This Sermon is prepared by

Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US



ஞாயிறு மறையுரைகள்

மதிப்பிற்குரிய அருட்பணியாளர்களே, துறவிகளே, அருட் கன்னியரே, உங்கள் ஞாயிறு மறையுரைகளை எமது இணையத்தளத்தின் ஆன்மீக வலத்தில் பிரசுரித்து, ஆண்டவர் இயேசுவின் நற்செய்தியை எல்லோருக்கும் அறிவிக்க விரும்பினால், info@tamilcatholicnews.com என்ற எமது மின்னஞ்சலுக்கு உங்களுடைய ஆக்கங்களை அனுப்பிவைக்கவும். உங்கள் மறையுரைகள் உலகெங்கும் இருக்கும் அனைத்து தமிழ் உள்ளங்களையும் சென்றடையும்.



இதோ! ஓநாய்களிடையே ஆடுகளை அனுப்புவதைப்போல நான் உங்களை அனுப்புகிறேன். எனவே பாம்புகளைப்போல முன்மதி உடையவர்களாகவும் புறாக்களைப்போலக் கபடு அற்றவர்களாகவும் இருங்கள்.
(மத்தேயு 10:16)

நீங்கள் போய் எல்லா மக்களினத்தாரையும் சீடராக்குங்கள்; தந்தை, மகன், தூய ஆவியார் பெயரால் திருமுழுக்குக் கொடுங்கள். நான் உங்களுக்குக் கட்டளையிட்ட யாவையும் அவர்களும் கடைப்பிடிக்கும்படி கற்பியுங்கள். இதோ! உலக முடிவுவரை எந்நாளும் நான் உங்களுடன் இருக்கிறேன்
(மத்தேயு 28:19-20)

நீ அவற்றை உன் பிள்ளைகளின் உள்ளத்தில் பதியுமாறு சொல். உன் வீட்டில் இருக்கும்போதும், உன் வழிப்பயணத்தின் போதும், நீ படுக்கும்போது, எழும்போதும் அவற்றைப் பற்றிப் பேசு.
(இணைச்சட்டம் 6:7)








New Year

No control, delete keys but only keys of Blessings …….!

Num6:22-27, Gal4:4-7, Lk2:16-21.

Dear Sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, I wish you all a grace filled and prosperous New Year 2105. May all your hopes, wishes, dreams and plans become possible realities of your life! People, who look for answers for all their struggles of 2014, may have the courage to fight with any situation and ability to see the hand of God. We begin another year, 2015, in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. Let Mary, the Mother of God whom we remember today, be part of our personal, spiritual and community journey in 2015. We shall remember to pray for people who are in consecrated life and pray for more to respond to this way of life.

What gift do you want for Christmas? This is the question asked by parents to their 26 year son. He responded, mom and dad, I will be delighted if you get me the latest video game that just came in! The worried parents asked again, is 26 the age to be playing video games? Why are you are pre-occupied with video games? Their son said, only in video games do I have the power to activate and deactivate. The keyboard is in my hand for the fight, for the war and for the race. But I cannot do it in life.

We carry and operate electronic keys, computer keyboard, wireless mouse, wireless remote, and video game keyboards in our daily lives. We control and delete, we operate and shutdown, we have the capacity and we have deciding power. But 2014 reveals that we don’t have power to prevent illness and tragedies. Here are some events:

The three flight tragedies took the lives of 239 in March, 298 in July, and 162 just this week in December. In two tragedies radar and technology didn’t have control or answers….

The worst-ever epidemic, Ebola, took more than 6000 lives, and caused infection to at least 17,100. Science, medicine and research could not control ir, or prevent those infected from dying with Ebola….

Christians were brutally killed and forced leave after thousands of years of history, tradition and faith in Iraq and Syria. No world powers could stop ISIS from this inhuman act….

Young students went missing in Mexico, young students were victimized in India, and young girls were kidnapped in Nigeria and also threatened in Pakistan. No Steps were taken to control this cruel act…..

