In the recent years I have been travelling across continents and living in different cultural contexts. The question, “Where do you come from,” has become so difficult for me to answer. I am sure, these days many people are in similar situation, thanks to the opportunities that the contemporary world offers. I am grateful to God for the variety of cross-cultural experiences that I have had, and I feel I am a citizen of the world. One thing that has made this possible, easy, and enjoyable, is the fact that I am a Christian, and a Catholic! Catholicism stands for universality.
Today we celebrate the birthday of this Church – the universal church. We celebrate the presence of the Spirit in this believing community today, just as it was present among the community in Jerusalem. In some countries this day is […]
Year A
Year A Sunday Sermons
Sermon for Cycle A – 33rd Sunday Homily
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 by […]
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 […]
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 the […]
Sermon for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A Homily: The Sower
The Amateurish Farmer who does not expect 100% output
A few years back I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. And I remember, as our bus made its way up the hill from the Sea of Galilee to what is called the Mount of the Beatitudes, our Franciscan commentator began to read to us the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-9) – the gospel text of today. He invited us to look at the landscape around: there were rocky grounds, there were footpaths, there were thorny pushes, and there were fertile areas. The word of God suddenly became alive to me! Our commentator added, “You see, Jesus had no PowerPoint presentation to accompany his teachings. He used what was accessible to him and his listeners – the landscape!”
Amateurish Farmer: Even as […]