They will see the Son of Man coming (Lk 21:27)
1st of Sunday of Advent – Year C
One of the advent hymns that I like most is:
We long to see thee so!
To see Thee newly-born.
We long for Christmas morn.
The sands of time run slow.
I like this hymn because it arouses in me the nostalgia for homecoming, or actually going back home. As a young boy studying in boarding school this song reminded me of the joyful time of going back home for Christmas. I remember how the sands of time ran so slow, especially just before Christmas. In the past years, especially as a priest being busy during Christmas, and as I unwrap the celebration of Christmas of its nostalgic feelings I have also begun to appreciate its spiritual depth. I am not in anyway playing down the importance of […]
Month: November 2024
Sermon for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily: The End!
The Last Days of Hope
33rd Sunday – Year B (Mk 13:24-32)
Everything comes to an end
We are moving towards the end of the liturgical year. Next Sunday will be the feast of Christ the King. And the following Sunday will be the first Sunday in Advent – the new year in the liturgical calendar. The Liturgy of the Word today takes advantage of this time of the year to remind us of a difficult theme, namely, the end of times!
The theme of ‘the end of times’ or ‘the end of the world’ is indeed a difficult one. So are the readings of today. Similar passages from the Gospels, together with the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations, are the most misinterpreted texts in the Bible. I personally found the preparation of this reflection quite difficult. For sure, these texts cannot […]
Sermon for 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily: The Widow!
She put in everything she possessed
Mark 12:38-44
Two months ago, in the company of 12 others, I did a pilgrimage of 224 kms in Kenya, from the national shrine of Mary Mother of God in Subukia to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Nairobi. In the 8-day journey, we were using Catholic churches as our stop-overs for the night. When we reach our destination after walking an average of 30 kms, we would have mass with the people at 5pm, then have our dinner at 6pm and retire to rest after some reflections of the day. Out of the journey, one of the powerful memories that I carry is the generosity of rural women. On the 2nd day, after our mass with the parish people, one elderly woman came to one member of our group, she gave her […]
Sermon for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily: Love!
Three Dimensional Spirituality
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
I am more and more convinced that when someone gets deep into prayer life, they live a three dimensional spirituality marked by an inward journey towards the self; an upward journey towards God, and an outward journey towards others and the rest of creation.
This, I think, is also the central theme of the gospel text of today. Which is the first of the commandments? There are two firsts, and the second is tied up with the first “You must love the Lord your God… You must love your neighbour… as yourself.”
Which is the first of the commandments?
It is said that at the time of Jesus the rabbis could count up to 613 commandments contained in the Law: 365 were prohibitive or “proscriptive” (don’t do this!) and 248 were prescriptive (do […]