How Happy Are You… (Lk 6:17-26)
6th Sunday in Ordinary
A few years ago, on a Saturday in February I was travelling from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam. My companion on this 1000 kilometre journey was a priest. Both of us had sermons to preach the next day. At one point during the journey, the priest friend asked me, “Selvam, have you by chance looked up at the gospel text for tomorrow?” “Oh yes, it is the Beatitudes from Luke,” I said. And he seemed to be sure of himself as he said, “Oh… the Sermon on the Mount!” My immediate reply was, “No, not really! In fact, it is a sermon from the plains!”
Often when we look at Gospel texts we easily say: oh yes, I know it. For instance, […]
Author: selvam
Sermon for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
I say, “Leave me, Lord!” God says, “Do not be afraid!” Lk 5
5th Sunday in ordinary time – year C
There is this musical called, ‘The Witness’ by Jimmy & Carol Owens. It is a musical which narrates the life and ministry of Jesus as witnessed by the apostle Peter. Early in the narration Peter sings:
Nothin’ ever happens here in Galilee,
You just follow in the footsteps of your family.
Be a fisherman like people say you’re meant to be,
Go down to the boat| Throw your net in the sea|
Take your turn at the car| Hoist the sail|
Mend the net| Clean the fish|
cut the bait|Ya da dum| Da da dee|
Oh| Nothin’ ever happens to me|
Then Jesus came and all of our lives were changed.
A few years back, in an attempt to define prayer, I said, “Prayer is becoming aware of who I am in the […]
Sermon for 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 4:21-30)
The Rejection of God
Have you ever been rejected by a group of people? If you are a teacher – and a capable one, you might have an experience of being rejected by a class. If you are a preacher – and an effective one at that, you might have an experience of being rejected by a congregation. If you are a speaker or a performer you might have an experience of being rejected by an audience. If you have attempted to love some people in your life, perhaps you may have experienced being rejected by another person.
In the gospel story of today – a sequel to the gospel passage of last Sunday – Jesus experiences rejection. He is rejected by the people […]
Sermon for 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21)
Good News to the poor
One of the popular books that have inspired me a great deal is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Supposedly, the book has sold more than 25 million copies in 38 languages since its first publication in 1989. I must say, the book has played an important role in improving my effectiveness, and I have used it to train many young people in Africa and India. The second habit of highly effective people, according to Stephen Covey is to, “Begin with the End in Mind!” This, simply means having a personal vision of life, setting realistic goals, and even writing out a personal mission statement.
We are in the beginning of the ordinary time of the liturgical year. Today we are beginning to listen to […]
Educating to the Spirit of Fratelli Tutti through Service Learning: An African Perspective
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EDUCATING TO THE SPIRIT OF FRATELLI TUTTI THROUGH SERVICE LEARNING: AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
Selvam, Sahaya.
Marist International University College, Nairobi
Kiema, Brenda.
Tangaza University College, Nairobi
Abstract
Fratelli Tutti is the third encyclical of Pope Francis on fraternity and social friendship. In
this encyclical, the Pope invites ‘all brothers and sisters’ to an improved global cooperation,
human fraternity, and universal solidarity. How can this noble philosophy trickle down
to the younger generation? The document proposes education and formation of young
people. The objective of this chapter is to explore the potential of service learning in
building the spirit of Fratelli Tutti among learners in institutions of higher learning. This
aim is realised in five major sections of the chapter.
The first section of the chapter presents an overview of the basic tenets of Fratelli Tutti.
It offers a summary which is a synthesis of the eight chapters of the document. The second
section reflects on those […]