Believe in the principle of ‘graduality’!
These days, we in the world of “fast-food”! I have become increasingly impatient. When I go for breakfast I want instant coffee. When I have a headache I want instant relief. When I email people I want instant replies. When I fall in love I want instant pleasure. When I have problems I want instant solutions. When I pray I want instant miracles!
The Kingdom of God is not a Fast-Food Joint: In the gospel text of today, Jesus reminds me that in the Kingdom of God problems will be solved at their own time. Evil may grow together with good; evil will not be uprooted instantly. I need to wait patiently until the end of time (Mt 13:24-30). The Kingdom of God grows like a mustard seed […]
Year A
Year A Sunday Sermons
Sermon for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily: The Sower
The Amateurish Farmer who does not expect 100% output
Jesus is a master storyteller. He uses vivid images drawn from everyday life to reveal deep truths about the Kingdom of God. And he chooses his imagery according to his audience. To shepherds and pastoral communities, he speaks of the shepherd and the lost sheep (Lk 15:3–7; Jn 10:1–18). To merchants and householders in towns, he tells parables of talents and pounds entrusted to servants (Mt 25:14–30; Lk 19:11–27). To fishermen, he speaks of nets and fish (Mt 4:18–22; Mt 13:47–50; Lk 5:1–11). To farmers, he draws on sowing, seeds, vineyards, and harvests, as in the parable of the sower today (Mt 13:3–9, 18–23; Mk 4:3–20; Lk 8:4–15).
However, there is something unusual about the story of today’s gospel. This is not the average sower.
Amateurish Farmer: […]
Sermon for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily
12th Sunday – Cycle A
Do not be Afraid! (Mt 10:26-33)
One of the explicit characteristics of Matthew is that it was written in and for a Jewish community. Hence to understand that Gospel we need to be conscious of the Jewish background. Flowing from this setting, an interesting detail in the Gospel is that Matthew collects various sayings of Jesus delivered at different contexts into a compendium, breaks them into five parts, and places them at five locations, demarking the Gospel into “five-books” symbolically representing the five books of the Torah! Have a look at this:
Part 1 – Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-7:29), at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus;
Part 2 – Missionary Instructions are collected in chapter 10;
Part 3 – Parables of the Kingdom in […]
Jesus, the Model of Compassion
Reflection for 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
Can you recall an occasion in the recent past when you were moved with compassion for someone or for a group of people. What did you see? How did you feel? And what did you do about it?
Did you stop with just seeing? If you just saw someone in difficulty and did not feel anything and did nothing about the situation, then you did not even feel a sense of compassion or empathy. If you did feel something, but didn’t do anything about it, then you felt an empathy and that is it. But if you did feeling empathy and reached out to them, then, you were “moved” by compassion.
The Gospel today tells us, “When Jesus saw the […]
Sermon for Feast of the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord
Body to be eaten and Blood to be drunk
Holy Eucharist as a Sacrificial Meal
During the liturgical year there are at least two feasts that invite us to meditate on the mystery of the Eucharist: the Maundy Thursday and the Feast of the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord (that is today!). On the Maundy Thursday, the reflection on the Eucharist is centred on the Passover meal and the institution of the priesthood. In the context of the Easter triduum (the three days of preparation towards Easter), the celebration of the Eucharist of the Maundy Thursday is also emotionally coloured by the impending passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The feast of today gives us yet another opportunity to contemplate the mystery of the Eucharist.
Allow me to begin our reflection with a very concrete structure in the Church: the […]