To borrow a story from a good friend of mine, Fr Bel San Luis, SVD, there was a man who wanted to have a lot of money so badly that he promised the devil to do his work in exchange for a copy of the newspaper a day ahead before it was published so that he could get the winning Lotto number in advance.

A contractor needed one more man to chop down trees for export. One day, two men appeared willing to do the job but only one could be employed so what the contractor did was to put the two men to a test, they were to chop down as many trees as they could in an eight-hour shift and the man who chopped down more trees got the job.

The familiar parable of the Good Samaritan is once again given to us today to reflect upon the need to reach out to the ‘other’.

A number of years ago I “concelebrated” a wedding with a Baptist Minister. My cousin was marrying a girl who was a devout Baptist and whose parents were active in their Baptist Community.

Whenever I would go on “Home Leave” to Chicago from England or Australia, my brother and I would visit the cemetery to pray at the graves of our parents and brother and sister and some other relatives.

One of my favourite late night shows was the “Late Show with David Letterman”. David Letterman was a late night show host from the late 70s and he has just retired lately.

“Blessed are you who are poor…blessed are you who are hungry…blessed are you who are weeping…blessed are you when people hate you…Familiar words that we might have heard several times already.

The willing response of Isaiah “Here I am, send me,” helps us reflect on our own response to God’s call. The call, to follow God’s will, is always present. How do I respond? Time to reflect on this question indeed!

When one is invited to a party there is the expectation of a good time to be had: good food, pleasant company, lively conversation, and the presence of the gracious host.

The “Visitation” story told in today’s gospel has become one of my favourite passages – thanks to two school girls.