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 […]
Year A
Year A Sunday Sermons
Easter Homily: an Event or an Experience
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!
‘Alleluia’ is one expression that we hear so often during Easter. And when we hear a Catholic shouting out ‘Alleluia’ we think, they have become a Pentacostal. What does ‘alleluia’ mean? It simply means, ‘Praise the Lord’! But this praise is also filled with thanksgiving, joy and triumph. Several psalms begin and end with this expression. This is one of those expressions that has come to be used in Christian tradition in its original Hebrew expression, like ‘Amen’ and ‘Hosanna’. ‘Alleluia’ is an apt expression in the context of what we celebrate during Easter – it is simply to praise the lord for his triumph over death.
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The celebration of Resurrection is the first feast that early Christians ever celebrated. In fact it was such a powerful event that they […]
Sermon for Christmas – Homily Year A, B, C.
And the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14)
Christmas – Liturgy of the Day
The language of God
A young man was intrigued by this question: what language does God speak? He asked people around, what is the language of God? And no one was able to offer him a satisfactory answer. So the young man undertook a journey going in search of the answer to his all important question. His first stop was a village. He asked the people there: what language does God speak? None of them could answer the question. “But,” they said, “there is a holy man who lives on the hill outside our village who perhaps has the answer to your question.” So the young man went to the holy man. Holy, for sure, he was. And the man said, “Look around you. See the beauty of creation: […]
Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family
They settled in a town called Nazareth (Mt 2:23)
One Christmas, I happened to go to two main churches for the day mass in Nairobi; I was surprised to find these churches that are usually very vibrant on other Sundays, empty during Christmas. What had happened, I asked a priest-friend. Simply, people had travelled to their villages of origin (“up-country”, as they referred to Kenya) to celebrate Christmas with their extended families. How interesting, I thought.
Yes, Christmas is indeed a family feast. Not only in Kenya, but all over the world, people come ‘home’ during Christmas.
Therefore, even as we are in the Christmas Octave – eight days of celebration following Christmas – the Church invites us to pay attention to the family around the little Babe Jesus, the […]
Sermon for the Feast of Christ the King – 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily
What is your preferred style of leadership?
‘Leadership’ is a much discussed topic today, not only in politics but also in the corporate world. Management trainers at business schools discuss concepts such as Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Visionary Leadership, and Shepherd Leadership. Most of these terminologies have their origins in Christian background.
On the other hand, some research findings have suggested that to be a CEO or an MD in some multinationals of the globe one has to be a heartless go-getter, almost bordering the behaviour of a psychopath. They are merely profit-oriented, and care less for human beings.
The feast of today is an occasion to pause and reflect about our own leadership styles. We may not be CEOs or top-brass politicians, but most of us might have a sort of charge over some […]