“And they all ate and were satisfied” (Mt 14:20)
One of my academic interests is to examine the psychological impact of Christian contemplative practice on people. A pattern emerges from the formal interviews that I have conducted, and the informal conversation that I have had. The participants speak of what I call, ‘a 3D spirituality,’ there is an upward movement of the heart towards God, there is an inward movement towards the self, and there is an outward movement towards others. This is something I strive for in my own personal life, and I offer opportunity for people to experience through my own ministry. These days I add a fourth dimension to this, inspired by the spirit of the Laudato Si’: the outward journey is also towards the rest of creation!
3D Spirituality. In the […]
Sunday Sermons
Sunday Sermons and Homilies
Sermon for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily: The Sower
The Amateurish Farmer who does not expect 100% output
A few years back I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. And I remember, as our bus made its way up the hill from the Sea of Galilee to what is called the Mount of the Beatitudes, our Franciscan commentator began to read to us the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-9) – the gospel text of today. He invited us to look at the landscape around: there were rocky grounds, there were footpaths, there were thorny pushes, and there were fertile areas. The word of God suddenly became alive to me! Our commentator added, “You see, Jesus had no PowerPoint presentation to accompany his teachings. He used what was accessible to him and his listeners – the landscape!”
Amateurish Farmer: Even as I […]
Sermon for Trinity Sunday – Year A Homily
How real is your God?
When I was participating in a training in Spiritual Accompaniment (Spiritual Direction), during my supervision sessions, at the climax of the session my director was fond of asking the question: “What is your God like?” She would then challenge me to go even deeper as she would continue to ask: “What does God feel like for you? What does He smell like? What does He taste like? What does He look like? What does He sound like for you?”
Initially these questions seemed silly, and even difficult to answer. Eventually they opened up for me a whole new way of perceiving God. I do the same now with people who come to me for Spiritual Accompaniment, and I see them proceed from impossibility to enlightenment. These questions simply make […]
Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost – Cycle A Homily
“Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22)
In the recent years I have been travelling across continents and living in different cultural contexts. The question, “Where do you come from,” has become so difficult for me to answer. I am grateful to God for the variety of cross-cultural experiences that I have had, and I feel I am a citizen of the world. One thing that has made this possible, easy, and enjoyable, is the fact that I am a Christian, and a Catholic! Today we celebrate the birthday of this Church – the universal church. The liturgy of the Word on this day suggests the theme of unity of the Church. Our reflection focuses on three possible meanings of this feast.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Risen Lord: The evangelist Luke considers the event of the resurrection (Easter) and […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 5th Sunday of Easter Homily
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:1-12)
Service at Table and Service of the Word (Acts 6:1-7)
In the first reading of today we have an interesting story of conflict resolution in the early church. Earlier in the Acts of the Apostles we read (Acts 4:32-35):
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all accorded great respect. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to the apostles; it was then […]