Second Sunday of Advent
During Advent, the scripture readings pay much attention to John the Baptist, perhaps even more than Mary. His message seems to be terribly out of sync with the sentiments of contemporary Advent. It’s like we are having a baby shower for Jesus and then we come to Church and hear John’s words, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is hand!” (Mt 3:1). It gets even more stern: “Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt 3:10). It is almost as if there is a dissonance between our Advent and the John’s Advent.
First Sunday of Advent
I celebrate the Eucharist on most days and on somedays more than once. I have weekday Masses, weekend Masses, funeral Masses, wedding Masses, memorial Masses, healing Masses. I have been a priest now for a little more than 31 years. How many Masses do you think I have celebrated? I wish I had kept a count. I have to be careful, because something we do very often can become routine, a mere ritual, or another chore.
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe, is no ordinary celebration. Not only is it celebrated at the culmination of the liturgical year, but it also prepares the way for the new liturgical year. Even more significantly, it crowns Christ as the king of the universe. But the gospel reading for this feast is in stark contrast to the grandeur and solemnity that such a celebration calls for. It recalls one of the most vulnerable moments of Christ’s life – him lying helplessly on the cross while the rulers jeer him, the soldiers sneer at him, and even a condemned criminal reviles him. Surely the church could do better! What is in the Church’s mind as it proposes this scripture? How does the Church understand the kingship of Christ? Perhaps, in proposing the gospel reading she does, the Church is creating a model for her presence in the world.
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The rapture that did not happen.” It is a reference to the failed prediction that the rapture was going to happen September 23-24, 2025. It went viral on social media. The clock was ticking on TikTok. The prediction stemmed from a dream by a South African pastor named Joshua Mhlakela. Supposedly, Jesus appeared to him in a dream and gave him the dates. Millions of people fell for the prediction. Some quit their jobs, some emptied their bank accounts, others gathered in prayer halls, some even created survival havens. September 23-24 came and went. Then, “#TheRaptureThatDidNotHappen” went viral. But Pastor Joshua Mhlakela was unapologetic. He said he had made a mistake. He had based his prediction on the Gregorian calendar instead of the Julian calendar. His new date was October 13. The day came and went and here we are.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It is one of those feast days, which, if it falls on a Sunday takes precedence over the regular Sunday readings. What does a basilica in Rome have anything to do with us? The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome. It was built in the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This is the church where popes were consecrated. Celebrating the dedication of this cathedral is symbolic of the unity of the Catholic Church. To everyone who loves the church, this is not merely the feast of a basilica. Rather, it is the feast the universal church, the people of God, the Body of Christ, united as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Today is the commemoration of All Souls. Within the last year most of you have probably laid to rest someone you love very dearly – a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a child, a relative, a friend, or perhaps even a pet. For that matter, all of us have at some time laid to rest someone we love. And it hurts. Nothing hurts more than death. It is the sheer absence of the deceased and the sheer helplessness we experience in the face of death that is painful. Many of us would give anything to spend another moment with our beloved departed. But all the money in the world cannot buy that another moment. And that hurts.
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, we have yet another parable about prayer. The “Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector” is the second parable where Luke gives us the precise reason for the parable. Last Sunday, we had heard the “Parable of the Persistent Widow”, and Luke’s introduction to the parable was, “Jesus told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1). In today’s gospel Luke says, “Jesus addressed this parable (the Pharisee and the tax-collector” to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (Lk 18:9). Both these parables are about prayer.
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rarely do scripture readings give us the purpose of a parable in the way today’s gospel passage does. Luke says, “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1). The “Parable of the Persistent Widow” is about persistent intercession. But it is also about faith and how the two come together in our prayer.
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(This Homily was previously published in 2022).
There are two very powerful stories in today’s scripture readings. The first story is the healing of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kgs 5:14-17), and the other is Jesus healing the ten lepers (Lk 17:11-19). As powerful as these stories are in themselves, I would like to reflect on them from the perspective of a sentence from today’s second reading. Paul writes to Timothy, “But the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2:9).
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is something that I have preached about in passing which today I want to make the theme of my homily. “Don’t live a good and holy life because you want to be saved; live a good and holy life because you ARE saved!” The theme is inspired by today’s gospel reading where Jesus says, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do'" (Lk 17:10).
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I want to begin my homily with today’s Psalm response (Ps 146:7, 8-10). It reads:
“Blessed is he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.”