On Sept 18th the Scottish voted against independence from United Kingdom. Why do their hearts say no, but their minds say yes?.......

Innocent young journalists: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alen Henning and Peter Kassig, were mercilessly beheaded. The voice of many could not stop this violent group…..

On Dec 16th Taliban gunmen attacked the Army Public School, College and killed 145 in Peshawar, Pakistan, most of them were innocent children …….why can’t the bitterness of the Taliban group be erased and prevented?.....

Our science, advanced modern equipped technology, and human intellect did not have the delete and control keys to stop or prevent the above tragedies. However, in all these things, what kept us going is the keys of blessings.

The first reading from the book of Numbers reminds us that we have keys of blessings. Blessings were considered very important in Salvation History. From Abraham, the blessings of all the patriarchs were very precious and sacred. We know how Jacob got the blessing of Isaac, denying the birth-right of Esau, his brother. But these blessings of Yahweh did not create a bond with the people because they kept the Ark of the Covenant in a Tent, later in a Temple. Instead, they saw God as apart from their realities . Here the author calls us once again to realize and recognize the closeness and three blessings of Yahweh; they are: prosperity, presence and Peace. This was the well-known ancient blessing offered by priests at the end of their prayer. This has been followed in both Jewish and Christian tradition.

What are the blessings and close presence of God for us in 2014? The powerful witness of young persons, Malala Yousafzi and Stephen Sutton, the pastoral and humanistic approach of Pope Francis are the blessings we need to carry on.

The Church invites us to remember Mary Mother of God on New Year’s Day. The reality of Mary's divine maternity was proclaimed a dogma of the faith by the Council of Ephesus in 431. This teaching contains two important affirmations: 1) Mary is truly a mother. Since Jesus had no human father, Mary contributed all genetic material to the formation of His human nature. As Pope John Paul II states in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater, "[Jesus] is the flesh and blood of Mary!" (see Catechism 485); 2) Mary conceived and bore the Second Person of the Trinity. Echoing the Nestorian heresy, some Protestant Christians hold that Mary was the mother of Jesus' human nature only. But a mother does not give birth to a nature; she gives birth to a person. Since Jesus is a divine Person, it is logical that Mary be called the "Mother of God" (in Greek, Theotokos), even if this mystery has aspects that exceed our human understanding.

Before the birth of Jesus, Elizabeth expression called Mary “the Mother of God”. The word Theotokos literally means, "God bearer," not "God generator”. To "bear" God means, ‘to hold Him in one's womb.’ Mary carried the blessing, and she is the blessing. We shall offer our world, nation, community and family under the protection of Mary Mother of God, that She may fill us with all the blessings of prosperity, presence and peace in 2015.

I would like to end with the thoughts of three persons who picked up the blessing and gave it to the whole of humanity. First, Pope Francis efforts to appreciate families and make them as the model through The Synod of Family…a challenging speech to world leaders at the European Parliament… …witnessing a spirituality of inclusion and welcoming all the broken and suffering humanity, is a great blessing.

The young inspiring Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize, along with another child rights campaigner, Kailash Satyarthi. 17 year old Malala is the youngest award winner in history, and said, "I'm thankful to my father for not clipping my wings, for letting me fly and achieve my goals, for showing to the world that a girl is not supposed to be the slave.” She is a challenge to the Taliban group; however she is a blessing to all female children.

Stephen Sutton, 19, of Burntwood in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer but from the bed, and with a positive attitude tracking his battle with a “final thumbs up’ blog post, raised £5million for charity. This is his chosen charity called, Teenage Cancer Trust”; even from eternity, he continues to be a special blessing to teenagers with cancer.

In the recent movie Unbroken, the phrase spoken by Louie, “if you can take it then you can make it”, was given to him by his brother as a motivation. In the midst of political, economic, violence, suffering and injustice, we shall take the blessing when we take the Eucharist in hand daily, then we make every atmosphere as blessing in 2015-Amen.