How real is your God?
I once had a spiritual director who was fond of asking the question: “What is your God like?” She would then challenge me to go even deeper as she would continue to ask: “What does God feel like for you? What does He smell like? What does He taste like? What does He look like? What does He sound like for you?” Initially these questions seemed silly, and even difficult to answer. Eventually they opened up for me a whole new way of perceiving God. For instance, if you were to ask me: “What does God smell like for you?” I might say something like: “He smells like the fragrance of a cool evening in a hilly area after some showers; the air is fresh; there is a […]
Sunday Sermons
Sunday Sermons and Homilies
Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost – Cycle A Homily
“Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22)
In the recent years I have been travelling across continents and living in different cultural contexts. The question, “Where do you come from,” has become so difficult for me to answer. I am grateful to God for the variety of cross-cultural experiences that I have had, and I feel I am a citizen of the world. One thing that has made this possible, easy, and enjoyable, is the fact that I am a Christian, and a Catholic! Today we celebrate the birthday of this Church – the universal church. The liturgy of the Word on this day suggests the theme of unity of the Church. Our reflection focuses on three possible meanings of this feast.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Risen Lord: The evangelist Luke considers the event of the resurrection (Easter) and the […]
Sermon for the Ascension of the Lord – Year A: I am with you!
“I am with you always” (Mt 28:20)
Seeking redress for injustice is a human need: when we perceive that we are unjustly treated we want justice to be restored. There are mainly two ways in which we desire justice. One: by wanting revenge on the unjust aggressor; that is, by harming or wanting to harm the unjust aggressor we feel consoled, and our status restored. Though the Hebrew Scriptures see this means of seeking justice to be right, the teachings of Jesus totally rule this out. The second way that we seek justice is by appealing to a higher authority – even God – to defend us and prove us righteous. This is often referred to as the vindication of the just; that is, without necessarily causing harm to the unjust aggressor, the integrity of the victim is restored.
He made him […]
Sermon for 6th Sunday of Easter – Year A Homily
Lessons from the Ministry of Philip, the Deacon
During the Eastertide we hear so much from and about the Acts of the Apostles. The first reading of today focuses on the ministry of Philip, one of those seven who were appointed by the Apostles as deacons in Acts 6. Last Sunday we reflected on Chapter 7 of Acts of the Apostles regarding the ministry and the subsequent martyrdom of Stephen – one of those seven deacons too. This Sunday, we focus on two salient points that emerge from the ministry of Philip.
“Philip went to a Samaritan town”: Just like ‘Stephen’, ‘Philip’ also was a Greek name. Perhaps this is why they were among the seven chosen to minister to the Hellenist (Greek) Christians who had complained about being neglected in […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 5th Sunday of Easter Homily
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:1-12)
Service at Table and Service of the Word (Acts 6:1-7)
In the first reading of today we have an interesting story of conflict resolution in the early church. Earlier in the Acts of the Apostles we read (Acts 4:32-35):
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all accorded great respect. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to the apostles; it was […]