1John
5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
7 There are three that testify:
8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.
9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.
10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Mark
7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
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Dear Sister and Brothers in Christ,
Every celebration, every feast of the Catholic Church puts Jesus in the centre. Jesus is the main reason for our celebration, the main reason for us to be here today.
Often people don’t understand what we are celebrating on the feasts of saints, especially on the feasts of Mary, Mother of God.
We always celebrate Jesus who does wonderful things in the lives of people who love and follow him. It is HE who must be in the centre. Without Him nothing has meaning, nothing makes sense for us.
If not for Jesus, we would not be here today. If not for Jesus, what else remains? Only pain, tears, gloom and doom.
The readings of today remind us very clearly who Jesus really is: The Son of God, in Whom there is Life, eternal Life. And, we are not talking about biological life, life of dogs and cats, elephants or giraffes, no!
We are talking about LIFE that we have as children of God. Life, that only Jesus can give us, Life of peace and happiness, forever with Him, in heaven. He promised us this Life, and He keeps His promise.
Because of that promise of Life, everything changes. There is hope and joy.
St. John writes in the first reading of today: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life”.
Do we know it? Let us remind ourselves about this incredible reality of eternal life.
After putting Christ in the centre, we can start to celebrate other things. We can celebrate the life of Fr. Victor.
This life of a missionary and priest makes sense only in the light of Christ. Fr. Victor was Fr. Victor because of Christ.
Although as humans we cry today and are sad, yet as Christians we rejoice believing in His promise of eternal life.
It is so fitting that we do that by celebrating the Eucharist. We do it to remember Him, to remember Jesus who died for us on the cross and who rose from the death on the third day, so that we too could rise from the death one day.
Amen.
Bakreste ba ba rategang,
Mokete mongwe le mongwe, le Moletlo mongwe le mongwe mo kerekeng ee katoliki re baaya Morena Jeso Kreste fagare. Morena Jeso Kreste ke ene lebaka la gore re bo re keteka, ke ene lebaka la gore re bo re le fa tsatsi jeno.
Gantsi batho ga ba tlhaloganye kana ga ba itse gore re a bo re keteka eng ka Meletlo ya Baitshephi, segolo bogolo ka moletlo wa ga Maria, motsala Modimo. Re nna re keteta Morena Jeso Kreste yo o dirang dikgakgamatso mo matshelong a batho ba ba mo ratang e bile ba mosala morago.
Ke ene yo o tshwanetseng go nna mo gare ga rona. Kwa ntle ga gagwe ga go na sepe se se nang le bokao e bile se tlhaloganyesega. Fa ene e se ka Morena Jeso Kreste re ka bo re seyo fa gompieno. Mo bo se yong ja ga Morena Jeso kreste go nna le Botlhoko, selelo le tatlhego.
Dipalo tsa gompieno di re gakolola se Morena Jeso Kreste e leng sone. Morwa Modimo yo mo go ene re bonang botshelo, botshelo jo bo senang bokhutlo.
Ga re bue ka botshelo jwa senama jo bo tlhaloswang ka maranyane, re bua ka botshelo jo re nang le jone jaaka bana ba Modimo.
Botshelo jo re ka bo bonang fela mo go Morena Jesu Kreste, botshelo jwa kagiso, le Boitumelo ka gale le ene kwa legodimong. O re solofeditse botshelo, ebile o dirafatsa tsholofelo eo.
Ka ntlha ya tsholofelo ya botshelo, sengwe le sengwe se a fetoga, go nna le tsholofelo le Boitumelo.
Moitshephi Johane o kwala mo thutong ya ntlha ya tsatsi jeno a re, ‘’Modimo o re file botshelo jwa sennela ruri mme ebile botshelo bo re bo bona mo go morwawe. Mongwe le mongwe yo o nang le morwawe o na le botshelo. Mongwe le mongwe yo o senang morwa Modimo ga ana botshelo. Ke kwalela lona ba le dumelang mo leineng la morwa Modimo gore le tle le nne le botshelo jwa sennela ruri.”
A re itse ka jone? A re ikgakololeng ka bontle le boammaaruri jwa botshelo jo bo sa khutleng.
Morago gago baya Morena Jeso kreste pinagare ya sengwe le sengwe, ke gone re ka simololang go ipelela dilo tse dingwe. Jaanong re ka ipelela botshelo jwa Rara Victor. Botshelo ja morongwa wa Modimo ebile e le moprista, jo bo tlhaloganyesegang fela mo leseding la ga Kreste.
Rara Victor e ne e le Rara Victor ka ntlha ya Morena Jeso Kreste.
Mme mo sethong sa rona re a lela e bile re utlwile botlhoko gompieno, mme mo sekresteng sa rona re a ipela ka re dumela mo tsholofetsong ya Modimo ya botshelo jo bo senang bokhutlo.
Go tshwanetse gore re dire jalo ka go keteka setlhabelo sa Mmisa, re dira jalo go mo gopola, go gopola Morena Jeso yo o re swetseng mo sefapanong a ba a tsoga mo letsatsing ja boraro gore le rona re tle re tsoge mo baswing motlha mongwe.
Amen.
Fr. Mareko, svd
