Homilies
Theme: WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE ARE ORPHANS Acts 8:5-8,14-17; Psa 65(66):1-7,16,20; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn 14:15-21Chapter Fourteen of John’s Gospel is ladened with a farewell and consolatory discourse of Jesus to his disciples. He has been with them throughout his earthly mission, now, he is about to go back to the Father through his […]
6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A Read More »
Acts 1:12-14; Ps. 26(27):1,4,7-8; 1 Pet 4:13-16; Jn 17:1-11 Towards the end of his earthly life, as we see in today’s gospel reading, Jesus evaluates himself before the One who sent him, and based on his fulfilment of his mission, he requests the Father who sent him to now glorify him. He says: “I have
7th SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A Read More »
Dan 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 96(97):1-2,5-6,9; 2 Pet 1:16-19; Matt 17:1-9 Theme: It is Good For Us to Stay Here 1. THE FEAST WE CELEBRATEa. The Trinitarian Presence in the Transfiguration Scene. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration. This feast commemorates the changing of form of Jesus in the presence of three of his
FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD (LONGER VERSION) Read More »
Dan 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 96(97):1-2,5-6,9; 2 Pet 1:16-19; Matt 17:1-9 Theme: It is Good For Us to Stay Here. Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration. It is important we know that the feast does not just celebrate the revelation of Jesus’ glory to his three disciples, but also the presentation of the Trinitarian
FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD (SHORTER VERSION) Read More »
Baptism: An Entrance that Restores and Calls for Newness of Life. Isa 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matt 3:13-17 As we celebrate today, the Baptism of the Lord, it is important that we ask: What is the function of baptism? What does baptism do for a person who receives it? Why is baptism important? Baptism transfers us
BAPTISM OF THE LORD Read More »
Eze 34:11-12,15-17; Psa 23:1-31,5-6; 1 Cor 15:20-26,28; Matt 25:31-46 THEME: Allow Christ to be the King of Your Life Dearest in Christ, with the feast of Christ the King, the Church concludes her liturgical year. Hence, next Sunday, we begin a new liturgical year. The first question we have to ask is: why is this
SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING Read More »
Isa 40:1-5,9-11; Psa 84:9-14; 2 Pet 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8 Isaiah 40-55, the so-called Deutero-Isaiah, is taken to be an exilic prophesy, that is, written during the Babylonian exile. We know that Judah is said to have been conquered by the Babylonians with Nebuchadnezzar as the Babylonian king (586/7 BCE) because of their many sins against
2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR B) Read More »
2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Psa 88:2-5,27,29; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38 Theme: From the Tent to the Virgin’s Womb (God’s Dwelling Place). Beloved in Christ, we celebrate today the last Sunday before Christmas. The readings focus on where God has chosen as his dwelling place. Right from the creation of humankind, God shows his desire to have
4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR B) Read More »
Is 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Matt 3:1-12 The Desert Preparation for the Arrival of the Era of the New David. Jesse is the father of David, the king of Israel. David is taken to be the ideal king of Israel, and the reign of Israel (especially Judah) is Davidic. However, some other kings who come from
2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR A) Read More »
Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom 5:12.17-19; Matt 4:1-11 Theme: Every Temptation is an Opportunity to Choose either Angelic Ministration or Feeling of Emptiness/Nothingness. The readings of today present us with the general theme of Temptation and Sin. Temptation and sin are always inseparable such that before one falls, there is always an instigation. Sin is only
1ST SUNDAY OF LENT(YEAR A) Read More »
Gen 12: 1-4; Ps. 32(33):4-5, 18-20, 22; 2 Tim 1:8-10; Matt 17:1-9 THEME: THE BLESSING THAT AWAITS THE ‘LEAVING BEHIND’ AND THE ‘GOING TO’ After the marriage ceremony of my sister in 1997, and it was time to join the family of her husband and go home, my sister started crying with us because we
2ND SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR A) Read More »
Ex 17:3-7; Ps 94(95):1-2, 6-9; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 THEME: ONLY GOD CAN QUENCH OUR THIRST The first set of complaints by the people of Israel immediately God liberated them from slavery was about water and food. In Ex 15:22-25, they complained about ‘what to drink’ (15:24) and God made a bitter water drinkable
3RD SUNDAY OF LENT( YEAR A) Read More »
