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Today’s Readings 11-09-2020

September 10th, 2020

Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 441

►To access tomorrow’s readings click here Daily mass readings

Reading 1

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the Gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race,
but only one wins the prize?
Run so as to win.
Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.

Mary Mother of the Church and our Intercessor

September 9th, 2020

Mary Mother of the Church

“Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with you blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus… Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death Amen”

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Lk 1:38).

When Mary uttered these words, she opened herself to participate in the redemptive work for humanity. The Fathers of Vatican II Council taught: The motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving office but, by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. https://ofm.org/blog/marys-intercession/By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 62)

By accepting her Son’s testament of love, she became … Read More

Corruption is a morality issue

January 21st, 2020

– By Rev. Fr. Peter Kamomoe-

Morals and morality are familiar words in our daily talk. Morals as the acceptable ways of behaving; good, right, proper or acceptable.
Morality on the hand, more so, according to St. Paul is the work of something natural in man possibly the expression of innate knowledge of right and wrong. This is evident in his address to the people of Corinth. It involves notions such as rightness and wrongness, guilt and shame; the voluntary action that does not necessarily depend on factors external to the person, but on the person himself. We can conclude that morality is the moral institution of humanity.

Any individual brought up naturally with well-defined social instincts would inevitably acquire a moral sense. Ironically, some of whom are believed to have grown up in the normal and most natural and social paths portray the contrary behavior because natural ways are not enough without God’s graces and Spirit.

Today’s society is full of corruption and the society ignorantly tolerating and validating it, citizens deliberately electing leaders who are obviously known to be immoral and corrupt, spouses who cheat on their partners, domestic violence, spouses killing their partners so that they can … Read More

Christian Religious Commitment and Marital Satisfaction

July 17th, 2019

Christian Religious Commitment and Marital Satisfaction

By Peter Kamomoe

Fr-In-Charge, Holy Family Basilica

Christian religious commitment entails translating of what one believes into practical life situations. This means that a believer is influenced by the Christian religious teachings and values to the extent that his/her thinking, attitude and behavior are strongly linked to the said religious teachings and values.

Marital satisfaction is a critical phenomenon in marriage as it tends to play a pivotal role in the success and fruition of any family institution. In recent times incidents of family violence, separations and divorces are increasing globally. Marriage trend is now shifting towards later marriages and early divorces.

Click the link below to read the full version of the research publication by Fr. Peter Kamomoe

http://www.iajournals.org/articles/iajsse_v1_i5_58_74.pdf… Read More

Confession is a profound gift where God does not condemn us

March 11th, 2019

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Articles 1423-1442 recognize confession as a process in the church where Christians confess sins committed after baptism and have them absolved by God through the administration of a Priest. In the words of Pope Francis, “Confessional is a place where people can find forgiveness and mercy, not threats and condemnation”. It is good to note that official Church publications usually refer to the sacrament as “Penance”, “Reconciliation” or “Penance and Reconciliation”, the laity continues to use the term “Confession” to refer to the Sacrament.

What the Sacrament of Penance offers

For the Catholic Church, this sacrament intends to provide healing for the soul as well as to regain the grace of God, lost by sin. A perfect act of contrition, where penitence expresses sorrow for having offended God and not out of fear of eternal punishment, even outside of confession removes the eternal punishment associated with mortal sin, but a Catholic is obliged to confess his or her mortal sins at the earliest opportunity.

In theological terms, the priest acts in persona Christi (person Christ) and receives from the Church the power of jurisdiction over the penitent. Several theologians have quoted John. 20:22-23 as … Read More

What our liturgy means

January 28th, 2019

Liturgy is public worship which the Catholic Church makes every effort to incorporate and involve our senses and our entire being into our act of worship.

In this article, I invite us to think about the importance and significance of some postures and gestures in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. We are all very aware of our Catholic calisthenics which are a routine part of the Liturgy, namely sitting, standing, bowing, kneeling and silence at various times.

These postures serve an important purpose and reveal the importance of the action taking place. When we enter the church and make the sign of the cross; let it be a real sign of the cross. Instead of a small overcrowded gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us at once, how it consecrates and sanctifies us. Upon entering and leaving the church, we face the Tabernacle where Jesus is reposed and genuflect.

A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, is a … Read More

Preparation for marriage-The Pope’s Message

January 15th, 2019

At the general audience, the Pope speaks of the need for a true catechumenate, for “we play all our lives with love yet love can’t be played with” “We cannot talk of “preparation for marriage” with three or four parish classes”. The Pope said so at the general audience in Saint Peter’s Square: what is needed is true catechumenate, for “we play all our lives with love yet love can’t be played with”.“The call to married life thus requires a careful discernment of the quality of the relationship and a time of engagement to verify it. To enter the sacrament of marriage, engaged couples must mature the certainty that in their bond there is the hand of God, which precedes and accompanies them, and will allow them to say: “With the grace of Christ I promise to be faithful to you always”, the Argentine Pontiff said.

“They cannot promise fidelity “in joy and pain, in health and in sickness”, and to love and honour each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of goodwill or of the hope that “things will work out”. They need to be based on the solid ground of God’s faithful Love. “The … Read More

Advent and Christmas: A moment of Grace and Redemption

January 3rd, 2019

”Christmas is a period of restoration of
mankind to the state of Grace which
facilitates the spiritual and physiological
wellbeing which suggests a holistic
wellbeing of a human being”

Christmas is usually preceded by a season of anticipation of Christ’s birth; the Advent season. It is only in the shadow of Advent that the miracle of Christmas can be fully understood and appreciated, and it is only in the light of Christmas that the Christian life makes any sense. The first two Sundays during Advent (through December 16th) usually look forward to Christ’s second coming, which means that we are preparing to share the glory of God in the life eternal.

The last two Sundays (December 17th – 24th) look backward to remember Christ’s first coming. It reminds us that when Jesus was born, God became man/woman and dwelt among the human family. This season serves as a time that we embrace Jesus Christ in our lives and families. A time that Christ continues to enlighten the world and perfect our relationships with God and with one another. We use this period to ask for God’s total guidance of our lives so that we can always live a meaningful and … Read More

Advent season

December 6th, 2018

By: Rev. Fr. Peter Kamomoe

♦

The word “Advent” has been derived from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming,”. It is a period of celebration and anticipation of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; a period of preparation to commemorate the dawn of our salvation through the Nativity of our Saviour. The first two Sundays during Advent (through December 16^th) usually look forward to Christ’s second coming, and then the last two Sundays (December 17^th – 24^th) look backward to remember Christ’s first coming. The Catholic liturgical year begins at the beginning of Advent.

What we learn from the Advent Wreath

Evergreen leaves – symbolize life and freshness

Let us remain fresh with the grace of God

The prickly leaves – Remind us of the thorns of Christ-His deep love shown in the pain he suffered

The circle of the Wreath

It shows the infinity of God. No beginning and no end. Alpha and Omega. First and the last of everything we do.

what we learn from the advent candles

1^st week of Advent

Prophecy candle or Candle of Hope-Purple colour

Lit on the first Sunday of Advent; Signifies virtues of … Read More