Category: Reflections

by Fr Joseph Mafola

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In the first reading Moses says God’s law is within your own heart and it is easy to fulfil. We do not kill, we do not steal, and we do not bear false witness. All these are written in one’s heart. Everyone, young and old, learned or unlearned, rich or poor can fulfil God’s law. God gave us His commandments not for His own benefit but for ours; that is, out of love for us.

In the Gospel, a lawyer asked Jesus, “Master what must I do to inherit eternal life?” In his response Jesus’ answer is “what is written in the law. What do you read there?” The lawyer gave an answer quoting from both Deuteronomy and Leviticus; “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour, as yourself.” Jesus concluded his parable by compelling the lawyer to draw the conclusion himself by asking him “which of the three, do you think proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandit’s hands”
Continue reading “Reflection for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C” →

by Fr. Joseph Koterski, SJ

Pope’s prayer Intention: Let us pray that those who administer justice may work with integrity, and that the injustice which prevails in the world may not have the last word.

No society can live peacefully without the rule of law. In the attempt to restrain the abuses that have often prevailed in human history, we have developed forms of governance in which there is a division of powers. In such constitutional arrangements the separation of the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch have proven truly helpful. Yet the temptation for those who hold authority even in these systems to usurp additional powers is ever with us. Without the rule of law there is inevitably violence against the weak. But there can be no rule of law without a recognition that there is an objective and transcendent standard of justice. And there can be no such transcendent standard of justice apart from God as the transcendent creator and sustainer of morality. Continue reading “July 2019: The Integrity of Justice” →

by Fr Joseph Mafola

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends seventy two disciples to go ahead of him in pairs to all the places He Himself was to visit. The seventy two came back rejoicing because even the devils submitted to them when they used Jesus’ name. The seventy two stand for us, the Christian community. We must be God’s messengers to everyone around us. The joy of the Christian life will increase within us to the extent to which we share our faith with others.

St Paul explains to us what it really means to be a Christian. He says to be a Christian means to have become altogether a new creature. On account of the life in the Spirit given to us in Baptism. A Christian maintains and increases the life in the Spirit within him/herself. To be a Christian means to belong to Christ. In his letter to the Galatians 6:17 St Paul says “the marks of my body are those of Jesus.”
Continue reading “Reflection for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary time – Year C” →

by Fr J Mafola

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A reflection on the three readings reflects that being a follower of Christ demands a lot of effort and all other responsibilities have to take second place.

In the first reading Elisha who had been master until then, with money and possessions became now the servant of Elijah. He gave up the secure life of a rich farmer to start a prophetic life, a life full of risk and uncertainty.

Led by the spirit, Elisha broke with his past, his family and his possessions. Similarly those whom Christ specifically calls to follow him in the spreading of God’s kingdom must break away with sin and start leading a holy life. They must break away from their family and give themselves whole – heartedly to the service of the Christian community which has now become their new family.
Continue reading “Reflection for the thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time – Year C” →

by Fr Joseph Mafola

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Jesus welcomed the crowds, Jesus welcomes the Christian Community Sunday after Sunday as he kindly welcomed the crowds: we may absent ourselves or might arrive late at the service but Jesus is never absent. He precedes us all and welcomes us with open arms. This is what we call the table of the Word.

Jesus longs to heal our spiritual maladies as He healed the people listening to Him. He still invites us to repent from our sins, the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration. If we sincerely repent, we are sure of being forgiven. As he instructed the crowds about the kingdom of God he instructs us about the kingdom of God. Urging us to joyfully submit to God’s loving rule and he does this through the reading and explanation of the Word of God that precedes the celebration of the Eucharist.
Continue reading “Reflection for Corpus Christi Sunday – Year C” →

by Fr Joseph Mafola

Click HERE for Sunday’s readings in Siswati

1st Reading Proverbs: 8:22-31
Responsorial Psalm PS: 8:4-9
2nd Reading Romans: 5:1-5
Gospel John: 16: 12-15

At baptism God brought us into his own family. We must therefore come to know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the members of that wonderful family to which we belong. Through the Holy Spirit we go on discovering God’s love, wisdom and power day to day, and our hearts are filled with joy at every step in our life.

Human terms fail to express the wonderful life that goes on between the three divine persons. God has willed us to share in that life. We started sharing it at baptism, when Jesus communicated to us the Holy Spirit just as he had sent Him on the apostles on Pentecost day. While in this world we partially share in God’s life: the work of the Spirit within us is to render us fit to share in full that life on reaching heaven.
Continue reading “Reflection for Holy Trinity Sunday – Year C” →

by Fr. Andrij M. Hlabse, SJ

Pope’s prayer intention: June 2019 That priests, through the modesty and humility of their lives, commit themselves actively to a solidarity with those who are most poor.

Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Priesthood at the Last Supper, when He gave His Body and Blood to His Apostles. Every Catholic priest looks on this moment as the foundation of that ministry in which he has a share. Jesus very consciously chose to make clear this institution’s inner meaning by performing an extraordinary act of humility and love at that same meal. Jesus washed the Apostles’ feet. Continue reading “June 2019: The Priests’ way of life” →

by Fr. Dumisani Vilakati

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First reading: Acts 2:1-11
Responsorial: psalm Psalm 104
Second reading: Romans 8:8-17
Gospel: John 14:15-16, 23b-26

On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the disciples as well as the “birthday” of the new community of God’s people, the Church. Among the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be counted the following: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). If we practise these things we will be on the sure path of righteousness.
Continue reading “Reflection for Pentecost Sunday – Year C” →