1 Sam 16:1,6-7, 10-13; Psa 22; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41 Theme: God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways The first reading of today presents us with the famous story of God’s choosing of David instead of his elder brothers. In the house of Jesse, Samuel demonstrated the general human way of seeing things. Upon seeing the eldest
4TH SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR A) Read More »
Ez 37:12-14; Ps 129(130); Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 A. CATECHETICAL APPROACH The three readings today speak on God’s gift of life beyond death. But the readings show that this restoration to life occurs to those who have an established link with God. In the first reading, the link is ‘My people’; in the second reading, it is
5TH SUNDAY OF LENT( YEAR A) Read More »
Is 35:1-6,10; Jas 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 In the gospel reading today (Matt 11:2-11) we are presented with the message of John the Baptist to Jesus. It seems that John had doubt if Jesus was actually the man he prophesied about and prepared the people for his coming. In Matt 3:11-12, John the Baptist presented
3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A Read More »
THEME: ALLOW THE LORD TO FEED YOU Deut 8:2-3, 14-16; 1 Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-58 I consider the feast we celebrate today, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, as one of the most important feasts for every Christian. The first thing man struggles in life for, is to have something to eat.
CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY REFLECTION (11-06-2023) Read More »
Rom 6:3-11; Matt 28:1-10 THEME: THE RESURRECTION OF MAN’S HOPE What is Man’s greatest Fear? Many people have considered death as man’s greatest fear. However, Psychology has proven this to be a half truth. Deep inside every man, is this fear, not so much of death, but of what happens to man in death. It
The coming back of the people of Israel from Babylonian exile was not all that very easy. After 70 years outside one’s own land, coming back to it, the people seemed like foreigners in their own land. Hence, they came back without knowing again whom they were and what made them a people. They had no king, nor
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD: YOU’RE THE STAR OF CHRIST Read More »
Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59; Matt 10:17-22 Theme: Martyrdom As Christian Share in Christ’s Joy St. Stephen, who is one of the first deacons of the Church, is presented as the first martyr of the Church. Is it per chance that this feast is celebrated just immediately after the feast of the birth of Christ? After the birth
26th DECEMBER, 2022; FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN Read More »
Is 52:7-10; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 Theme: The Power Given to Those Who Accept Him After God has delivered the people of Israel from Egypt, in order to take them to the land promised to their ancestors, he led them through the desert. For forty years, the people were heading towards this Promise land through
25TH DECEMBER: THE POWER GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ACCEPT HIM Read More »
Be awake, even in the Nights We begin today the season of advent. Advent is from Latin word, “Adventus” meaning “Coming”. In the course of the church’s years, it has assumed also the sense of “Expectation”.These two words: “Coming” and “Expectation” put us into the very meaning of not just the Church’s liturgical season, but
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT( YEAR A): BE AWAKE, EVEN IN THE NIGHTS Read More »
Isa 9:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Theme: The Birth of Christ is the Good News of a Great Joy To All of Us. Today, we celebrate the birth of Christ. The angel that came to the shepherds said to them: I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the
24th DECEMBER(VIGIL MASS) Read More »
It is Enough to of Christ Imagine after spending so many years, resources and energy, to build a very beautiful house for you and for many generations after you. And people, as they are passing by, are admiring the glory and the beauty of the house. On the day of the opening of the house,
33RD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR A Read More »
Reflection on Lk 19:1-10This passage presents us the character of Zacchaeus. The name “Zacchaeus” in Hebrew means “pure or righteous one”. Luke tells us that this man called Zacchaeus was a chief toll/tax collector. The tax collectors were seen as sinners, avoided, and dreaded by the people in the time of Jesus because, working for
31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR Read More »
Theme: WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT We celebrate today the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. In the gospel of last two Sundays, we hear Jesus promising his disciples that he will not leave them orphans (Jn 14:18), but that he will send them another Advocate. Today, we celebrate the fulfilment
HOMILY ON PENTECOST SUNDAY Read More »
