Second Sunday of Apostles - Holy Trinity

Sunday Gospel and Message

The Pardon of the Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50)

A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus knew what people thought in those days and he knows what we think today. The Pharisee thought that Jesus did not know that the woman mentioned in today’s gospel, was a sinner and that he was, for that reason, not a prophet.           
 
The pharisee questions the knowledge and authority of Jesus, while the woman accepts Jesus as the Savior and receives forgiveness and peace. The pharisee tries to find fault with Jesus, while the woman finds her own faults.                     

Where are we in our relationship with Jesus?
*   *   *
 
Two secretaries were taking a tea break when they began to talk about their respective churches. "I never knew you went to church," said the first one. "I'll bet you twenty dollars you can't even recite the Lord's prayer."

"Oh yes, I CAN," said the second.

"Well, then, let's HEAR it," said the first.

The second one began, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep..."

The first secretary listened with astonishment. "Wow!" she said. "Here's your twenty dollars. I sure didn't think you knew it!"
   *   *   *
The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a basic doctrine of faith in Christianity understandable not with our heads but with our hearts. It teaches us that there are three distinct persons in one God sharing the same divine nature.   St. Augustine tried to explain it thus: Father is the eternal lover and His everlasting love is the Son. Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. We believe in this mystery because Jesus taught it clearly, the evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the Church tried to explain it and the Council of Nicea and Constantinople defined it as dogma of Christian faith.

There is a very old and much repeated story about St. Augustine, one of the intellectual giants of the Church.  He was walking by the seashore one day, attempting to conceive of an intelligible explanation for the mystery of the Trinity.  As he walked along, he saw a small boy on the beach, pouring seawater with a shell into a small hole in the sand.  "What are you doing, my child?" asked Augustine.  "I am trying to empty the sea into this hole," the boy answered with an innocent smile.  "But that is impossible, my dear child,” said Augustine.  The boy stood up, looked straight into the eyes of Augustine and replied, “What you are trying to do - trying to comprehend the immensity of God with your small head - is even more impossible.”  Then he vanished.  It was an angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson.
 
Later, Augustine wrote: "You see the Trinity if you see love."  According to him the Father is the lover, the Son is the loved one and the Holy Spirit is the personification of the very act of loving. This means that we can understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity more readily with the heart than with our feeble mind.

Parish Picnic

St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Church Los Angeles conducted its Parish Picnic on June 2nd, 2012. The venue was Mason Park, Chatsworth, CA. Most of the parishioners were present, from ages 90+ to 1-. It was a very happy get together. Plenty of food.
A few competitions - physical and intellectual - were conducted.

To view the pictures of the event, click on the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116328074043587678089/Picnic2012

Vidyarambham / Beginning of Education

https://picasaweb.google.com/116328074043587678089/Vidyarambham
Click on the above link to view the pictures.

വിദ്യാരംഭം / ആദ്യാക്ഷരം കുറിക്കല്‍ / എഴുത്തിനിരുത്ത്

Beginning of Education/First Writing on Pentecost Day at St. Alphonsa Church, Los Angeles

it has become a special event, parents awaiting the day with enthusiasm, to begin the education of their dear children on Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit writing the divine words in the hearts and minds of our loving children.

In Kerala, many parents from all over the state, without any distinction of caste or creed, flock to Bharananganam to have their children write the first letters at the feet of St. Alphonsa.

Our children, who are getting ready to join school this year had the unique opportunity to begin writing (വിദ്യാരംഭം / ആദ്യാക്ഷരം കുറിക്കല്‍) at the feet of St. Alphonsa, on Pentecost day. It was done after Holy Qurbana, chidren writing "Jesus" in rice (Rice is the reliable staple food of people from time immemorial. It stands for the primordial generosity of God to humans. It symbolizes God's providence and generous blessings.)
Let us pray that the Holy Spirit, who enabled the Apostles with all knowledge, shower His blessings and gifts upon our children and fill their minds with wisdom and prudence.

Mothers Day 2012

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/116328074043587678089/May132012MothersDay

Mothers Day was celebrated at St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Church along with the Sunday Liturgy. The celebrant blessed the mothers and rose flowers were distributed to all mothers. Mothers Day cake was cut by the senior most mothers. “Matha Pitha Guru Deivam” - the order in which one should offer reverence - first comes the mother (Matha or Mata) who gives birth to the child, thereby bringing us as a child into this world. Next comes the father (Pitha or Pita), because it is the mother who knows the truth about the father and she points us to the father. The mother and father take us to the teacher (Guru), and this Trinity leads us to God - was the theme of the day.


The one who does not honor his mother, father or teacher has no honor for the Divine. His offerings and prayers will be in vain. His life will not be prosperous and his last days will be very pathetic.


According to Hindu mythology, once upon a time, Shiva and Parvati received the gift of a ripe mango. Their children Ganesha and Karthikeya, both wanted the full fruit. The parents were in a dilemma and decided to give them a test: the winner would get the fruit.  They announced, “Whoever goes round the world and reaches back first will be the winner.” Karthikeya immediately set off on his vehicle the peacock. Ganesha with his vehicle Mooshika (mouse) prostrated himself in front of his parents, went around them once and claimed the prize. To the question of how, Ganesha said, “Our parents are the whole world to us. So by going around them once, I have gone around the world.” Our parents are the living Gods visible to naked eyes, with whom you can interact. Visible entities  are required for children to imitate, learn, worship and love.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about the THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT thus:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

He was obedient to them: the Lord Jesus himself recalled the force of this "commandment of God." 

