Homilies (Page 48)

Wisdom 11:22-12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10 Salvific Curiosity: Finding Yourself on the Tree of Life With Zacchaeus There was a beggar, who heard that a king was passing by his village. Early that morning, he got out of bed and readied himself and went out to sit by the roadside, waiting to beg for alms from the king. Sure enough, the king stopped his entourage by the siting beggar. Instead of giving something to the beggar, the king begged some beans of the beggar, since the beggar was picking his beans in a tray while waiting. In response, the beggar said to the kingRead More →

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 God’s Wisdom and not Human Justice leads to Salvation! It was Jean-Jacques Rousseau who once said, and I paraphrase, that “man was born free, but he is everywhere in chains.” Where do the said chains come from, who made them? Just like God, who has put in place natural and divine laws, human beings have enacted social laws to guide their interpersonal dealings, and law courts to arbitrate in cases of infringements of human laws; of course, there will be judgment day for every violation of divine laws, a heavenly court. The chains of which RousseauRead More →

Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8 The Example of the Widow: God Needs Your Help in the Battle for Salvation There was a village in Cameroon, in years gone by, where anyone caught stealing received the mark of what he/she stole on the forehead. There were two men who stole a sheep, and they were caught. ST= “Sheep Thief” was written on their foreheads. One of the two men was too ashamed to remain in the village, so he migrated from the village. The other man stayed on and tried to change his ways. He became a very charitable and humble man. Many yearsRead More →

2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19 The Forgotten Battle: The Salvation of the Soul as A Human Duty Samaria, the capital of Israel, came into international prominence with the Assyrian invasion and the exile of Israelites to Nineveh in 721 B.C. In those days, when a capital city and its king are captured, the battle is over. So, like most capitals of many nations, to conquer Israel, its capital Samaria had to fall. The difference, however, was that the destruction of Samaria, by the Assyrians, was more than a material destruction, the destruction was aimed at her soul and mind, the transplantation ofRead More →

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10 The Problem is NOT Them, but Myself: Christianity is NOT a Theoretical but a Practical Religion! More often than not, the blame game trumps our religious and political landscapes. The United States’ election campaign, 2016, is an instance of this or the just concluded United Nations summit in New York City, New York, where United States of America and Russia traded spars against each other, on who is the bad guy, while Syria burns, literally. Republicans and Democrats appeal for votes, with arguments marshaled out on the basis of who can protect the United States better,Read More →

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31 Heaven is Real: But are you a Man/Woman of God ready for Heaven? We live in a world, where only those things that are demonstrable in a laboratory or tactile are accorded existence. This is what we generally think and believe: existence has to be concrete and visible, for example, evolution theories are credible for this reason. Hence, the existence of heaven, hell, and purgatory are difficult to grasp for our contemporaries. These difficult issues, especially of the existence of invisible realities, is what the Church confronts us with today. Let us begin from the known toRead More →

Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2: 1-8; Luke 16:1-13 or 16:10-13 “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”: We are all God’s Children! The prophet Amos is popularly know as the prophet who promoted social justice, bringing to the fore the oppression and exploitation of the poor. Today’s first reading gives credence to this opinion, and Pope Francis lends support to the crusade for workers’ rights and the rights of poor people. A close look at the plights of the masses, in the economic distribution, in the whole world, one cannot but still see the necessity for and relevance of Amos’ prophecy for contemporary societies. In theRead More →

Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32 or Luke 15:1-10 When I Forgive my Brethren, I imitate God’s Compassion: “Forgive us our Trespasses as we Forgive those who Trespass against us”! Our television screens are inundated with scenes of violence and strife. Nations are at war against nations: Russia against Ukraine, the two Sudan against each other; intra-national wars in Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Colombia, Ecuador, etc; those nations not at war are preparing for war or aggression, like North Korea and Iran. To this list, one can add American gun-violence and racial tensions, global family disunities and divorces,Read More →

Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33 The Cross: God’s Language of Wisdom! A Buddhist monk once offered this idea to a young person solicitous of making good progress in spirituality: “start out early, travel light, arrive safely”. In a more expatiated form, a person who desires something has to start out early in search of the desired object. In order for the search to be successful, unnecessary encumbrances have to be avoided, this is the meaning of “traveling light.” Having begun early and traveling light, the wayfarer will arrive safely. The advice given by the Buddhist monk shows that there is no culture andRead More →