Morning Voice

September 29, 2024. Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Nm 11:25-29; Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14; Jas 5:1-6; Mk9:38-43, 45, 47-48. “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41) An Estonian proverb says: “Who is good will be rewarded.” A Chinese proverb adds: “Good will be rewarded with good and evil with evil; it is only a matter of time.” There is a very famous psychological theory that is used in education, mostly as a teaching method. It is about rewards and punishment. It is also well known as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning or Skinnerian conditioning, is a learning method that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior. Through operant conditioning, behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is punished is prone to happen less. Simply put, it is about provoking the apprentice t...

August 25, 2024. Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19,20-21; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69. “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68 An Albanian proverb says: “Each husband gets the infidelity he deserves.” A Thai proverb adds: “When you follow the old man, the dog will not bite you.” When saying the Lord’s Prayer, one thing we ask for is that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we firmly voice our fidelity to his will, that is, our faith in him. Nevertheless, one of the most complicated things to keep is that faith. When we go through hardships and tribulations or pass through confusing times, we tend to forget our faith and who our God is. Many people, once life turns bitter, swap their faith with other beliefs, turning away from the Church and running after miracle makers and fortune tellers. I read a very comic, but nice story of someone who came for confess...

August 18, 2024. Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Prv 9:1-6; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; Eph 5:15-20; Jn6:51-58. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Jn 6:51 A Somalian proverb says: “A man who has eaten something becomes shy.” A French proverb adds: “Bread and wine start a banquet.” Life is like a banquet to which we are all convened. God calls us to taste and see his goodness. No one, however, can rightly access that banquet without the minimum of faith. Faith is that which opens up to the understanding of God’s gracious love. With faith, we realize that God’s love is beyond our capacities and human aptitudes. And genuine faith leads to wisdom. God is a providential Father, we said three weeks ago. God feeds the needs of all those who turn to him in faith. And God generously gives himself as bread for our journey of life. Witho...

August 11, 2024. Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: 1 Kgs 19:4-8; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Eph4:30—5:2; Jn 6:41-51. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” A Beninese proverb says: “The world is a journey, the afterworld is home.” A Congolese proverb adds: “You cannot work for food when there is no food for work.” I read somewhere that "If bread fueled men's work, it structured women's." And somewhere else, someone said, "Bread not only brings good health, it helps maintain it." We all need food to live. Without food, life is easily shortened, and we vanish. In our pilgrimage on this earth, food counts among the primarily necessities. Why do people labor? Why all the pains one gives to himself every day? Are there not all to get something put under our teeth? Sure, one does not live for bread, but one needs bread (food) to live. Today, again, like the two previous Sundays, the liturgy...

August 4, 2024. Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54; Eph4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35. “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” John 6:27. A Swedish proverb says: “Lack of bread forces one to work.” A Corsican proverb adds: “He who eats holy bread has to deserve it.” One of the most beautiful patristic hymns, which has also become one of the best-ever written Eucharistic hymns, is Panis Angelicus. In it, St. Thomas Aquinas gives the deepest meaning of the Eucharistic Bread. He says, "Thus Angels' Bread is made the Bread of man today: The Living Bread from heaven with figures dost away: O miraculous gift indeed! The poor and lowly may upon their Lord and Master feed." In the Holy Eucharist, it is exactly what we celebrate and receive. The Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Angels that becomes Bread of Men in order to feed and nourish t...

July 28, 2024. Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: 2 Kgs 4:42-44; Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18; Eph4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15.   “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” Ps 145:16 A Nepalese proverb says: “The god who made the mouth will provide the food.” A Turkish proverb adds: “For the birds that cannot soar, God has provided low branches.” God always feeds our needs. This is not only about the spiritual, but also the human and material needs. God provides. His Providence is enough for all. To operate, God's Providence requires only our human faith. That is our little contribution. Faith is the key to the abundance of God's grace. In today's liturgy, a song can be heard, and it will constitute the directive line of our meditation on the word of God. "The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." Ps 145:16 The Lord always outstretches his hand. He feeds all who trust in him. He is always eager to answer our needs. I...

July 21, 2024. Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B. Readings: Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk6:30-34.   "His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd..." (Mk 6:34) A Hindi proverb says: “God takes care of a blind cow.” A Romanian proverb adds: “A good shepherd must fleece his sheep, not flay them.” The relationship between sheep and shepherds is one of the images commonly used in the Scriptures to describe God's relationship with his people. It is normally one of intimate knowledge and trust. Shepherds are responsible for the care and safety of their sheep, which are helpless animals that can not survive independently. In return, the sheep learn to recognize their shepherd's voice and follow them—three main words spring from that relationship: care, trust, and obedience. The shepherd cares. The sheep trust, and because of their trust, they obey him. When the care is lacking, the trust also disappears, an...