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BREAKING STEREOTYPES

This homily delivered at St. Agnes Church is based on Luke 10:25-37.

The Lord Jesus has a way of breaking stereotypes.

For instance, “Samaritan” used to be a bad word. Most of the Jews at the time must have uttered it with derision. It’s quite understandable given a long-standing rift between the Jews and the Samaritans even before the Babylonian exile. Each group considered their version the one, true religion and looked down upon the other, to say the least.

To get an idea of the kind of enmity between them, think of the Serbs and the Muslims in modern Bosnia, or the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Or maybe better still, closer to home, between the viewers of MSNBC and FOX News.

HOMILIES

SHEEP AMONG WOLVES

This homily delivered at St. Agnes Church is based on Luke 10:1-12; 17-20.

In today’s Gospel, the Lord sends his disciples out to the world “like sheep among wolves.”

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like a sheep among wolves–especially when I go online! Try starting your day by reading your Newsfeed and getting swamped with the flood of bad news from different parts of the world: every sort of violent crimes, natural disasters, the plight of migrants and their children, not to mention unfit government heads with too much power in their hands.

HOMILIES

WHAT WILL YOU CALL DOWN FROM THE SKY?

Post author By [email protected]
Post date June 29, 2019
5 Comments on WHAT WILL YOU CALL DOWN FROM THE SKY?

This homily is based on Luke 9:51-62.

I was reminded of a quote from writer Anne Lamott when I read today’s Gospel reading.

HOMILIES

TWO TAKES ON the TRINITY

This reflection was made on the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, based on John 3:16-18.

Someone emailed me a couple of articles written by Fr. Peter Knauer, a German Jesuit philosopher and theologian. He writes about the mystery of God–how what we know about God, whether from reason or even from revelation, is much, much less than what we don’t know about Him.

This is a common insight among mystics–those people among us who have been blessed with such an intense prayer life that they have acquired an intimate knowledge of God. From them we would expect a great familiarity with God. But their consensus has been that the closer they get to approach God, they sense, more than ever, their own sinfulness. More than that, the more they get to know God, the more they realize they know so little about Him. The reason is that God is simply that holy and that infinite; His ways are just way beyond us!

Tags Catholic, homily, John 3:16-18, Trinity

HOMILIES

THE ANGELS AND THE SEA HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

Post author By [email protected]
Post date June 1, 2019
2 Comments on THE ANGELS AND THE SEA HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

This homily for Ascension Sunday is based on John 24:46-53 and Acts 1:1-11.

The angels have a sense of humor. According to the account in Acts, after Jesus was lifted up out of their sight, the disciples–understandably–took a while to look away from the sky. We can imagine them standing there bewildered at the jaw-dropping event they had just witnessed.