14^th Sunday-Year A

Zech. 9:9-10

Psalm 145

Rome 8:9, 11-13

Mt. 11:25-30

Be the shoulder that somebody can cry on

Let’s live out the words of Jesus: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened”

My Dear people of God, in our first reading today, we heard the prophecy of Zachariah, who prophesied in Israel at a time that the people had returned from exile and found everything in ruins and had to rebuild their lives, house, farms, and the temple all over again. It was a this very difficult moment in their lives that God promised a Messiah who will bring them and all the nations of the world peace, hope, strength, and joy. The Messiah will not stand aside to see people suffer, but will carry their burdens with them because he is humble and loving enough to feel their pain. Our gospel tells us that Jesus is that humble and loving Messiah who helps us to carry our burden.

But, how does Jesus do it? Beloved, Jesus does it through his disciples who allow him to work through them, those who allow Jesus to use their hands and feet to help him carry people’s burdens. They are those who have come to understand the mystery of the Kingdom that they are called to lay down their lives for others. They are the ones Jesus is thanking his Father for in the gospel today. St. Paul in our second reading reminds us of this great honor and responsibility: being called to be disciples of Jesus. He also calls on us to develop the Spirit of Christ so that we can truly represent him.

Beloved in Christ, the Scriptural readings today remind me of a story a woman shared with me about how she became Catholic. In 2001, she was attending a business meeting in Mexico when she had a phone call that her house had caught fire and her husband and two children were all killed in the fire. This happened around the same time of the September 11 attacks. Can you imagine the trauma that this woman was going through seeing the evil that had befallen her beloved country and her family? What made the situation even worse for her was the fact that she was stuck in her hotel in Mexico for two weeks after she had received the horrible news since international flights were cancelled. Having no family and friends around to lean on, she locked herself up in her hotel room and cried all day. A waitress at the hotel who heard her crying in her room knocked at the door. This waitress could not speak any English at all, but when the woman opened the door for her, she went in, sat by the woman, put her hand around her neck, gave her a shoulder to cry on, and prayed the rosary for her. The waitress visited her everyday for one week, just saying only one word, “hola” and praying the rosary for her. Before the woman left for the US, she asked the waitress if she could have “that thing she had been praying”, the rosary, and the waitress gladly gave it to her. When she returned to the USA, she decided to join the Catholic Church because of what the waitress did for her. She saw Christ’s love in the waitress.   

Beloved in Christ, how do you feel when you hear Jesus’ words in the gospel: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest”? I feel joyful and hopeful because like the women whose story I shared with you, there are too many troubles in life and I cannot handle them all by myself. I need a savior. Do you at times feel that way too? I want to believe you do. Every human being needs somebody to help carry the burdens in life.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, God needs people like that Mexican waitress. Like her, we are all called to say and live those words of Jesus: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened”. She made the words of Jesus concrete for the woman who lost her husband and her children. There are people who are hurting in our families, churches, workplaces, and communities. Some are overburdened with sin. We are called to bring them hope and help them return to Christ. Some are homeless; others are burdened with unemployment, sicknesses, divorce, separation, conflicts, and shuttered dreams and hopes. Jesus expects you and me, who are his disciples, to be like the Mexican waitress, to stop and pay attention to the world around us so that we can see the tears in people’s eyes, to be bold to knock at the doors of people who are suffering and give them a shoulder to cry on. What will the world look like if every Christian lived out Jesus’ words like the waitress did? What will the world look like if all my words and actions will tell people “come to me and I will help you carry your burden”? I pray that Christ will continue to be our light, shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness, so that we can truly be the shoulders that people can cry on and find hope and joy in life. Amen!

Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Dt. 8: 2-3, 14b-16a

Ps. 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

1 Cor. 10:16-17

Jn. 6:51-58

We called not just to celebrate the Eucharist, but also to become the Eucharist.

Beloved in Christ, I wish you a Happy Feast Day on this joyful celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We thank God for another opportunity to gather and worship him, listen to his words, to lay all our burdens at his feet, and to eat with him at the table of the Eucharist. In our second reading today, St. Paul reminds us that the church is made of many different parts, people from different walks of life, cultures and countries. I want to remind you that even though the US beat Ghana in the world cup last week, we are still friends and brothers and sisters. No hard feelings, trust me, we are good:)

Beloved in Christ, our first reading today reminds us that life is a journey and we cannot travel without God because he alone provides what we need every step of the way. In the gospel, Jesus tells us that he alone is the strength and hope we need each day of our lives. He allowed his body to be broken so that we will have life. He poured out his blood so that we can have life. As Moses reminds the people in the first reading, God wants nothing from us except our gratitude, which is expressed not only in words but also in deed. St Paul in our second reading reminds us that our celebration of the Eucharist should be a participation in the Death and Resurrection of Christ.

Beloved, when we gather at Mass we are not here just to say, “thank you Jesus, keep going, good job!” No! Jesus does not want cheerleaders, but people who will step onto the field and play the game with him. So we, Christians, are called not just to celebrate the Eucharist, but also to become the Eucharist. This means we become the bread that is broken for others to have life, the wine that is poured out for others to have life. We are called to be the strength and hope for the world today. That is what Jesus meant when he said: “Do this in memory of me”.

Beloved, there are ways that we become the Eucharist: Walking with others and being there for them. Each of us has some situation that we are worried about and we are looking for a change. We all need hope. There are people here in this parish who are facing many family problems, broken relationships, broken dreams, sicknesses, divorce, deaths of dear ones etc. and are in need of hope and encouragement. As disciples of Jesus, let us seek them out and walk with them. Invite them to lunch, pray with them, and pray for them.

Another way we become Eucharist is to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. We all have people who have offended us. Maybe it is your husband, your wife, your sister, your brother, your children, your parents, co-workers etc. Are you ready to forgive them too? Are you ready to live the forgiveness we celebrate on this altar? We are the ones who have experienced God’s love in the breaking of bread. Let’s be the bread that is broken for others. Come live in the light, shine with the joy and the love of the Lord, we care called to be light for the kingdom, to live in the freedom of the city of God! We are called to act with justice. We are called to love tenderly. We care called to serve one another and to walk humbly with God! (By David Haas).