The Saints Inspire, and we can Imitate them
All Saints Day
Why Saints? Because they inspire us
In 2009, when the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux were being taken around the UK, the euphoria of the people who went to pay homage took the sceptics by surprise. In this secular Britain, an estimated 290,000 people paid their respects to St Thérèse, in 20 churches. However, I must say, I heard the most cynical remarks about the relics only from my fellow priests. In any case, by then I was in London, and one of those nights I was called to help out with confessions at the Westminster Cathedral. As I sat at St George’s chapel, hearing the sincere confessions of some pilgrims, I watched the others file by the relics. But […]
Year A
Year A Sunday Sermons
Sermon for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily: Loaves & Fish
“And they all ate and were satisfied” (Mt 14:20)
One of my academic interests is to examine the psychological impact of Christian contemplative practice on people. A pattern emerges from the formal interviews that I have conducted, and the informal conversation that I have had. The participants speak of what I call, ‘a 3D spirituality,’ there is an upward movement of the heart towards God, there is an inward movement towards the self, and there is an outward movement towards others. This is something I strive for in my own personal life, and I offer opportunity for people to experience through my own ministry. These days I add a fourth dimension to this, inspired by the spirit of the Laudato Si’: the outward journey is also towards the rest of creation!
3D Spirituality. In the gospel […]
Sermon for Trinity Sunday – Year A Homily
How real is your God?
When I was participating in a training in Spiritual Accompaniment (Spiritual Direction), during my supervision sessions, at the climax of the session my director 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. I do the same now with people who come to me for Spiritual Accompaniment, and I see them proceed from impossibility to enlightenment. These questions simply […]
Sermon for Palm Sunday – Year A Homily
The King on a Donkey en route to Die
Today we begin the week of weeks in the liturgical calendar: the Holy Week. Today we begin the commemoration of the high points in the history of salvation: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus – the Paschal Mystery. Today we accompany Jesus on his solemn entry into Jerusalem where he will suffer, die and rise again. And this day is a day of contradictions.
The King on a Donkey’s Back: Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem. It is going to be a solemn entry, almost as a King is about to enter to take possession of his capital. And the procession begins at the Mount of Olives – the mount that is be the stage for the ultimate Day of the Lord (according to Zechariah 14:3-4), the day of […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 2nd Sunday Homily
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Finding our space in the Universe:
The Life Journey of John the Baptist (Jn 1:29-34)
Christmastide is now over and retailers have special Sales. Because, retailers hate ordinary time. They try to make even ordinary time into something special. Hence the reduced prices!
In the liturgical calendar, we are back to the ordinary time. But even in our gospel reading there is an attempt to make the liturgy of today special too. Perhaps it is just to remind us that every Eucharistic celebration is special! As we are in Year A, we should have been listening to the Gospel of Matthew. But our gospel text for today came from the Gospel of John, as is the case every year on the 2nd […]