.

Betn Abraham & Jesus Christ, there is d vast difference of a creature & d Creator. That is d main reason Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

It is a gr8 honour to b related to d Messiah. V, who believe in Jesus Christ & hv promised to hold fast to His teaching, r gr8ly honoured & privileged bz v r related to Him, not so much by blood, bt by our faith in Him.

May d Lord strengthen our relationship wt Him.

Jesus loves u. Hv a gr8 day ahead. God bless.

💐💙Wt Love. ...  Fr Robin, Powai💙💐

24 March 2015 — GOSPEL: John 8:21-30

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

GOSPEL: John 8:21-30

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come."
So the Jews said,
"He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?"
He said to them, "You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins."
So they said to him, "Who are you?"
Jesus said to them, "What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world."
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
"When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him."
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, Jesus is speaking abt Himself & telling d pple that only when they hv killed Him they will realise that He is d Son of God bz only then they will see His glory.

Like d bronze serpent on d pole, Christ on d Cross will bring us new life. V r called to believe in Jesus though v hv nt seen Him with our own eyes.

The Jews in Egypt saw God's power when He led them to freedom, yet they turned against Him. We must not turn against Him, bt must put our total trust in Him, spreading His Gospel thruout our lives.

Our Lord has revealed Himself to d world. He is not just a gr8 man, an amazing prophet, or an incredible miracle worker.

He is d Gr8 "I AM". He is our Lord & Savior, He is d Light, d Vine, d Gate, d Way, d Truth, d Life, d Resurrection, d beginning & end of our life & faith journey.

V all must hv d Spirit of Jesus in us.

Prayer: "Lord, here I am. Take me; love me; embrace me; support me; encourage me; heal me; strengthen me; believe in me, and love me till v r 1 again". Amen.

Jesus loves u. Hv a gracefilled day ahead. God bless.

💐💙Wt Love. ...  Fr Robin, Powai💙💐

23 March 2015 — GOSPEL: John 8:1-11

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent

GOSPEL: John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?"
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, sir."
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.".

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, v see a woman abt to b stoned for committing adultery. She is saved by Jesus who forgives her her sins and tells her to sin no more.

Jesus' approach is very clear - nt to judge others. Bz those who had themselves sinned were very quick to condemn d woman, while covering up their own wrong doings.

Who among us has not sinned?

V also often find ourselves in d situation of d woman in today's text. V find ourselves in need of Jesus' healing & compassion.

As v prepare ourselves for d Season of Lent, v r called to acknowledge our own sins & to ask forgiveness for them & always resolve to do better in the future.

Jesus loves u. Hv a fantastic week ahead. God bless.

💐💙Wt Love. ...  Fr Robin, Powai💙💐

18 March 2015 - GOSPEL: John 5:17-30

Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent

GOSPEL: John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews:
"My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

"I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me."

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, v see that Jesus is d covenant of d pple – d 1 who was sent to redeem d pple.

He also makes it quite clear that He & d Father r one & they both act in d same way: as Jesus is merciful to those who come to Him, so too is d Father. As Jesus was tender & compassionate, so too is our Father.

The only person Jesus mentions is His Father & He insists that He can do nothing without his Father's help. "I cannot do anything on my own….I seek to do the will of him who sent me."

V all experience pain, worry & anxiety in different degrees at different times. Sometimes v despair and even question God's love.

But Jesus has taken our human flesh on Himself, which means He is one with us in our pain, worry and anxiety. Our God who gave us Jesus is close to all who call on Him.

Do u feel His comfort?

Prayer:

Jesus, v thank You for working on our concerns & answering our prayers. We thank You, for You do not tire or grow weary in helping us. V recognize that all d good things v hv in our life hv come bz of ur blessings. V praise You for Ur mercy & grace that sustain us.  Amen.

Jesus loves u. Hv a beautiful day ahead. God bless.

"Trust in God & ur problems will cum to an end,
Bz God solves them & He is ur True Friend."

😀Stay connected,
Share Happiness😊

💐💙Wt Love. ...  Fr Robin, Powai💙💐

13 March 2015 — GOSPEL: MK 12:28-34

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

GOSPEL: MK 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, a scribe put a worthy question to Jesus, "Which commandment is d first of all?" Jesus answered, Love is the supreme commandment, that is Loving God & Loving our neighbour.

V should love & serve God with all of our being.  Jesus shows that v r called to direct our whole lives to God, which includes our actions and choices & shd help us to love and come closer to God. 

Jesus then points out that v r to love our neighbor as ourselves. V r called to show God's unconditional love for all pple, which enables us to more fully see God's presence in the world.

V may think that these two commandments r too basic or simple, bt they r very difficult to follow. 

So many things in our lives try to pull our focus away from serving God and others: greed, wealth, pride, fear etc. V may hv earthly desires, but nothing shd come even close to our desire to love and serve God & our neighbour.

We must continually remind ourselves of the importance of these commandments, and I think this Lenten season has the ability to bring our minds back to God. 

Let us look to today's Gospel & remember v r showing God that He comes first in our lives.

Jesus loves u. Hv a nice day ahead. God bless.
💐💙Wt Love. ...  Fr Robin, Powai💙💐