Bombay Jesuits

25/05/2026

26/05/2026 (St. Philip Neri)
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Setting Our Hope Fully on God's Grace

"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed" (1 Pet 1:13).

In today's first reading, St. Peter invites us to put our hope not on any worldly thing, but on the grace of Jesus Christ. Grace is a free gift of God. The more we rely on grace, our blessings get multiplied. That is what is meant by Jesus' assurance in the Gospel to Peter that the disciples will receive hundredfold for what they have left (Mk 10:29-30).

Today we commemorate an extraordinary Saint, St. Philip Neri, who relied fully on the grace of God. He states, "Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength." Philip Neri was called a cheerful saint and he is the patron saint of laughter, joy, and comedians. He says, "A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one."

When we set our hope on the grace of God, we not only get hundredfold, but we are also filled with joy and cheerfulness like St. Philip Neri!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼😁

25/05/2026

25/05/2026

In every moment of fear, faith and prayer....she stayed✨️
Happy Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church🌸

24/05/2026

25/05/2026 (Mary, Mother of the Church)
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Mary, the Bearer of the Church

"Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out" (Jn 19:34).

On the new memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, introduced by Pope Francis in 2018, we have two very meaningful Marian readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John. The former is practical and pastoral in nature and the latter is deeply theological and symbolic in nature.

In the first reading from the Acts, we see Mary practically fulfilling her motherly role towards the early Christian community by binding them together in prayer. In the Gospel, we have Jesus entrusting Mary to the beloved disciple as his mother and our mother. However, at the end of the Gospel, we have the reference of blood and water coming out of the side of Jesus. Just as Eve was taken from the side of Adam, blood and water, which are symbols of the Church, flow from the side of Jesus. The Church comes out of Jesus who was the flesh and blood of Mary. Logically, the Church comes out of Mary herself.

Let us understand the deep symbolic and theological role of Mother Mary in the Church, which is not accidental but essential!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼👩🏼‍🍼

24/05/2026

Are you making room for the Holy Spirit this

23/05/2026

24/05/2026 (Solemnity of Pentecost)
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The Holy Spirit Comes to Us Both Violently and Silently

When Jesus had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22).

Pentecost is on one hand a mighty and fiery event and on the other hand it is a gentle and peaceful event. That is how the mysterious Spirit of God operates. The Spirit is not unidimensional and monotonous. The Spirit is the spirit of surprises and wonders. The Spirit comes to us as he/she/it wishes (one cannot assign a gender to the Spirit as the Spirit is mostly feminine in Hebrew (ruach), neuter in Greek (pneuma) and masculine in Latin (spiritus).

In today's first reading, we experience the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. There was a violent wind accompanying this spectacular event. On the other hand, in today's Gospel we have Jesus gently breathing on the disciples and filling them with the Holy Spirit.

Let us not expect to cage and imprison the Spirit in and through our narrow thinking, but let us be open to the surprises which the Holy Spirit has in store for us!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼😮😲

23/05/2026

22/05/2026

23/05/2026 (St. John Baptist de Rossi)
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Grand Finale of the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles

"But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (Jn 21:25).
"Paul lived in Rome two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance" (Acts 28:30-31).

With the solemnity of Pentecost, which will be celebrated tomorrow, the readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John, which we had been reflecting on in the season of Easter will come to an end. Today we are privileged to reflect on the last verses of both Acts and John.

John is so much taken up by Jesus and his works, that he uses a hyperbolic statement at the end of his Gospel. What he wishes to say is that no matter how much you write about Jesus, we cannot describe him. All we need to do is to have a personal experience of him. In today's first reading we find St. Paul in Rome, proclaiming the Kingdom of God with all boldness and without any hindrance, not so much external but internal one.

Let us have a personal experience of Jesus like St. Paul and proclaim the Gospel with all boldness and without any hindrance from our side!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🔥