Morning Voice

August 2 2020 Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – A. READINGS: IS55:1-3; PS 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18; ROM 8:35, 37-39; MT 14:13-21. A Bajan proverb says, “The rambling pole-cat leaves its house when there is a free banquet.” And an Ivorian proverb adds, “It is very appetizing to eat when you don’t have to worry about the bill.” We are mystically united to God in Christ. That union is what gives us life and builds our identity. For us Christians, the mystical union is made manifest through the reception of the Holy Eucharist, Body and Blood of Christ. In the Eucharist and through it, God, in Jesus satisfies all our longings and feeds all our hungers. The Eucharist is the banquet of life, the banquet of the word, and the bread of life. Today’s liturgy, Eighteenth Sunday in the Ordinary Time - A is an invitation to take part in God’s Banquet and to become instruments of his gifts. The Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, reveals God’s promises to his people. “I will renew with y...

July 26 2020: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - C. READINGS: 1 KGS 3:5, 7-12; PS 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128,129-130; ROM 8:28-30; MT 13:44-52 OR 13:44-46. An Ashanti proverb says, “a man without wisdom is like a stumbling wall, hardly resisting temptation.” And an Akan proverb adds, “If wisdom was measured by the size of the beard then the goat would be a philosopher-king.” There is a common dictum that goes, “For nobly born souls, valor doesn't await the passing of years.” That is to say, the wisdom of someone is not judged by the color of his hair neither to the number of his years. Wisdom is evaluated with the values one incarnates. Three elements could help to appreciate how wise one is: what he says, how he lives, and the impact of his life on others. When there is a disconnection between what one says and his life, that is basic proof that that person is not inhabited by the Spirit of wisdom. Worst, he who does not care about the impact of his life, actions and words...

July 19 2020 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A READING: WIS 12:13, 16-19; PS 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; ROM8:26-27; MT 13:24-43 OR 13:24-30.   A Moroccan proverb says, “He who has patience with his enemy, rewards himself.” And an Arabic proverb adds, “Patience is the key of joy, but haste is the key to sorrow.” With time and events, one reaches the conclusion that in each human being, there is a certain degree of impatience. “Hic et Nunc”, that is our main philosophy and attitude in all that we do. We want all things to be done instantly, just at a click. But when it comes to forgiving, we take our time, we painfully and hardly forgive. We are not patient when dealing with others, while God, on the other hand, shows always great patience and understanding in dealing with us. Through his divine patience, God teaches the wretched creature that we are, that without Him, we can do nothing. Because of His patient love, God still works in you and me. The Catechism can give us a ...

July 12 2020 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A READINGS: IS 55:10-11 ; PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 ; ROM 8:18-23 ; MT 13:1-23 OR 13:1-9 A Latin proverb says, “Providence our herald, no barrier can oppose us.” And a Portuguese proverb adds, “Faith has no eyes; he who asks to see has no faith.” We all know well that children are different from adults. This is not a matter of age or physiognomy. The greatest difference between children and adults is the virtues they incarnate. Easily, children trust and express a complete and perfect abandonment. They are a creature of dependence. In children, there is no duplicity nor plasticity. Hypocrisy is inexistent in the dictionary and the vocabulary of children. When a child likes something or someone, he expresses it. When he does not like he cannot hide his feeling of discomfort. Oppositely, adults are champions in duplicity, plasticity, and hypocrisy. In the Gospels, what the Lord Jesus asks of his disciples is the childlike attitude. A...