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THE DAY AFTER (5:53) – Devastating Effects Of A Nuclear Attack On Kansas City.

Film – The Day After

When the movie The Day After was shown on television in 1983, it caused quite a controversy. This was because it was focused on the ultimate what if: the event of a global nuclear war. What if the population of Kansas City is instantly reduced to vaporized silhouettes; what if the blistered wounded are doomed to die; what if some survivors are surrounded by radioactive fallout that settles like a fine white dust all over the earth? The Day After was intended primarily to provoke serious reflection and discussion about nuclear disarmament. But it also provokes questions about our Faith. Would a good God allow such a terrifying evil to happen? Why do we have to die at all? Is there really a resurrection?

Today’s readings suggest some answers to these questions, not in the sense of complete explanations, but in the sense of strengthening our Faith in Jesus Christ, the Risen Son of the Living God. We don’t get a satisfying answer from the Scriptures to the question, “How can a good God allow such terrible evils like the slaughter of the seven sons of the Maccabees family? Or the death of innocent people in terrorist attacks?” But we do get an affirmation of our Faith in an afterlife. No matter how terrifying death may be, whether at the hands of terrorists or nuclear weapons, life will be restored. No matter how much destruction a nuclear holocaust may cause, the day after will never be the last day. A new heaven and a new earth will appear because our God is a God of the living and not of the dead. With Christian Faith and Hope we are strong enough to survive any today, and, if need be, any day thereafter. Jesus portrays for us graphically the destruction of Jerusalem and the world.  (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

It Happened Tomorrow

COHEN FILM COLLECTION (1:00) – A newspaperman gets hold of the next’s day paper.

Years ago, a film entitled It Happened Tomorrow featured an ambitious business executive who wished that he could buy tomorrow’s newspaper today so as to take financial advantage of his privileged glimpse into the future. Suddenly, an elderly gentleman appeared before him, holding the coveted newspaper. “I’ve decided to grant your wish,” he said. The remainder of the movie details what happened to the businessman as a result of his “future” knowledge.

Later a television series, called Early Edition, reprised the premise of the film and featured a young man who received “tomorrow’s paper” daily. As he read of accidents that were yet to happen and disasters that were yet to occur, he sensed a certain responsibility for preventing them by altering the circumstances and/or protecting the people involved.

Though such stories are somewhat interesting and attention-grabbing, they are simply imaginative escapes into the world of fiction. We cannot know the future this way, but the future is known—by God to Whom it belongs. He alone is responsible for its unfolding day by day, year by year. We, for our part, are to be responsive to God by being responsible for God’s gifts of the present as detailed in today’s readings. (Patricia Sánchez).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Struggles of a Moth

LOST (3:33) – Locke & Charlie are survivors of a plane crash on a island. Charlie is a drug addict that had a stash which Locke found. Now Locke is trying to help him overcome his addiction.

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth come out. One day a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. The man thought it was stuck and decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size. Neither happened. In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. The man in his haste didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening had a purpose. They force fluid from the body into the wings so that the moth can be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.

Just as the moth could only achieve freedom and flight as a result of struggling, we often need to struggle to fulfill our life’s mission. This life on earth, for us and for the Church as a whole, is like the moth’s life in the cocoon. The struggles God permits us have a purpose – by facing them bravely, with Faith and with the help of His grace, we and the Church will become what He created us to be. (E- Priest).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Childhood’s End

OFFICIAL TRAILER (2:00) – Written by Arthur C. Clarke and hailed as a revolutionary work of science fiction since its publishing in 1953, Childhood’s End follows the peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious “Overlords,” whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia under indirect alien rule, at the cost of human identity and culture.

Childhood’s End is a science fiction novel written by Sir Arthur C. Clarke. In this novel, he describes that humanity is visited by aliens who resemble Satan. The aliens, named in the novel as the Overlords, are seen in the role of “heralds” for a god-like force named the Overmind. A transformation occurs in the last human generation, which ultimately merges with this Overmind, resulting in the destruction of the earth and the solar system.

