Morning Voice

July 5, 2020 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A READINGS: ZEC 9:9-10;  PS 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; ROM 8:9, 11-13; MT 11:25-30. An Indonesian proverb says, “A smart man is usually humble.” And a German proverb adds, “Meekness is the pride of the humble.” Humility is one of the most powerful virtues, and it is the virtue of the great. We could say without fear to mistake that it is the first virtue. All came from “humus” and all goes to “humus”. All that leads man to God leads him to life. For, the way of God is life in plenitude. “Come to me, … for I am meek and humble of heart.” The Lord Jesus is our way to God, and he is also our way of life. To be Christian means to have chosen Him, to belong to Him, and to be with Him. Humility has the power to make us live like Jesus. The Christian life is a life of imitation of Christ. Who says imitation says incarnating in our way living and our life the way of Christ. About that way of Christ, the Gospels are clear voicing out: ...

June 29 2020 Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles READINGS: ACTS 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 2 TM4:6-8, 17-18; MT 16:13-19. A British proverb says, “No good building without a good foundation.” And another Turkish proverb adds, “A building without foundation is soon demolished.” Every house or building, to stand firm, must be erected on strong foundations and firm pillars. A building without pillars is a mere toy at the mercy of any wind. We are celebrating today two great Apostles that all agree to call the foundations and pillars of the Church and the Christian Faith. We are celebrating St. Peter, the key holder of the Church and St. Paul its sword holder. Both, one opens us the door of faith and the other carves deep within us the faith. Every time that that the two apostles are represented side by side, Peter is painted holding into his hand a big ancient key. That refers to what the Lord Jesus promised him after his profession of faith in the region of ...

June 24 2020 Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Mass during the Day READINGS: IS 49:1-6; PS 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15; ACTS13:22-26; LK 1:57-66, 80. A Chinese proverb says, “The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain.” And another Corsican proverb adds, “At birth, your fate is written.” In the life of the Church, in the liturgical year, the central events are all events referring to the mysteries of the Lord’s life. We can see with what solemnity those events are celebrated. Among the so many beautiful events of the Lord Jesus’ life, we have the mystery of the Incarnation. It stands as the beginning of all. And to reach it, a great time of preparation is given, the Advent season. The second and greatest event of the life of the Lord and even the central event of Christian faith is the Resurrection. For this mystery as well, another greater time of preparation is given, the Lent. Nevertheless, all the mysteries of the life of...

June 28 2020 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A READINGS: 2 KGS 4:8-11, 14-16A; PS 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19; ROM6:3-4, 8-11; MT 10:37-42. A Korean proverb says, “Good will be rewarded with good and evil with evil; it is only a matter of time.” And another Congolese proverb adds, “He who gives a drop of water to a thirsty is rewarded with a never-ending source.” Every newness asks for sacrifice and every sacrifice opens to a reward, a gratification. No sacrifice never goes unpaid. All that one does in life has a counterpart. That could be called compensation. Even love and goodness have their counterpart, just like sacrifice does have greater compensation. Besides, there is this natural and physic (scientific) aphorism attributed to the French chemist Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier: “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.” If it is that everything is transformed, and that, the wickedness of a person can turn into a curse for him. How much more your kind...

JUNE 21 2020: Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A READINGS: JER 20:10-13; PS 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35; ROM5:12-15; MT 10:26-33. An Albanian proverb says, “Our crosses are hewn from different trees.” And a Zulu proverb adds, “You cannot cross a river without getting wet.” We cannot dream of a life without trials, neither of happiness without suffering. Light has always been opposed to darkness and it is in its nature. For, when the light appears in the darkness, it reveals all that is hidden. Therefore, the darkness will always reject the light or hide from it. Persecution is a reality we cannot deny. It exists and the righteous people are laid victim of it. Just as no one can reach Heaven without the cross, so too, can’t we live a righteous life without persecution. At some extend, it seems that persecution is the aroma of holiness. Adhering to the cause of Jesus Christ and following in his footsteps means primary carrying one’s cross after him. As Christians, our vocation is to...

June 20 2020 Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary READINGS:  2 CHR 24:17-25; PS 89:4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34; LK 2:41-51.   A Jews proverb says, “If your heart is bitter, sugar in the mouth won't help.” Another Japanese proverb adds, “The heart is the most essential human quality.” The heart of Mary is a heart of communication. Mary’s heart is always in correlation and intimate communication with the heart of her Son. The Latin expression “Ad Jesum per Mariam” (to Jesus through Mary) takes all its meaning when we fixe to ourselves the image of Mary leading us not to herself, but Jesus. In that sense, the Immaculate Heart of Mary can be presented as a canal or a bridge toward the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We celebrated yesterday with great solemnity the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through that solemnity, we were given to see the greatest expression of love, the deepest identity of God: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). The day after this solemnity, we are...