Morning Voice

May 26, 2024. The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – B. Readings: Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22;Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20. Glory be to God the Father. Glory be to God the Son. Glory be to God the Holy Spirit. Three persons in an undivided, unconfused, and co-equal divinity. We profess faith in One God in Three Persons. Because we are, since our Baptism, immersed in this mystery. All our prayers are centered on this reality of the Trinity. And to say it right, we are a Trinitarian being, a Trinitarian People. There is nothing we can do without the Holy Trinity. For, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength of sons and daughters to cry out to the Father as the Son does, "Abba". An Akan proverb says: “In a community, it's better for every person to have a little of something than one person to have everything.” An Argentinian proverb adds: “Two in harmony are in god’s company.” We are celebrating today an unprecedented revelation. God manifests to us ...

May 19, 2024. Solemnity of the Pentecost – B. Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Cor12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25; Jn 20:19-23. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord…” 1 Cor 12:4 An Irish proverb says: “There is not strength without unity.” A Bajan proverb adds: “The war that has no unity will make no prey.” Tradition and the Scriptures (New Testament) relay that Pentecost is a historic event that took place fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ. The disciples, filled with fear of the Jewish leaders, closed themselves in an upper-room, the Cenacle awaiting the coming of the Advocate Jesus promised them before his Ascension into heaven. Then, on this day, the Holy Spirit came, filled their hearts, and made them fearless proclaimers of the Gospel of Christ. Pentecost, thus, marks the beginning of the Church. Led by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles proclaimed the ...

May 12, 2024. Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – B. Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Eph 1:17-23 orEph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13; Mk 16:15-20. “Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.” Mt 28:20 A Hebrew proverb says: “The world's like a ladder: one ascends, and one descends.” A Maori proverb adds: “Many make the descent to eternal darkness but few ascend to heaven.” When we profess our faith, in the Credo, here is what we say: "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end." The Ascension of the Lord is a mystery that flows from his resurrection. But above all, it is a mystery that is deeply rooted in his Incarnation. It is because he once descended to be one of us that now he is ascending to be one with God. The one who as Christmas shared into our humanity, bore that humanity,...

May 5, 2024. Sixth Sunday of Easter – B. Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4; 1Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17. “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love…” John 15:9 A Bantu proverb says: “A mother of twins should have impartial breasts.” An Indian proverb adds: “If you are buying a cow, make sure that the price of the tail is included.” One of the greatest and most beautiful truths that we learn from the Resurrection of the Lord is that the Salvation of God is an offer to all. God shows no partiality. Or to sing it with the Psalmist, “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.” In the teaching of the Church, the doctrine of universal salvation is known as Apokatastasis or Apocatastasis. It is said that in theology, apocatastasis is the restoration of creation to a condition of perfection. It is a form of Christian universalism that includes the ultimate salvation of everyone—including the damned in Hell and the Devil. The New Testame...

April 28, 2024. Fifth Sunday of Easter – B. Readings: Acts 9:26-31; Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32; 1 Jn3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8. “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Jn 15:5 A Dutch proverb says: “The strength of a tree lies in its roots, not in its branches.” A Sicilian proverb adds: “If the tree doesn't bear fruit, cut it off at the base.” While celebrating the Good Shepherd Sunday last Sunday, an emphasis was put on Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, the only name in whom and through whom we are saved. Peter made it clear to the people: "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." Jesus alone, we said. For he alone is the Good Shepherd, the one able to lay down his life for us, his sheep. Today's readings, mostly the 2nd Reading and the Gospel, continue on the centrality of Jesus. The Lord makes another categoric claim and insists on our need to be with him ...

April 21, 2024. Fourth Sunday of Easter – B. Good Shepherd Sunday – Vocation Sunday. Readings: Acts 4:8-12; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29; 1Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18. A German proverb says: “Straying shepherd, straying sheep.” A Russian proverb adds: “The wolf can always be hired very cheaply as a shepherd.” "There is no salvation through anyone else..." (Acts 4:12) At Easter, what we celebrate is the centrality of Christ. He alone died on the Cross for sinners, and he alone rose again to life on the third day for all. He is the reason of the season and the cause and instrument of human salvation. Besides him, there is no other cause and source of salvation. There is a famous saying of Cyprian of Carthage (+258), in Patristic and Ecclesiology, "Salus extra ecclesiam non est" ("there is no salvation outside the Church"), from Letter LXXII that raised great discussion among theologians and experts, but that holds a key truth. If we accept the Chur...

April 14, 2024. Third Sunday of Easter – B. Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9; 1 Jn2:1-5a; Lk 24:35-48. “Those who say, "I know him," but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them.” 1 John 2:4 A Sicilian proverb questions: “What good is faith if you don't live by it.” A Suyin proverb adds: “Faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body.” The Resurrection of Christ is a mystery that goes beyond any other. It is the supreme mystery of our faith. As we say in the Anamnesis, it is the per excellence, "Mysterium Fidei." In it, we affirm that Jesus is truly the Messiah that was announced by all the Prophets and the Ancient Scriptures. The key, however, that opens to that Mysterium is faith itself. Without faith, the resurrection of Christ is just a fantastic story but not a fact. It could be like any modern and postmodern legends such as the story of Superman, Harry Potter, or...