Past Sunday Reflections November 4, 2007
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Ghanaian Catholic Community
At Christ The King Church
At Christ The King Church
Sunday Mass at 5PM
| 141 Marcy Place | Bronx, NY 10452 |Tel: 718 538 5546 |
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SUNDAY REFLECTIONS - November 4, 2007
Dear Brothers and sisters,
I hope you all had a nice and interesting week. It is good for us to see one another again after the week of
busy and sometimes lonely life. We thank God for the lives of one another and the support we are to each
others. It is a joy to know that we have somebody to look out for after a long week of being alone,
somebody who welcomes us and makes us feel loved and cared for.
This week we celebrated two very important feasts of the church; the All Saints and All Souls, 1st and 2nd
Nov. respectively. Two days of special remembrance of our ancestors. You can be sure that at our Masses
the priests were praying for all of you and your dead relatives. Some of your relatives were particularly in
our minds during these days for they are still fresh in our memories. But today in this Mass will remember
all, especially the others who are not so familiar to us. Make sure your list all those you want to pray for
and bring them to the Altar.
The church is a living church. No one in our church dies and is forgotten, because our God is a living God.
He is the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. He is the God of the living and not the dead (Matt. 22:32-33).
Though we may die and gone from the face of the earth we live on with our Father, We live a new live. We
live a more prosperous and happy life hereafter. A live that we reign with the saints, praying and
interceding for the living. Therefore the Church teaches that the church exist at three levels; the church
triumphant (those who have made it to heaven), the church on pilgrimage (the church here on earth) and the
church in limbo (those who are going through purification on their way to heaven). And the church says as
we ask the intercession of the Saints in heaven so do the others in "Purgatory" ask our intercession. It is
fair game. You can find more on this in the Catholic catechism.
Now to the readings for the day.
First Reading - Wisdom 11: 22 - 12:1
Second Reading - 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-2:2
Luke 19: 1-10
This week we are still reading from the book of Wisdom. I love the wisdom literature in general. They are
interesting reading. They talk about common sense things. But how common is common sense? Sometimes
I wish I could go to the market and shop for knowledge or intelligence, so that I can read all the books and
become a big man, and proud of my achievements. But unfortunately knowledge is not sold in the market,
and if it was even available for sale many of us would be the last to afford the price. But intelligence is not
sold, it is a free gift from God. Some are given more, others given moderate, others small and others very
little, yet others nothing at all. Who knows why? Only God knows. But remember the parable of the
Talents in Matthew 25:14 - 30 and Lk 19:12 - 27. Do you know why the goat does not have teeth? Bad
intentions! We are given according to our abilities.
Therefore common sense is not that common as we usually think, it is rare and expensive. We could apply
our understanding of the gift of common sense to our understanding of the word of God, and the ways he
reveals Himself to us in this world. That is what the Book of Wisdom and the Wisdom literature in general
tries to teach.
And this is what Zacchaeus discovered when he encountered Jesus. Zacchaeus was a very intelligent man,
used his intelligence to cheat others, he was proud of his achievements, but he lacked wisdom until he
encountered Christ. His perceptions about life, about himself, about his attitude in business, his cheating,
wealth and others changed.
Zacchaeus encounter with Jesus humbled him and made him wise to accept the invitation of Jesus. The
story of his conversion is put before us today, not as a matter of historical fact, but as a matter of interest.
We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree. Jesus is approaching each one of us today by means of this
very lesson which we have read. Let each of us try to see what Jesus is like. Let us accept his invitation to
come down from our tree tops. Let us humble ourselves and invite him in. Today salvation will come to us
and our household. We will become again true sons and daughters of Abraham, true heirs to heaven.
Dear Brothers and sisters,
I hope you all had a nice and interesting week. It is good for us to see one another again after the week of
busy and sometimes lonely life. We thank God for the lives of one another and the support we are to each
others. It is a joy to know that we have somebody to look out for after a long week of being alone,
somebody who welcomes us and makes us feel loved and cared for.
This week we celebrated two very important feasts of the church; the All Saints and All Souls, 1st and 2nd
Nov. respectively. Two days of special remembrance of our ancestors. You can be sure that at our Masses
the priests were praying for all of you and your dead relatives. Some of your relatives were particularly in
our minds during these days for they are still fresh in our memories. But today in this Mass will remember
all, especially the others who are not so familiar to us. Make sure your list all those you want to pray for
and bring them to the Altar.
The church is a living church. No one in our church dies and is forgotten, because our God is a living God.
He is the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. He is the God of the living and not the dead (Matt. 22:32-33).
Though we may die and gone from the face of the earth we live on with our Father, We live a new live. We
live a more prosperous and happy life hereafter. A live that we reign with the saints, praying and
interceding for the living. Therefore the Church teaches that the church exist at three levels; the church
triumphant (those who have made it to heaven), the church on pilgrimage (the church here on earth) and the
church in limbo (those who are going through purification on their way to heaven). And the church says as
we ask the intercession of the Saints in heaven so do the others in "Purgatory" ask our intercession. It is
fair game. You can find more on this in the Catholic catechism.
Now to the readings for the day.
First Reading - Wisdom 11: 22 - 12:1
Second Reading - 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-2:2
Luke 19: 1-10
This week we are still reading from the book of Wisdom. I love the wisdom literature in general. They are
interesting reading. They talk about common sense things. But how common is common sense? Sometimes
I wish I could go to the market and shop for knowledge or intelligence, so that I can read all the books and
become a big man, and proud of my achievements. But unfortunately knowledge is not sold in the market,
and if it was even available for sale many of us would be the last to afford the price. But intelligence is not
sold, it is a free gift from God. Some are given more, others given moderate, others small and others very
little, yet others nothing at all. Who knows why? Only God knows. But remember the parable of the
Talents in Matthew 25:14 - 30 and Lk 19:12 - 27. Do you know why the goat does not have teeth? Bad
intentions! We are given according to our abilities.
Therefore common sense is not that common as we usually think, it is rare and expensive. We could apply
our understanding of the gift of common sense to our understanding of the word of God, and the ways he
reveals Himself to us in this world. That is what the Book of Wisdom and the Wisdom literature in general
tries to teach.
And this is what Zacchaeus discovered when he encountered Jesus. Zacchaeus was a very intelligent man,
used his intelligence to cheat others, he was proud of his achievements, but he lacked wisdom until he
encountered Christ. His perceptions about life, about himself, about his attitude in business, his cheating,
wealth and others changed.
Zacchaeus encounter with Jesus humbled him and made him wise to accept the invitation of Jesus. The
story of his conversion is put before us today, not as a matter of historical fact, but as a matter of interest.
We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree. Jesus is approaching each one of us today by means of this
very lesson which we have read. Let each of us try to see what Jesus is like. Let us accept his invitation to
come down from our tree tops. Let us humble ourselves and invite him in. Today salvation will come to us
and our household. We will become again true sons and daughters of Abraham, true heirs to heaven.