The Living Water
3rd Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
As I have pointed out in my reflection of last week, during the first two Sundays of Lent every year we have the same themes. The gospel text of the 1stSunday of Lent is always about the temptations of Jesus – from the three synoptic Gospels according to the three year cycle. Similarly, the 2nd Sunday of Lent invites us to reflect on the story of Transfiguration. The remaining three Sundays before the Palm Sunday in Cycle A are special. The gospel passages are taken from the Gospel of John and they develop three central themes of our experience of Jesus that are particularly important for the catechumens – those adults who are preparing to be baptised during Easter:
Jesus, the Living Water (Jn 4: the Samaritan woman) – 3rd Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the […]
Homilies
Sermon for Cycle A – 2nd Sunday Homily
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Finding our space in the Universe:
The Life Journey of John the Baptist (Jn 1:29-34)
Christmastide is now over and retailers have special Sales. Because, retailers hate ordinary time. They try to make even ordinary time into something special. Hence the reduced prices!
In the liturgical calendar, we are back to the ordinary time. But even in our gospel reading there is an attempt to make the liturgy of today special too. Perhaps it is just to remind us that every Eucharistic celebration is special! As we are in Year A, we should have been listening to the Gospel of Matthew. But our gospel text for today came from the Gospel of John, as is the case every year on the 2nd Sunday in […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 3rd Sunday Homily
They left everything
The Bible in the Catholic Tradition
With this Sunday we officially begin to listen to the Gospel according to Matthew during Sunday liturgy of the ordinary time. During moments of common worship in the Catholic Church we listen to the Bible in a systematic manner. We avoid picking and choosing passages according to the preacher’s whims and fancies, though the church does allow choosing readings on some occasions. The Sunday readings are arranged in a three year cycle: Year A uses the gospel of Matthew (as is the case this year); In Year B we listen to Mark; and Year C uses the gospel of Luke. The gospel of John is read during Lent, Eastertide and some feasts. Similarly, the weekday readings are arranged in a two-year cycle. This systematic listening applies not only to the gospel readings but also the first readings during weekdays, and the second readings […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 7th Sunday Homily
“You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt 5:48
Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp to be opened. It was basically a forced labour camp. Today it is open to the public. In this memorial site there are different churches and also a synagogue that have been built. What impressed me most during my visit to the memorial site last summer was the Church of Reconciliation. The peculiarity of this church is that its structure has no right angles. The irregular shape is a symbolic protest against the orderly layout of the camp in which all the buildings are set in perfect array. As I was leaving the memorial site, I thought, an exaggerated sense of order could be a sign of neurosis. And it could be life-threatening.
In the gospel passage of today, as Jesus continues his ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ he reiterates, “You must […]
Sermon for Cycle A – 4th Sunday of Lent: Light of the World
The Light of the World
4th Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
The three Sundays before the Palm Sunday in Cycle A of the liturgical year are special. The gospel passages from the Gospel of John develop three central themes relevant to our experience of Jesus:
Jesus, the Living Water (Jn 4: the Samaritan woman) – 3rd Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the Light of the World (Jn 9: the man born blind) – 4th Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the New Life (Jn 11: raising of Lazarus) – 5th Sunday of Lent
The gospel reading of this Sunday (the 2nd in the sequel) invites us to reflect on the story of the encounter between Jesus, the man born blind, and the Pharisees, so that we may experience Jesus as the Light of the World.
What does light do? It dispels darkness; it makes us recognise possibilities. In the context of the gospel of today, the light helps us […]