C’mon and Celebrate!
(Is 25:6-10; Phil 4:12-14,19-20; Mt 22:1-14)
In most cultures a meal is an occasion for coming together. It is communitarian. It is a fellowship. That is why, even people eating alone in trains and buses might invite others to join them, and if forced to eat alone, they would do it rather awkwardly.
In the context of a meal, strangers become friends (Lk5:29), and even enemies become covenantal partners (Gen 26:26-31). No wonder then, meal or celebration is used in the Gospels as a powerful image of the Kingdom of God (or the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, as the Gospel of Matthew has it).
1. Life in God is a celebration
Yes, the Kingdom of God is a party! The book of Deuteronomy (14: 22-23), says, “Every year, you must take a tithe of what […]
Kingdom of God
Sermon for 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
The Kingdom of God is like… (Mk 4:26)
Some years back, while still in campus, walking between two blocks, I happened to run into the Principal. I introduced myself as a priest and a current research student. The Principal’s next question was, “So what are you working on?” “My project is on spirituality and addictive behaviour,” I said. The Principal, a Jesuit theologian himself, was obviously in a hurry, as Principals usually are! He offered me a quick quip. It came in the form of a question: “Don’t you think almost all our spiritual and moral struggles are basically centred around addiction and idolatry?” And off he went. But his rhetorical question lingered on in my mind for days. Addiction and idolatry! I do not […]