Homilies (Page 6)

Immaculate Conception is Possible, When Grace meets Gabriel! Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38 For those of us who have experienced failure, those threatened by the reality of sin and weaknesses of all sorts, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception turns the meaning of failure into second and third chances. Every failure becomes a hope for a better tomorrow, a catalyst to get up everyday, dust oneself off, and get going. When life is seen as a chain of opportunities that present themselves as multiple seconds, minutes and days, then, we just don’t celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception alone, we also celebrate our ownRead More →

Cooperation Sunday: We’re Architects of Peace Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6 On every side we look at, all we see is cooperation. In our first reading, Baruch cooperates with Jeremiah as his secretary (Jeremiah 36:4, 32); in our gospel, Luke serves as the chronicler of Jesus’ life and John-the-Baptist prepares the way for the Savior; in the second reading, Paul cooperates with the Philippians in the work of salvation. The fact that there are many of us on earth, instead of one person, makes it clear that God wants all people to cooperate with one another; otherwise, God would have created just oneRead More →

Our God is Faithful to his Promises, What about Us? Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 What remains certain about the prophecy of Jeremiah is the message of hope it preaches in an apparently hopeless situation – the perennial nature of Israel’s infidelity to God. Israel makes covenants with God only to break them. This track record is all invasive and pervasive in Jewish history: from the disobedience of Adam and Eve to the deluge as corrective for sin and infidelity; the worship of the golden calf in the very heart of liberation from Egypt through the rise of monarchy and the apostasiesRead More →

Seated at the Right Hand and Coming in Clouds/Glory: The Destiny of A Christian Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32 The progress recorded in history, thanks to science and technology, is so tantalizing that our scientists are thinking of immortality on earth. After all, longevity in the 21st century is unrivaled in past generations – more and more people live longer lives now than ever before. Just as the strides made by science and technology make earthly existence fascinating, the so-called third-world countries experience huge human migrations to the North Atlantic, whether they be South and Central Americans en route to the United StatesRead More →

Remembering our Widows: Christianity’s or Yahweh’s Sunday 1 Kings 17:10-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mk 12:35-45 We are all murderers unless we become prophets and stop the murderers! Her statement says it all; it was true then and still remains true today. Who can afford not to be outraged by it and still claim to be a Christian? The statement of the widow of Zarephath is quite depressing, yet very real for many in our societies today. She says to the prophet Elijah, “just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eatenRead More →

I am Elijah Too! 1 Kings 17:10-17; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 Late Fr. Jerome Murphy-O’Connor said that each time one meets an Irish who needs to defend his Irish identity, such an Irish person must be living outside of Ireland. Analogously, to have a prophet whose name is Elijah: EL (God) – i (my) – Jah (Yahweh) – “my God is Yahweh,” there must be people or situations that contest and challenge the kind of God or the name of the God he worships. King Ahab turns into a worshipper of Ba’al after his marriage to Jezebel (1 Kings 17:31-34). Elijah – “my God isRead More →

Memorial or Anniversary Sunday Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28b-34 Just pause and ask yourself, why celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, death remembrances, Thanksgiving Day, War memorials, Independence Day, name it? Although these memorial/anniversary celebrations have become so common place, two reasons, at least, motivate them: they celebrate our past and chart the way for our future. Each one of us is the junction or meeting point between the past and the future—to either savor the good past in the present or transform the bad past into good present and better future. More often than not, it is a good foundation laid in the past thatRead More →

Not my Faithfulness, but God’s Mercy and Fidelity: God calls me to be a Christian! Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 An Irish missionary priest to Nigeria has a very dedicated and faithful catechist (pastoral agent) working with him. In all ramifications of Christian life, the catechist is impeccable except one thing – he has two wives: one named Mercy, the other Grace. The priest decides to have a conversation with his catechist; after talking to his catechist about the Christian imperative to be monogamous, his catechist promises to straighten out that aspect of his Christian life. One faithful day, the catechist comes with both wivesRead More →

A Call to Christian Martyrdom or Life Saving Sunday Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mk 10:35-45 What is “life” for you? Close your eyes and imagine two potential murderers arguing whether you are alive to decide whether to kill you or not! No police, no army, only their decision will decide what happens to you; and, you have no say in their decision! Today, “life” has become intentionally ambiguous in its meaning, whether it is human or non-human life. While some people protect human life from conception to natural death, others protect it when it is convenient to do so. For sure, whatever we consider asRead More →