Homilies (Page 5)

Sinners’ Sunday – The Vocation to Holiness of Life Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-22; Luke 5:1-11 Today is sinners’ Sunday because the Lord gives priority to the calling of sinners to become his prophets and messengers. Either in the Temple/Church or at one’s duty post, God calls us to become his prophets and messengers. God’s call of Isaiah and Peter does not exhaust locative examples God’s encounter. The New Testament provides others contexts where we meet God, like Jesus’ encounter with Matthew/Levi at the customs’ office, and Zaccheus’ sycamore climbing escapade. In a word, everybody is called by God wherever they are. The lessonRead More →

Not Loosers, but Consecrated: Celebrating who we are! Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 Reflecting on my missionary experience in Cameroon, I recall a statement by late Archbishop André Wouking of Yaoundé. It was during his pastoral visit to St. Mark’s Parish, Biyem-Assi, Yaounde, and a woman asked him, in French: “Your Grace, why do you have bad priests?” Archbishop Wouking said, in reply: “it is what you, parents, sent to me that I returned to you; you sent me bad children to become priests, and now they are back to you as your priests”. He added, “the priests are the reflection of what theirRead More →

Happiness Sunday: Join to sustain it! Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 14-21 This is good news at its peak, everywhere in the whole wide world – “Do not Weep! The Joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Many people are hurting religiously, spiritually, relationally, economically and politically. Religious fanatics have overrun the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America and a vast swathes of Asia. Suicide boomers – god’s army – are readily available marauding human societies unleashing death sentences wherever they can. Spiritual exploitation of the rich and the poor alike continues on a daily basis in the nameRead More →

Be Ordinary: The Meaning of “Ordinary Time” of the Church  Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11 The partying and festivities are over, it’s time to start working again, no wonder it is called the “Ordinary Time”: it will take a while before (Extra-Ordinary Time or Festive Time) Easter and Christmas come around again and, then, we can party and celebrate. Even at that, my favorite part of partying and celebration is not the clean-up after the party, like the shoveling of snow, after a white-Christmas, not to talk of dealing with slush, after winter days. I would rather live in condominium than own aRead More →

You are the Star! Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 In a rare occurrence, a galactic force, a star, points to Jesus, and we celebrate its importance as the universal manifestation of God! Rather than the star that led the Magi to Jesus, we are celebrating the responsibility of Christianity  and Christians as stars that lead people to God through Jesus Christ. The searchlight is on us, fellow Christians. This is the time to make a difference in the world! Why? Look at the Christian legacies of our times – advancements in education, science, and technology. The freedom of the sons and daughters ofRead More →

When Change becomes a Blessing! Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21 Philosophers pride themselves in discovering that “change is the only thing permanent or constant,” but theologians mock their ignorance because they fail to know that God does not change. Scientists celebrate every discovery and innovation, Christians wait patiently for education to catch up with the knowledge of God. Universities keep multiplying, but common sense is as rare as ever. Wealth and money increase by the day, but poverty kills more people today than ever before. More Nobel prizes are won today, but violence and strive show no signs of abating, making Mr. Nobel’s peaceRead More →

Not Human Will, but God’s: Vocation to Family Life 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28; 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24; Luke 2:41-52 The celebration of Christmas, the birth of baby Jesus, serves as a prelude to today’s celebration – Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Ideally, a family is incomplete without, at least, these three of its members (male-father [Joseph], female mother [Mary] and a child [Jesus]), if the Holy Family be our model, and not a legal family – family defined by human law. An added element to the composition of the Holy Family is divine will or role: a family that is founded by and onRead More →

 We were born beautiful, all daughters and sons! Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 One day, a man was sitting between two ladies in a taxi. The lady to his right was very beautiful, the one to his left very ugly. Each time the taxi driver negotiates a bend and this man tilts towards the beautiful lady to his right, he yells out: oh Lord, do not lead us into temptation; but when the taxi tilts him towards the ugly lady, he cries: oh Lord, deliver us from evil! Christmas brings a good tiding – everybody is a child of God, therefore, everybody is beautifulRead More →

Blessings NOT Gossips: Taking Jesus to others at Christmas Luke 1:39-45 Far away from our usual gossip – radio without battery – today’s Gospel invites us into a beautiful moment of encounter—Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. It is not merely a family reunion, as some of us make Christmas out to be; rather, it is a profound spiritual event filled with faith, joy, and the power of Jesus’ presence. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth teaches us how to bring Christ to others and how to live as channels of God’s blessings as a renewal of the Christmas message today. Our gospel reading begins with a triple faithRead More →