3rd Sunday of Advent – Special Sermons
The Role of Joseph in the Mystery of Incarnation
As I had said at the beginning of the Season of Advent, this year, I am sharing reflections on four persons related to the first Christmas. This, I thought, would avoid certain repetition of themes during Advent year after year. In this series, we have already reflected on Zachariah and John the Baptist. Today our reflection is on Joseph.
We are all aware of the annunciation of angel Gabriel to Mary. When we think of annunciation, we only think of the annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:26-38). It is interesting to note that there are at least two other annunciation stories in the gospels, prior to the birth of Jesus. These two stories are actually about annunciation to two men. The first is in the Gospel of […]
Sunday Sermons
Sunday Sermons and Homilies
Sermon for the 1st Sunday in Advent – Year B Homily
1st Sunday in Advent
Zachariah, the reluctant collaborator
My four sermons for this year (2014) will focus on four personages who were part of the first advent! (CLICK HERE if you would like to see other sermons for Advent). These individuals somehow contributed to the first Christmas. And the four people that I would like us to focus on, this year, are:
1st Sunday of Advent, 2014: Zachariah, the reluctant collaborator
2nd Sunday of Advent 2014: John the Baptist, the one who knew his space
3rd Sunday of Advent, 2014: Joseph, the man of honour
4th Sunday of Advent, 2014: Mary, who waited in contemplation
How can I know this?
The Gospel according to Luke begins with the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Zachariah (Lk 1:4-23). Interestingly, the scene of this annunciation is the temple itself. For Zachariah, this is […]
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
9 November 2014
Rarely do we have a feast such as the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica replacing the Sunday celebration. The liturgical tradition of the Church places a lot of importance on dedication of churches. For instance, when it is the anniversary of the dedication of a Cathedral church (the principal church of the diocese which has the chair of the Bishop), it can be celebrated as a solemnity on a Sunday. The Basilica of St John Lateran is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome – the mother of all churches. Why do we celebrate the dedication of a church? In the Catholic tradition, the church building is not just a hall for fellowship. It is a sacred space. It […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 30th Sunday Homily: Love
Love!
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
(Ex 22:20-26; 1The 1:5c-10; Mt 22:34-40)
I write this reflection fromKigali,Rwanda. It has not been that easy to write this for several reasons. TodayKigalilooks very beautiful – perhaps the most beautiful African city I have ever visited. People are all smiles – very friendly and cordial. But in 1994, this was the epicentre of the grotesque story where neighbours and friends turned against each other. In a matter of three months almost one million people were killed, just because they belonged to two different social groups. As much as 20% of the population was wiped out in a nation that boasts of perhaps the highest Christian population in the African continent: with almost 95% Christians, and 56% Catholic!
It is easy to raise questions about how these Christians lived the commandment or love, or failed to practise it! Doing a soul-searching myself, I know, I […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 27th Sunday Homily: Tenants of the Vineyards
“The kingdom of God will be taken from you”:
Protecting against Spiritual Redundancy
In the corporate world, often people are laid off from jobs in the name of ‘redundancy’ when the company wants to downsize its operations. Hence redundancy cannot be taken to be a statement on the ability of individuals. However, one needs to be smart enough to fight redundancy in the competitive world, for instance, by updating oneself. And what about the spiritual world? Are you protected against spiritual redundancy?
Three parables of the Vineyard. In chapters 20 and 21 of the Gospel of Mathew we come across three parables; and all the three use the image of the vineyard. These parables, which we have heard read in these three Sundays (25th to 27th Sunday), have a sequence of teachings of […]