Mary sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 10:38-42)
One of the realities that we notice in urban life today, across the globe, is speed. Speed. Currently, I am entrusted with two responsibilities from my religious order: this consists in travels, meetings, emails, and reports. The volume of work, and the urgency with which things have to be done is what is alarming. While in office, I read emails from people who want replies today! Others want a report immediately. Still others let you know of meetings and programmes just now. Meanwhile I want to multitask: producing an article for publication, preparing my lessons, answering phone calls, and replying emails, while rushing for the next meeting. What has happened?
Human beings keep inventing machines to save time, and what we hear all the […]
Sunday Sermons
Sunday Sermons and Homilies
Sermon for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C Homily
Moved with pity… he went up and bandaged his wounds
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 10:25-37)
After the World Youth Day (WYD) in Cologne in the year 2005, I was at the Frankfurt airport waiting for my flight back to Kenya. After waiting in the long queue, it was really disappointing to be told that I was not on that Egyptian Air flight, because I had not reconfirmed my ticket. The group that I had led had no problem – their ticket was reconfirmed, and mine had been neglected by the host parish because mine was a separate ticket. I was stranded. Next possible flight was only after two days. Was I to stay at the airport for those two days? Going back to the parish in Cologne where we had stayed for the WYD would mean extra […]
Sermon for 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Cycle C Homily
Start off now, I am sending you out…
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 10:1-12, 17-20)
A few years ago, a priest wrote a short reflection in the Diocesan Newsletter of the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The reflection was entitled, “Away with Motorcars and Aeroplanes”. The point that he was trying to make in that provocative reflection was that early missionaries had to walk long distances on foot; some others used mules or horses for their journey. They had to use ships to cross oceans. It was much slower in terms of speed, but their message was deeper and far-reaching because of their earnestness and passion. Since many missionaries had to walk they had personal contact with the people; and wherever they stopped over in the course […]
Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul – June 29th
Church is a unity in diversity Solemnity of SS. Peter & Paul
This year, the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul falls on this Sunday. This offers an opportunity to reflect on the theme of unity in the church.
Simon and Saul – these two great men, came from very different backgrounds.
Simon was a fisherman from Galilee. Many people naively think that he was a ‘poor’ fisherman. Uneducated? Perhaps he was! Poor in material sense? Not at all! Peter was not a poor fisherman. I come from a village of fishermen, and I know that, if a fisherman had a fishing vessel, nets, and hired servants he was not a poor fisherman. The synoptic Gospels are very clear in their description (Mk 1:16-20; Mt 4:18-22; Lk 5:1-11). Simon and […]
Feast of the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus
Eucharist: Mystery of Incarnation Enacted
Why did Jesus use bread and wine – mere objects of food – to institute the Eucharist? I offer two possible reflections on this mystery.
The enactment of the Mystery of Incarnation: In the gospel of today, in the discourse that follows the multiplication of loaves Jesus would say,
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).
As we know, this passage has clear allusion to the Eucharist. Earlier in the same passage Jesus compares the Eucharist to the manna that the people of Israel ate in the desert (Jn 6:49-50). Though Jesus says analogically, Eucharist is bread that came down from heaven we know that the Eucharist does not fall from the skies as […]