Joseph Osho

  THE MEMORIAL OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA Exodus 32:15-24,30-34 Matthew 13:31-35 YOU TOO ARE CAPABLE OF AMAZING THINGS Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, who is also called the Jesuits. He has been a great influence in the life of the Church to this very. When he started the order, it seems as if it was not significant but today the society has become great in the midst of the Church.  In today's gospel, Jesus tells this parable:  “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”    when we come to the table of the Lord, we become part of the offering We are being sent forth after Mass to announce the gospel by our lives. I think it is about sharing our care and compassion and companioning people on their journey.  It is all about loving one another just as Jesus has loved us.  And when we share l...

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) 1 Kings 3:5,7-12 Romans 8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52 IN THE ULTIMATE SEARCH,  LET US PRAY AND BE WISE We continue the series of parables by which Jesus taught the crowds who were following Him together with His disciples about the kingdom of heaven and today we have three parables showing further aspects of this kingdom. The parable of the fishing net which encloses both good fish and bad that we have in today's gospel is similar to last week's parable of the field with wheat and weeds growing together.     Here are also some other similarities we can highlight; the kingdom is shown to contain both good and evil, and there is to be a judgment at some time in the future., and for the present, both are together until God's time is achieved. Similarly, in last week's parable series, this was described in the parable as being when the field was ripe for harvest; today's parable shows the fishermen waiting until the net is full be...

  SAINTS MARTHA, MANY, AND LAZARUS: -FRIENDS OF JESUS   Exodus 24:3-8 John 11:19-27 ARE YOU GOD’S FRIEND?  Today’s first reading describes the omnipotent love of God. Among the theological virtues of faith, hope and love St. Paul considers love as the greatest. 1Cor. 13:4-8. For God so love the world that He sent His only Son. John 3:16.The love that Jesus showed to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus was great. It is in that love we too can have life. To know Christ is to know what love is. To be able to share that love through acts of kindness or service is reflecting that love. In today's gospel, we see the conversation between Martha and Jesus and we might that to be considered as a covenant dialog. Martha makes her statements of faith and Jesus replies with the promise of eternal life. Martha’s faith and the faith of the Apostles were not perfect. It was limited but Jesus had to make them realize that is the resurrection and life and to know Jesus is to have eternal life; life...

  YOUR WORDS,     O LORD, ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE   Exodus 20:1-17 Matthew 13:18-23 We live in a world and a Church that challenge s us to follow the commandments of God and to hang onto those seeds of faith that were planted in us at baptism.  We are reminded in the Gospel today that, “the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” In order to grow in our faith, therefore, we must be willing to walk on rocky ground, put up with the thorns we encounter, and persevere in the Gospel message even when we do not understand it or want to hear it. Just as the psalmist says; the rule of the Lord is to be trusted because it goes life and wisdom to the simple. May we continue to be the rich soil that bears fruit not only in our lives but in the lives of all those we encounter on our journey of faith. Amen. 

  ALLOW GOD’S WORD TO INSPIRE YOU Exodus 19:1-2,9-11,16-20 Matthew 13:10-17 In today's gospel, the people Jesus was speaking to about the kingdom of God while using the parables as narrated by Matthew, and yet the people did not believe in His word and so any message of spirituality would have been immediately rejected because the people were not ready to listen.  This is why Our Lord Jesus appreciates the openness of His disciples towards God’s grace; that they accepted His teachings and acknowledged that He is the Lord. But it was all planned by God – the one who knows the number of hairs on our heads, the specks of sand on the seashore– He knows it all, and He knew that they would follow and dedicate themselves to Him.  There are moments in our lives too when we miss His message, or of not wanting to hear what He wants us to hear. Let us open up our hearts to receive it. He comes to us as we can understand Him, He appears to us in ways that we can accept Him and know w...

  SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE, PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Exodus 16:1-5,9-15 Matthew 13:1-9 BREAD BECOMES BREAD WHEN IT FEEDS IN HUNGRY  Today is the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the traditionally named parents of Mary, Mary is the seed of Joachim and Anne and her own seed is the promised seed from the root of Jesse-The Messiah, Christ Jesus., the Saviour of the world. Through their opposition to the Divine plan, they won God’s favor. God is a God Who provides for those who are prepared to receive His Goodness. Parents must teach their children how to love God’s word and choose what is right.  Today’s first reading tells how God responds to the complaints of the people of Israel who were reaching the end of their food supply. After complaining and murmurings, God answered them. They suddenly noticed a white substance on the ground early in the morning . It was manna from heaven. We too, rather than grumble and murmur when we are faced with the storms of life, can...

  FEAST OF SAINT JAMES, APOSTLE 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Matthew 20:20-28 ARE YOU A TRUE LEADER?  Ambition, Power, and prestigious position are often associated with leadership – and they can be seductively alluring but in the vision of Jesus, leadership goes beyond mere titles and positions in a group structure or public affairs.   In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the mother of James and John that leadership entails service to others.    “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” Matthew 20: 25-28. In other words, no matter the position we occupy in the Church and in society at large, the best and the greatest way of exercising the authority given to us is not to lord it over people but in humility offer our genuine service for the good and wellbeing of others. Today, some of us follow Christ for favour and positions of honor while some follow Him so that they can be placed to be in charge of...