This homily is based on Matthew 5:38-48.
Did you flinch when you just heard the Lord say, “Love your enemies”? My theory is that, if you didn’t, it’s probably because you didn’t hear what he’s trying to tell us today. Or, you didn’t really think of your enemies.
“Who is my enemy?” you might ask.
This homily is based on Matthew 5:17-37.
In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord raises the bar beyond our usual moral comfort zones. It’s not enough that we don’t commit murder, he tells his listeners. Treating others with anger is sin enough. It’s great that we’re not committing adultery, he continues. But the bad news is, just nursing lust in our heart already makes us virtual adulterers.
This homily, based on Matthew 5:13-16, was delivered at the EAPI Chapel.
In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord offers us two familiar images of how His disciple should make a difference in the world: salt and light. Like salt to water, we are called to change the world by giving it flavor. Like light to night, the good deeds we do are expected to serve as a shining example to inspire others to do the same.
This homily, based on Mark 4:35-41, was delivered at the St. John Catholic School, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
For me, it’s not easy to read the Beatitudes–not to mention to preach about it. Maybe it’s because in the Beatitudes, our Lord Jesus blesses the very people the world considers cursed. Consider his list:
This homily, based on Matthew 2:1-12, was delivered at the Asian Institute of Management Chapel on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Finding out that the three kings were neither three nor royalty was not quite as traumatic as that other life-changing discovery about Santa Claus. But to whomever thought of coming up with the three kings–what were you thinking?
For years, we staged Nativity plays that religiously featured them with their precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Why, they even had names that not only sounded good together, but also were exotic enough to prove that they had indeed journeyed from faraway lands.
