Morning Voice

June 30, 2024. Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13;2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mk 5:21-43. “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” Mk 5:41 A British proverb says: “The first step to health is to know that we are sick.” An Albanian proverb adds: “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” We spoke last Sunday of God's power, that he has power over everything, including the sea and the evil forces. This could sound abstract for some people and even ideal. Today's liturgy, particularly the Gospel attests to God's power, and it is at work in Jesus. All that it requires is faith. To see and feel God's powerful hand at work in one's life, one must have a firm faith in him. Without faith, no miracle is possible. We are exhorted to trust that God is at work in us and that he alone has the power to keep us alive when people give us for dead. "Since it belongs to the supernat...

June 23, 2024. Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Jb 38:1, 8-11; Ps 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41. “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Mk 4:41 A Klingon proverb says: “Real power is in the heart.” A Turkish proverb adds: “Fear does not empty tomorrow of its sadness; it empties today of its power.” Psalm 46:7 could easily serve as an introduction to our meditation today. The Psalmist, amid all his threads and adversities, sings with great assurance and confidence: "Yahweh Sabaoth is with us, our citadel, the God of Jacob." He assured the people that he who finds his refuge in the Lord fears nothing. No trouble, no adversity can make him lose heart. This assurance of the Psalmist is also what we say in our opening prayer. God never deprives of his guidance; those he sets on the foundation of his love. God has power over everything. He is the one who created and formed all things. And all depends on his will, and not...

June 16, 2024. Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Reading: Ez 17:22-24; Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34. Ez 17:22-24; Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10;Mk 4:26-34. “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God…? This is how it is with the kingdom of God.” A Bahaya proverb says: “We work on the surface; the depths are a mystery.” A Tibetan proverb adds: “Sow good and you’ll reap good; sow bad and you’ll reap bad. You don’t have to cut down a tree to get its fruit.” The Kingdom of God, like a seed, is already planted in our midst. It now requires our cooperation and collaboration to let it grow and become a reality. It is an 'already there', and it is a 'yet to come'. The mysterious side of the Kingdom is that it is not something far away to come but something in our midst that we should cultivate and help to grow through our actions. There is a beautiful theological concept that springs from today's liturgy. It is about the “already bu...

June 9, 2024. Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Gn 3:9-15; Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Cor 4:13—5:1; Mk 3:20-35. Gn 3:9-15; Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Cor4:13—5:1; Mk 3:20-35.   “Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” Mk 3:29 A Yiddish proverb says: “No man suffers from another's sins - he has enough of his own.” A Sicilian proverb adds: “Who sins and then makes amends, trusts in God.” God's mercy is beyond limits. This truth travels the whole Scriptures, from the Old to the New Testament, from the book of Genesis to that of Apocalypse (Revelation). The entire mystery of Salvation is a story of God's mercy. This mercy, however, gets its meaning in front of the reality of sin. God is merciful because mankind is a sinner. It is because sin entered into creation that God showed his mercy to ...

June 2, 2024. The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi – B. Readings: Ex 24:3-8; Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18; Heb9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26. "This is my body… This is my blood." A Kenyan proverb says: “He who eats another man’s food will have his own food eaten by others.” A Ghanaian proverb adds: “One who eats alone cannot discuss the taste of the food with others.” The Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament where the Body of Christ is given, and his Blood is poured for the restoration of our lives and the remission of our sins. The Eucharist is the Sacrament of all the Sacraments. The Catechism, quoting Lumen Gentium 11 says: "The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namel...