“The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.”
“The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.”
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
On my visit to India in August, I witnessed something that disturbed me for days and does even today. I was driving my nephew to pre-school one morning. The school is nearby, and we take a little ride there on our scooter. There is only one way to describe traffic in India – organized chaos. To make it worse, I was in peak time traffic. Everybody was in a hurry, everybody was honking, and nobody cared even a little about anything. At a crossroad, among the pedestrians, was a blind man using his cane to navigate the cross. There were probably 20 people crossing the street with him. This man was crying something out loud so people can hear him and be careful. A car on my left side slowed down but did not stop, and almost hit the blind man. His cane came under the wheels. I was outraged. I caught up with the car and stared at the driver. Well, it happened be our next-door neighbor. He works as an executive in a company, lives in a luxury duplex, drives a car, but he could care less. What is more shocking is that the entrance to his house is lined with religious symbols. But for him, this poor blind man did not mean more than the pebbles on the street. I had decided to stop by his house in the evening and express my outrage. My niece stopped me, and for the sake neighborhood politics and peace, I let it go. She has to live there but I get to leave. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with myself.
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
In last Sunday’s gospel we heard Jesus say to the crowds that travelled with him, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:27). Since the crucifixion of Christ, the cross has taken on many meanings. For us Christians, it is the primary symbol not only of Gods redeeming love but also of the cost of Christian discipleship. For this reason, the Church celebrates a feast titled, “Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” This celebration is so significant in the liturgical calendar that if September 14 falls on a Sunday, it takes precedence over the regular Sunday scripture readings.
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26-27).
I would like to share two experiences with you before I conclude with some practical implications.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today, I would like to reflect on the same question that the disciples asked Jesus, “Will only a few people be saved?” (Luke 13:23) It is a good question. Who will be saved? In today’s gospel reading Jesus gives no direct answer to the question.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(This homily was originally composed by Fr. Satish Joseph in 2019 and is being reposted).
At a time when division, polarization. and violence are rife in society church is the last place I want to come to, and hear the words, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Lk 12:51). Moreover, to hear these words from Jesus’ lips is very, very difficult. This is not the Jesus we know. The Jesus we know is the Jesus who promised God’s kingdom to peacemakers. The Jesus we know is the Jesus who says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” The Jesus we know is the Jesus who, after the resurrection, appeared to his frightened and confounded disciples saying, “Peace be with you!” What are we to make of Jesus’ seemingly divisive statement?
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The priests of the archdiocese were at a convocation this past week in Wheeling, West Virginia. The theme of the convocation was “Leading with the Heart of Jesus: Prophet, Priest, King.” The theme made me very nervous because it sounded exclusive, triumphalist, and ritualistic. Despite my reluctant, once I was there, I decided to give it a fair chance. I also wanted to be there because this would be the first time that the new archbishop would address the presbyterate. I was eager to to know his vision, his plan, and his approach for the diocese, for the priests, and the people of God.
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Let’s talk life. What does human life need to flourish? If we are realistic, we need food for each day, shelter from the natural elements, clothing to protect our delicate bodies, safety and security from dangers and illnesses, the contentment of knowing that our tomorrow is as secure as today, and because we are spiritual beings, that our souls are in peace with God, with one another, and nature. Life is a delicate balance of these realities.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Let me paint a picture. One day, Jesus was praying. Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1). What place did he choose to pray? What would have been his posture? How did he pray? What did he pray? Did he use words?
I believe that when Jesus taught the disciples the “Our Father" he was teaching them more than just a prayer. Rather, through the prayer the disciples got an insight into his thought, life, prayer, and spirituality. This prayer reveals the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation, his life, ministry, death and resurrection. In the following points, I would like argue that the "Our Father" reveals not just how to pray, but it reveals Jesus himself.
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The gospel account of Jesus at Martha and Mary house (Lk 10:38-42) is one of the most intriguing but also perhaps the most misunderstood gospel passage. It seems simple but it also raises questions. Is this passage meant to contrast prayer and service? Is this about domestic dispute or sibling rivalry? Also, perhaps like many of you, my sympathy lies with Martha, but Jesus said that it was Mary who “chose the better part” (Lk 10:42). What was Jesus really saying? A cursory reading can be confusing and lead us to the wrong conclusions. To understand the real meaning of the passage we must delve both into the context of the passage and the meaning of the Greek words. I would like to do an exegesis of this passage and then draw some practical implications.