Use money to win you friends
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 16:1-16)
 A clear message in the gospels: Renunciation
The gospel of this Sunday took a lot of effort to prepare a sermon on.  For one, this is one of the repeated themes in the gospels:

In the Beatitudes, Jesus begins with a counter-cultural statement, “How blessed are you who are poor: the kingdom of God is yours” (Lk 6:20).
In his preaching, particularly in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus would often repeat: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it” (Lk 12:33).
In the parable of the rich man, God said, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of […]

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The Lost Son
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)
 Today is one of those days when I feel a homily might steal the gospel reading of its depth.  The parable that we heard read is a much-quoted story and we are all too familiar with it.  Perhaps I might just challenge that familiarity, so that the Word of God may become alive in us today.
Usually in stories and movies, there are three types of main characters: the hero and/or the heroin – the protagonist, around whom the story revolves; there is the anti-hero – the antagonist who creates a conflict which the hero attempts to resolve; and the supporting characters, who contribute to the events that lead up to the conflict.  There would also be the minor characters (like the servants), and ‘the extras’.
The story of two boys
In the parable of […]

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Remember, you are following a martyr!
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 14:25-33)
 
Our world today has too many celebrities and very few heroes. Our contemporary culture focuses so much on celebrities. The media hypes up stars in sports, entertainment, and popular culture. Often these celebrities are far from being role models for the younger generation, yet young people have them as their pin-up models.  The personal life of these celebrities is often a disaster. The few heroes we have around are people who have endured difficulties; they have exhibited tremendous courage in being altruistic; they are visionaries.  These are people to be imitated.
Jesus does not want people to rally around him as if around a celebrity.  He does not want a large following of fans and admirers. He wants […]

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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psychology of the Virtue of Humility
 
One of the areas of my academic specialisation is positive psychology. It is a branch of psychology that focuses on wellbeing and happiness. My area of focus in positive psychology revolves around the concept of “character strengths.” Character strengths are nothing but what religious traditions have referred to as virtues. These include, among others: wisdom, self-control, forgiveness, hope, altruism, love, spirituality, responsibility, leadership, humility, etc. Psychologists ask, why religious traditions and cultures across the world have highlighted these virtues throughout known history of humanity, praising people who are paragons of these virtues and challenging people who have lacked these virtues?  Is it because the practice of these character strengths provides gratification and wellbeing to the individual, and ensures the continuity of the human […]

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