MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS Continue reading “Second world day of the poor”
Second world day of the poor
Category: Liturgy
Novena to Our Lady of Assumption
As we prepare to celebrate the patronal feast of our Diocese let us daily pray together guided by the words of Pope Francis during his pastoral visit to South America in 2015N.
“May Jesus bless you and the Virgin Mary care for you”
You can download this novena:
Reflection on the Third Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Rocco Marra, IMC
Acts 3:13-15.17-19
During this Easter Season: from Easter day up to Pentecost, we are reading from the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The first reading, relates the story of Peter and John’s meeting with a man crippled from birth who asked them for alms. Peter said he had neither gold nor silver, but he would give him something better and proceeded to heal him. The Apostles preached, first of all, about the event of our salvation: that is the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Church, continuing the mission of Jesus, encourages humanity to conversion: that is to open their hearts to the merciful God and to believe in the Good News. Continue reading “Reflection on the Third Sunday of Easter”
Reflection on the Second Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Rocco Marra, IMC
We are celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter, the eighth day of the Octave of Easter. This particular day was called with different names during the History of the Church: 1- It is called “White Sunday” because on this day the new members of the church use to lay aside the white dress which they received on Easter Vigil, during the celebration of their baptism. 2- It is called “Low Sunday” because it closes the celebration of the eight days, the Octave of Easter; considering the High Sunday, the Easter Sunday itself, the first day of the Octave. 3- Recently we call it “Divine Mercy Sunday” so that forgiveness and tenderness are proclaimed and the world hears a different message than one of emptiness or hate and is shown a path to reconciliation and peace. We are redeemed trough the Mercy of God.
Continue reading “Reflection on the Second Sunday of Easter”
Reflection on Mass Readings for Palm Sunday
by Fr M Makama
Is. 50:4-11 is the third of four “servant of the Lord oracles. In the part of the oracle which constitutes the first reading, the servant, like a well-trained disciple accepts the divine vocation whole-heartedly. He willingly submits to insults and beatings. The act of having one’s beard torn out is a grave and painful insult to man since the beard is a one of the marks of his masculinity. A man enjoyed an elevated status, hence the insult.
Continue reading “Reflection on Mass Readings for Palm Sunday”
5th Sunday of Lent “B”
By Fr M. Makama
The promise of a new covenant in Jer. 31:31-34 is the only place in the Old Testament where a new covenant is directly mentioned. In other places only reminiscences are found. At this point in the History of the people of God they were at their lowest, the Temple had been destroyed. They are in exile. They have also lost their land. This translates to a nation which has lost its identity because the Temple and the land were the two sources of their identity. In the midst of all these mishaps God promises them something beautiful, a new covenant which will be engraved in their hearts. This is a source of hope and strength for them. Continue reading “5th Sunday of Lent “B””
4th Sunday of Lent “B”
by Fr M Makama
The promised land is the inheritance that God gave to his people. When their infidelity to God has reached enormous heights, they lose God’s protection, their enemies run amock among and eventually cause them to leave the promised land and go into exile.
The physical departure from where God has placed them to go and be in exile is a movement that parallels the movement from God in their hearts which has manifested itself when they added infidelity upon infidelity . The agony which they went through living in exile is captured well in the Responsorial Psalm:
Second Sunday of Lent “B”
by Fr M Makama
The story of God instructing Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac which is recounted in the first reading requires us to recognise that to Abraham Isaac
was the son who would lead to descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky. In the face of the barreness of his wife, Abraham had welcomed the
unexpected birth of his son Isaac, especially after the his son, born to a slave-girl was sent away together with his mother.