26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Why Love?
(Luke 16:19-31: the parable of Lazarus and the rich man)
It is quite common in parts of East Africa for employees to be absent from work for the purposes of attending funerals. While in westernized African cities like Nairobi most funerals are scheduled on Saturdays these days, in smaller towns this is not possible for want of good mortuaries. But why a high rate of absenteeism from work due to funerals? For one thing, funerals are communal events and hence people would go for funerals of even mutual friends. However, once I asked one of our staff who was going to the third funeral in one month during her working hours: “Why do you have to go for almost every funeral in town?” Her answer was quite straightforward: “If I do not go for the funeral […]
Month: September 2022
Sermon for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
Use money to win you friends
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 16:1-16)
A clear message in the gospels: Renunciation
The gospel of this Sunday took a lot of effort to prepare a sermon on. For one, this is one of the repeated themes in the gospels:
In the Beatitudes, Jesus begins with a counter-cultural statement, “How blessed are you who are poor: the kingdom of God is yours” (Lk 6:20).
In his preaching, particularly in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus would often repeat: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it” (Lk 12:33).
In the parable of the rich man, God said, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of […]
Sermon for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
The Lost Son
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)
Today is one of those days when I feel a homily might steal the gospel reading of its depth. The parable that we heard read is a much-quoted story and we are all too familiar with it. Perhaps I might just challenge that familiarity, so that the Word of God may become alive in us today.
Usually in stories and movies, there are three types of main characters: the hero and/or the heroin – the protagonist, around whom the story revolves; there is the anti-hero – the antagonist who creates a conflict which the hero attempts to resolve; and the supporting characters, who contribute to the events that lead up to the conflict. There would also be the minor characters (like the servants), and ‘the extras’.
The story of two boys
In the parable […]
Sermon for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Homily
Remember, you are following a martyr!
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lk 14:25-33)
Our world today has too many celebrities and very few heroes. Our contemporary culture focuses so much on celebrities. The media hypes up stars in sports, entertainment, and popular culture. Often these celebrities are far from being role models for the younger generation, yet young people have them as their pin-up models. The personal life of these celebrities is often a disaster. The few heroes we have around are people who have endured difficulties; they have exhibited tremendous courage in being altruistic; they are visionaries. These are people to be imitated.
Jesus does not want people to rally around him as if around a celebrity. He does not want a large following of fans and admirers. He wants […]