Mary, the woman of contemplation
Today we celebrate a solemnity that commemorates one of the dogmas around the Blessed Virgin Mary, namely, the Assumption of Mary. Dogmas arise out of the Christian tradition. Even so, I would like to present an image of Mary that emerges from the gospels.
To me, Mary is a woman of contemplation. Particularly, as Luke describes her, Mary keeps the Word of God in her heart, she ponders about the events of her life, she wonders…
When she heard from the angel those powerful words: “The Lord is with you”, she was deeply disturbed by these words and “asked herself what this greeting could mean” (Lk 1:29)? When the shepherds came to see the baby lying in the manger, they reported what they had been told […]
Year B
Year B Sunday Sermons
Sermon for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
“The bread … for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51)
Some years back, I was staying at the Salesian community in Florence, Italy, for a few weeks. Florence is known for its art and architecture. Following that great tradition, the Salesians in Florence have a beautiful modern fresco-type of a mural in the background of the sanctuary of their community chapel. Paintings are meant to be looked at; however, let me attempt to describe it to you so as to draw a point of reflection from it. At the centre of the mural is the actual tabernacle with the Holy Eucharist. To the right of the tabernacle is the image of Mary. She is seated on a parapet affectionately cuddling the baby Jesus. Her eyes […]
Sermon for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B (Jn 6:24-35)
Do you seek the bread that the Father gives,
or do you seek the Father who gives you bread?
A few years ago I was back in India on my biennial home-leave. And I met a gentleman who was a visitor to our home-parish. He had never been to school, he told me. But during the course of our long conversation about Christian faith and life, I discovered that he was indeed a wise man. For instance, he is the one who put this question to me: “Do you seek the bread given by the father, or do you seek the father who gives you bread?” In my mother-tongue (Tamil) it sounded so well. The word for ‘bread’ is “appam”; and the familiar word for ‘father’ is “appa”. So it would […]
Sermon for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
From Emptiness to Abundance (Jn 6:1-15)
Which is the only miracle of Jesus (besides the healing of the blind man – with differences in detail!) that is narrated in all the four gospels with similar details? It is the miracle of feeding the five thousand from five loaves, which we hear in the gospel of this Sunday.
From Mark to John
For Sunday readings of this year, being Cycle B, we follow the Gospel of Mark. In the past two Sundays we have been listening to the first part of chapter 6 of Mark. Following that sequence today we should have listened to the feeding of the five thousand according to Mark (Mk 6:35-44). However, the arrangement of the liturgical readings (the lectionary) makes a jump to […]
Sermon for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B Homily
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
“The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught…” (Mk 6:30)
Ministry to young people forms part of the identity of the religious order I belong to. Much of our formation as Salesians is carried out by means of hands-on experience. For instance, right from the phase of junior seminary up until the final months before our ordination to priesthood, on Sunday afternoons we would be sent out in groups of two or three to various locations situated around the formation house. We call this ministry, “Sunday Oratories”. The “brothers” would go to the location – which would often be a playground or an open field – blow the whistle, gather the young people of […]