The Apostle teaches: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' (This is the first commandment with a promise.) 'that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."'

2197 The fourth commandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority.

2198 This commandment is expressed in positive terms of duties to be fulfilled. It introduces the subsequent commandments which are concerned with particular respect for life, marriage, earthly goods, and speech. It constitutes one of the foundations of the social doctrine of the Church.

2199 The fourth commandment is addressed expressly to children in their relationship to their father and mother, because this relationship is the most universal. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship between members of the extended family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elders and ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils to teachers, employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who administer or govern it.

This commandment includes and presupposes the duties of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, magistrates, those who govern, all who exercise authority over others or over a community of persons.

2200 Observing the fourth commandment brings its reward: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you." Respecting this commandment provides, along with spiritual fruits, temporal fruits of peace and prosperity. Conversely, failure to observe it brings great harm to communities and to individuals.

Mother, what can I give you?

After having reached at the peak of his career a man felt an urge to repay back to his mother for all that she had done for him. So he asked her, "Mother, what can I give you? What can I do for you? I sincerely want to repay you for all the sacrifices you have made for me and for all the love you have showered upon  me."
Mother looked surprised and said, "Why do you think about it. It was my duty so I did it, you don't have to repay me. Even if you want to, there is no way a man can ever repay his mother."
Despite her continuous refusal to ask for anything, he continued to persist. To put an end to the discussion, she said, "All right. If you must, then tonight you sleep on my bed, with me, just as you used to when you were a baby." He said, "That's a strange thing to ask for, but if it pleases you, I will."
As soon as he fell asleep, the mother got up and brought a bucket of water. She poured a mug full of water on his side. Feeling disturbed by the wetness under him, in his sleep he moved away to the other side of the bed. As he settled down, his mother poured another mug of water on the other side. In his slumber he tried to find space towards the foot post of the bed. Sometime later he woke up feeling that this part of the bed too was damp. He got up and saw his mother, with the mug in her hand. He asked angrily, "What are you doing mother? Why don't you let me sleep? How do you expect me to sleep on a wet bed?"
Mother said, "I slept with you, when you wetted the bed in the night. I changed your nappy (diaper made of cotton cloth, used in India) and moved you to the dry part of the bed, while I slept on the wet side. You wanted to repay me. Can you sleep here even for one night with me on a damp bed? If you can, I'll take it that you have repaid me."
How true it is that of all the debts in the world, the one that can never be repaid is the one you owe to your mother. You can never repay the love, care and time your mother gave to bring you up. You are a part of her flesh and blood; don't forget this, because she never ever forgets you.
A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.
As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars." The man smiled and said,"Come on in with me. I will buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's      flowers.
As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.
The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.
Don't send artificial love to your parents. Give them the respect and courtesy they desire. They are your most precious treasure. Care for them. 

You-Teen Program

Youth Seminar for the teens and youth of St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Church Los Angeles. Rev. Fr. Paul Pinto inter-acted with the participants through very interesting games.
"It was very good," commented the participants. "We never had such an interesting retreat before."

https://picasaweb.google.com/116328074043587678089/PuzZlingOUtInTegriYYouTeenProgram

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples on the Shore

 After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. 

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.  The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.  

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. 

Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” 

And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. (John 21:1-14)

Imagine Jesus cooking a meal for you on the beach !! How perfect is that ?
 

After I finish fishing in this world, when I die and if I'm lucky not to be sent to hell, ... IF...... by the grace of God I am allowed into heaven, then this is how I would like to meet Jesus: There will be a meal of fish and bread, and maybe some fruits too - may be a hundred-fold of whatever I gave to Jesus, when He asked for something.
 

The disciples toiled the whole night, but not a fish could they catch. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in, because of the number of fish." When they obeyed the Lord, the catch was full.
 

And: Sometimes the smallest adjustment in our point of view- moving from one side of the boat to the other - may be in the plan of God - can make a huge difference in our vision.
And, sometimes it takes an unexpected stranger on the shore - on the shore of any event - may be even a child - may be God’s messenger for us - to shift our perspective.
And, Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
 

Every Sunday, after the whole week’s toil, when we pull in our nets, on the shore - in our parish church, we find Jesus baking the bread for us, on the Altar. He is baking His own Body, the Bread of everlasting Life for us. He invites all of us to share in that “Bread that came down from Heaven.”
 

And, He is asking us, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” How many fish are you ready to give to Jesus? He has baked enough bread for us. This fish, he is asking of us, is for Him to eat, (Lk 24:41-43) - may be, He will keep some for us to eat, when we reach heaven!!
 

And, how many fish is he demanding of us?
“All tithes of the land, whether in grain from the fields or in fruit from the trees, belong to the LORD; they are sacred to the LORD.” Leviticus 27: 30

Holy Week 2012

https://picasaweb.google.com/116328074043587678089/HolyWeek12WasCelebratedAtStAlphonsaSyroMalabarChurchLosAngelesWithNostalgicMemories