God is a gambler! He takes risks with me.
(Prov 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1The 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30)
The Kingdom of God is like…
Often Jesus comes up with stories that speak a contemporary language. In the gospel, today, Jesus shows some sophisticated knowledge of market economy. He seems to be aware of investment, interest rates, and stocks. He would have surprised the disciples, to whom the parable is addressed, as a natural hedge-fund manager.
It would seem very trendy, therefore, to develop a sermon on entrepreneurship based on the gospel text of today. But interpreted within the larger agenda of the mission of Jesus the parable is not about anything material. “The kingdom of heaven is like…” (Mt 25:14), that is how the gospel narration begins. It is not even about one’s talents in music, public speaking or organisation! We shouldn’t be misled […]
Sunday Sermons
Sunday Sermons and Homilies
Feast of All Saints
The Saints Inspire, and we can Imitate them
All Saints Day
Why Saints? Because they inspire us
In 2009, when the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux were being taken around the UK, the euphoria of the people who went to pay homage took the sceptics by surprise. In this secular Britain, an estimated 290,000 people paid their respects to St Thérèse, in 20 churches. However, I must say, I heard the most cynical remarks about the relics only from my fellow priests. In any case, by then I was in London, and one of those nights I was called to help out with confessions at the Westminster Cathedral. As I sat at St George’s chapel, hearing the sincere confessions of some pilgrims, I watched the others file by the relics. But what […]
Sermon for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily: Loaves & Fish
“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 […]
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 […]
Sermon for Palm Sunday – Year A Homily
The King on a Donkey en route to Die
Today we begin the week of weeks in the liturgical calendar: the Holy Week. Today we begin the commemoration of the high points in the history of salvation: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus – the Paschal Mystery. Today we accompany Jesus on his solemn entry into Jerusalem where he will suffer, die and rise again. And this day is a day of contradictions.
The King on a Donkey’s Back: Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem. It is going to be a solemn entry, almost as a King is about to enter to take possession of his capital. And the procession begins at the Mount of Olives – the mount that is be the stage for the ultimate Day of the Lord (according to Zechariah 14:3-4), the day of […]