Morning Voice

October 1, 2023. Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Ez 18:25-28; Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Phil 2:1-11; Mt21:28-32. “Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” Ezekiel 18:25 A Sicilian proverb says: “The justice of God is better than the justice of the world.” A Portuguese proverb adds: “Good words and bad acts deceive both wise and wimple.” Our God is just in all his ways and decisions. Moreover, it is not God who judges and condemns man, but our own actions and choices. Judgment is the fruit of human freedom and the choices he makes in life. He who lives abiding by the Law of the Lord will be saved. He who goes against God's Law, and most especially the law of love heads himself to damnation. Last Sunday, the readings concord to tell us about God's way and how it was different from our ways. Because God judges not according to human merits, but his generous love and mercy. Today, the readings come to tell us that, besides God'...

September 29, 2023 .   Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels .   Readings: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12ab ; Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5 ; Jn 1:47-51 .     "You will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending." Jn 1:51   A Chinese proverb says: “One more good man on earth is better than an extra angel in heaven.” And an Egyptian proverb adds: “When the angels appear, the devils run away.”   Angels are not fiction. They are not fruits of human imagination. The Holy Scriptures do not miss the opportunity, from Genesis to the Apocalypse, to talk about them. They are divine beings, heavenly creatures at work in human realities and life. Our everyday life is under their guidance, protection, and company. They have the mission to bring us good news of God's proximity and love, God's healing when we are sick, and God's protection when we battle evil forces.   They also have the mission to b...

September 24, 2023. Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Is 55:6-9; Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18; Phil 1:20c-24,27a; Mt 20:1-16a. "You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just." Matthew 20:4 A Swahili proverb says: “Rice is all one but there are many ways of cooking it.” And a Traditional proverb adds: “It’s never too late to mend your ways.” God is just. He is the fount of all justice. Nevertheless, his justice is not equal to our human justice. His ways are not our ways. For God, justice is another expression of his love. It is not a distributive or a retributive justice, but a justice of concern and love. His justice goes together with his generosity. God's justice demands that he act mercifully towards every one of his creatures, especially sinners, and his mercy is always enacted by his love. Justice is a term used for what is right or as it should be. Justice is one of God’s attributes and flows out from His holiness. Justice an...

September 17, 2023. Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Sir 27:30—28:7; Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12; Rom14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35. "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?" Mt 18:21 An Albanian proverb says: “Every time you forgive a man you weaken him and strengthen yourself.” And an Agni proverb adds: “Those who do not forgive break the bridge on which they have to pass.” "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." In this sentence very familiar to us, we can find the main line of our reflection in today’s liturgy. It is all about forgiving, being merciful, and deserving in return to be forgiven. The book of Sirach in chapter 28, and Psalm 103 can concord to sing: “Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts, who pardons all your sins, and heals all your ills…” Forgiveness is one of the greatest acts of love. It is about letting go, and giving out of love to others...

September 15, 2023. Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Readings: Heb 5:7-9; Ps 31:2 and 3b, 3cd-4, 5-6, 15-16, 20;Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35. “… And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Lk 2:35 A Tswana proverb says: “To kiss the child is to kiss the mother.” A Kikuyu proverb adds: “The woman who gives birth to a child is like the banana tree that breaks under the weight of its fruit.” There is one verse from the Gospel of John that touches me in a very particular way while contemplating the Cross of Jesus. "Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother..." Jn 19:25 From that short sentence springs one of the greatest hymns ever composed about Mary, the Stabat Mater Dolorosa. Mary was of all the journeys of her Son. And she was among the rare witnesses of his last earthly journey, the Via Dolorosa that ended on the Cross. We celebrated yesterday the Exaltation of the Cross. The Church gives us to look and co...

September 14, 2023. Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Readings: Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38; Phil2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17. “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." Jn 3:14-15 A Filipino proverb says: “There’s no glory without sacrifice.” A Danish proverb adds: “Suffering and patience, obedience and application, help the lowly born to honor.” The Cross of Christ is the highway, the bridge, and the key to our salvation. Venerating the Cross, we recall the great mystery of redemption, how God, through his only Begotten Son came to take our humanity and its sufferings and nailed them once and for all so that man may live forever free of sin and its damnation. We are celebrating today the Feast of the Veneration of the Cross. The short introduction in the Missal says that "Public veneration of the Holy Cross dates to the fourth century when ...

September 10, 2023. Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – A. Readings: Ez 33:7-9; Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9; Rom 13:8-10; Mt18:15-20. A Latin proverb says: “Be not unmindful of obligations conferred.” And an Indian proverb adds: “Every man is the guardian of his own honor.” "I'm not my brother's keeper." Certainly, you are. Not only are you your brother’s keeper, but you also have a great responsibility toward him and will be made accountable for his fall. There is a beautiful Filipino hymn that says: "Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang. Walang sinuman and namamatay para sa sarili lamang. Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isa't isa. Tayong lahat ay tinipon ng Diyos na kapiling niya." Transliterated it gives: "No one lives for himself alone. No one dies for himself. We are all responsible for each other. We are all gathered by God to be with him." The same hymn even amplifies that in our love and service to anyone, we bring n...

September 8, 2023. Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Readings: Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6ab, 6c; Mt1:1-16, 18-23. A Namibian proverb says: “A mother is always a mother.” And an Eritrean proverb adds: “A home without a mother is a desert.” We commemorate today the birth of her who was to be the Mother of our Lord and Savior, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through her birth and the special grace of God, Mary occupies a unique place in the mystery of salvation. Our Lord entrusted her the ever-greatest mission never entrusted to a creature, to be His Mother. This feast probably originated after the Council of Ephesus in 431, which established Mary’s right to the title of “Mother of God.” It was first mentioned in a hymn composed by Saint Romanus, an ecclesiastical lyrist of the Greek Church, and adopted by the Roman Church in the 17th century. Like this feast, all the Marian celebrations and titles take their origin from the mission the Lord entrusted her. We v...