Homilies (Page 19)

Hope of Salvation A story was told of a man who died and went to Hell. While in Hell, he decided to review his life on earth to ascertain that he really deserved to be in Hell. In his retrospections, he consoled himself for being in Hell because he began to enumerate his sins to himself and his conclusion was that Hell was where he belonged, on account of his wrong doings on earth. However, he lifted up his gaze, and to his utmost surprise, he saw his pastor/parish priest in Hell. In his amazement he yelled out, “Father, are you also here in Hell?”Read More →

Holy Saturday: Stepping out of Darkness into the Light of God “Time” matters, not just because it marks and gives perspectives to human actions, but it also offers us the opportunity to celebrate the defeat of darkness. “Darkness” allows for no presence, it celebrates absence. Before the great statement of our first reading today – “Let there be light,” darkness had a field day, celebrating the absence of light. The joy of this night, the greatest of all nights because light will dawn to put asunder whatever is left of darkness, is the celebration of Christ, the Light of the World; it is the re-enactmentRead More →

When Good Friday is Just a Bus Stop, Easter Sunday is the Destination Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18: 1-19: 42 When morning after morning someone greets you “good morning,” “bonjour” or “buenas dias,” you need to ask: what makes the day good? Even when one did not sleep well, the greeting is still “good morning.” A hungry person with rumbling stomach and an employee whose salary has not been paid, they are all greeted “good morning”. Those sent to hospital at night and battling for their lives in the hospital receive the same greeting – good morning! Why not greet people on the basisRead More →

Creating Unity through Feeding and Caring for Others: Could Jesus Count on You? Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15 This night, we have come to eat; not just any kind of food, but flesh – meat and blood. We are here, not because we have no food and drinks in our individual homes, but because there is a party, Jesus’ banquet where there is food and drink for everyone who cares to stop by. It is a dinner, a supper with a difference – we will eat and become what we eat, Jesus. It is not like our every day meal, it isRead More →

The Cross of Christ in my Weak Human Body Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 Listening to the insults against the establishment and individuals around the globe, and the sufferings of wars and oppressions in different countries of the world, all create spectacles for bystanders and theatrics for news anchors, but the individuals so diminished must feel it differently. The situation is not different for victims of religious intolerance, casualties of Boko Haram, Al Qaida, etc.: those who arrogate to themselves the power to unleash misery on others reveal the vulnerability of the human flesh and the glory of the cross the human flesh carriesRead More →

“Sin no more” Sunday Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11 When Isaiah speaks of a God who makes a path through the sea and mighty waters as well as makes horses and their riders perish in the sea, he reminds us of the actions of God delivering Israel from Egypt and creating  Israel to be his people. This is the first part of our first reading. The second part of our first reading starts with, “see, I am doing something new”! Israel that was created a people of God, now needs recreation from sin — the “new thing” God is doing! When Isaiah talks ofRead More →

Justification/Citizenship Sunday Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 This Sunday is called _Laetare_ Sunday or Happiness Sunday. It is not because we have fasted and prayed so well for the past three weeks that call for happiness, but because of what God and Jesus Christ have done for us! Our naturalization or the celebration of our citizenship catalyzes our happiness, especially those who appreciate the history of their citizenship! Our readings begin with the history of Israel’s identity and citizenship, and culminates with  Christian identity and citizenship.  If Israel was and still is a people, their liberation from Egypt created their identity.Read More →

We Are the Problem, Not God! Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9 I was disappointed in God for many years; not because of what he did, but for what he failed to do: a nun/sister was raped by armed robbers, and I couldn’t understand how God could sit by and watch that happen to a person who had consecrated her life to him! I was just 12 years-old at the time. In my mind, I questioned God’s omnipotence and love, at least, for that nun/sister. Today, all is coming back to me, because of our gospel reading. But I now know thatRead More →

Citizenship Preservation Sunday Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36 For those of us who travel often, international Passports are not equally respected. For once, black is powerful, perhaps Africans should be proud of this, because it shows that Caucasians are not a bunch of racists – their passports are largely black, and respected. How Africans and Asians ended up with greenish and reddish international passports is a tale for another day. The power of black passports derive from human contrivances, and history shows that their powers have fluctuated with good and bad fortunes. The issue, though, is that earthly citizenships have set conditions forRead More →