All the religions have their own beliefs about the end of the world, the triumph of good over evil and Judgment Day. In Christianity, the End Times are often depicted as a time of tribulations that precedes the Second Coming of Jesus, when Jesus will usher in the Kingdom of God and bring an end to suffering and evil. In Islam, the “Day of Resurrection” or “the Day of Judgment”, Allah’s final assessment of humanity, is preceded by the end of the world. In Judaism the term “End of Days” is taken as a reference to the Messianic era and the Jewish belief in the coming of Messiah. In the First Reading from the Book of Malachi, we heard the Lord say, “‘See, the day is coming.” (Fr. Bobby Jose).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Never Give Up

YDISCIPLE (2:45) – “IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO BE A SAINT” These words inspired Jan. Jan inspired Karol. Karol became Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II became a Saint.

When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, they immediately attempted to suppress the Catholic Church. Over the course of the next several years, they killed a third of the Polish clergy and outlawed Faith education. One Polish layman, Jan Tyranowski, decided to do something. He began a secret group, called the Living Rosary, to instruct people in their Faith. He faced numerous obstacles, including the certainty of execution if he were discovered. However, he persevered, and, over the course of time, 10 of the young men who attended these groups became priests. One of those priests is known to history as Saint John Paul II.

Imagine if Jan Tyranowski had given up. Imagine how different the world might be today without Saint John Paul II!  In the same way, our holiness isn’t a matter of indifference. A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying. And that trying can change the world. (E-Priest).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

The Difference Between Christianity and a Football Game

The tendency of popular culture today is to avoid thinking about the last things, the great truths like death and judgment. Popular culture tells us to enjoy ourselves while we can here on earth and not to worry about the bigger story. That is completely backwards. It’s like telling a football player to enjoy his game by sitting on the sidelines and working on a suntan. A football player enjoys the game by playing hard and doing his best to win. He knows that the fourth quarter is right around the corner, and the clock is winding down, and the last minute will soon run out. And when it does, when he makes his way into the locker room – sweaty, bruised, exhausted – he wants only two things: to know that he has won, and to know that he has pushed himself as hard as he could to do his part well.

Jesus is reminding us that our lives are like that. They will come to an end. The fourth quarter is on its way. But there is a difference. A football player can give his all individually, and his team can still lose. On his way to the locker room he can be satisfied with his own performance, but disappointed at the outcome. But that’s not the case with us. If we play well, we win – automatically. If a Christian gives his all, if a Christian spends his life fighting to be more like Christ each day, in spite of hardship and persecution, in spite of opposition and enemies, then victory is assured. (E- Priest).

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

Jokes of the Week

1) Judgment Day, Second Coming, WHAT A PHONE BILL! After finishing his homily on the Judgment Day, the preacher started the prayer of mercy. “Oh Lord,” he began. “One of these days we are going to wake up, and it’s going to be DARK everywhere! Deliver us, O Lord.” “Lord, have mercy on us!” responded the congregation. The preacher continued: “Then we are going to pick up the telephone and call Washington, and they are going to say, ‘It’s DARK over here too!'” “Lord, have mercy on us!” responded the congregation.” Then we’re going to pick up the phone and call London, and they are going to say, ‘It’s DARK over here!’ “Lord, have mercy on us!” responded the congregation. “Again, we’re going to pick up the phone and call Moscow, and they are going to say, ‘It’s DARK over here too!” “Lord, have mercy on us!” responded the congregation.” “Then we’re going to pick up the phone…. At this juncture, the church treasurer, who had also been caught up in the fervor of the preacher’s prayer, cried out uncontrollably: “Lord, Lord! What a PHONE BILL!”

2) End time humor: Humorist Lewis Grizzard writes about a man in his hometown named Luther Gilroy. Luther claimed he was out plowing his field and saw a sign in the sky that said THE END IS NEAR. So, Luther let his mule and his cow out of their pens, gave all his chickens away, and climbed on top of his house to await the end. When it didn’t come, he pouted and refused to come down from the roof. Finally, his wife called the deputy sheriff, who came over and said, “Luther, you idiot, I saw that same sign. It didn’t say, ‘The end is near.’ It said, ‘Go drink a beer.’ Now come down off that roof before you fall off and break your neck.”

SOURCE: Fr. Tony’s Homily’s

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