Sixth Sunday of Easter
With the death of Pope Francis and the election of Leo XIV, the Church finds itself in a phase of transition. While much has been revealed about Leo XVI’s priorities and the direction the Church will take under his leadership, we Catholics believe that there is something bigger than the papacy – the mission that Christ entrusted to the Church. A papacy is at the service of Christ and the gospel.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Most often when somebody says, “I have a new …” or “There is a new …” it is always said with a smile. People are generally happy with new things. The other day, someone wanted to get their new car blessed. When I went to bless it, I was surprised that it was not a new car. It was a new car for this person. But she was excited. We like things new - a new home, a new job, a new car, a new baby, a new life. Sometimes we even ask people, “What’s new?” There is a ring of hope to the word new.
Third Sunday of Easter
At a critical juncture in the life of Jesus, in the life of the apostles, and the life of nascent Church, Jesus asked Peter the question: “Do you love me?” Why this question? Why not, “Do you remember everything I said?” OR “Are you up to this?” If I was in Jesus’ place, my question would be, “You just denied me three times! Can I still trust you?” Why was the question, “Do you love me?”
For the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Its Missa Est is Posting a Tribute to Pope Francis. Below is the link:
The Resurrection of the Lord
I occasionally visit the parish religious education classes for our young people. The kids are allowed to ask me any question. Recently one of them asked me, “If God made us, who made God?” Another question was, “What do you do in heaven? It sounds boring.” I told the kid, “You get to play video games all day!” This kid really wants to go to heaven. Another kid did not have a question. He just said, “I don’t think Jesus rose from the dead! It is not possible.”
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
As we enter Holy Week, we are entering into a week that dramatizes the stark realities of the human condition. Within the Jesus story we find intrigue, malice, prejudice, hatred, betrayal, bribery, corruption, and bloody murder. Intertwined in this sad story is the life of a man who took the consequences of human sin upon himself and transformed it into love, forgiveness, peace and eternal life. He did so by becoming the “suffering servant” of God – a concept introduced to us both in the first and second readings. By becoming the “suffering servant,” Jesus changed the very meaning of human life. Human quest for permanent happiness and eternal life can only be fulfilled in Jesus.
Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C Readings)
Let me tell you how important the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman taken in adultery is. What if I told you that this passage does not originally belong to the gospel of John. The style in which the story is written reads more like it belong to the Synoptic gospels. Moreover, the place where it has been inserted in the gospel of John seems artificial. The story was part of the oral tradition. But the editors of the gospel of John found it necessary to preserve it in the written tradition. It is a true and treasured witness to Jesus of Nazareth.
Fourth Sunday of Lent, Scrutiny Year A Readings
Last Sunday, when reflecting on the gospel reading, I had said that the story of the Samaritan woman was a Divine drama played out on the human stage. I had also said that the central plot of this drama is, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). The primary motif used was living water – “a spring of living water welling up to eternal life,” which really is love of God poured out into our hearts.
Third Sunday of Lent (Year A Readings)
The story of the Samaritan woman is such an attention-grabbing story. This mystery woman draws our attention like few other characters in the gospel. I have written many homilies with the Samaritan woman as the central character. Today though, instead of putting her centerstage, I would like to reflect on her story in light of a larger story. The story of the Samaritan woman, in reality, is a Divine drama played out on the human stage. The central plot is very simple. “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). There is everything in this drama. There is love, there is a hero, there are villains, there is betrayal, there is sacrifice, there is tragedy, there is redemption, and there is a happy ending. But most of all there is hope. The Samaritan woman personifies the hope of the human race. No one who enters this drama is left hopeless. In fact, as Paul says in today’s second reading, “…we boast in hope.”
Second Sunday of Lent
Two weeks ago, news of a potential Eucharistic miracle at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Morris, Indiana, made the headlines. The report is that on Friday, a host was dropped during daily Mass. The host was put into water and left in the tabernacle to dissolve. Later the priest found another host that had been dropped and placed it in the tabernacle as well. But the next day, when the sacristan was preparing for Saturday Mass, she found traces of blood in the dish. The incident has not been determined as a miracle yet. Such incidents are first investigated by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith before they are certified as miracles. But the buzz the news created was intense. I had many Catholics say to me, “Did you hear about the Eucharistic miracle?”
First Sunday of Lent
I want to begin my homily by saying that the first reading for the very first Sunday of Lent is rather intriguing. It describes the establishment of the ritual for the feast of the “Firstfruits”. How do we interpret it, especially since the gospel reading recounts Jesus’ forty days in the desert. What has Firstfruits got to do with Jesus in the desert or for that matter, Lent?
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
For the last two weeks, we have been hearing from Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain. As Luke reaches the end of the Sermon, he makes some concluding statements. I would like to reflect on just one of them. Luke says, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher” (Lk 6:40). Jesus is the teacher, and we are the disciples. Today, we are being invited to be like the teacher.
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is a powerful story - the story of Saul and David we heard in today’s first reading (1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23). Even though Saul, the first ever king of Israel anointed by God, he was also soon rejected by God. When David was chosen by God to be Saul’s successor, Saul sought to eliminate him. It so happened that, one night, David found Saul in the most vulnerable position, disarmed and asleep. One thrust of the spear and Saul would be done. But David refused to take advantage of Saul’s vulnerability and spared his life.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Over the last couple of months, I have been accompanying a very dear friend of mine through his terminal illness. I would describe this friend as “a good man.” He is a really good man - married, faithful to his wife, children and family, God-fearing, and genuinely good to everybody. In more ways than one, he is a model for me. As the end of his life approaches, he shared some of his fears with me. Prominent among them is his fear of standing before God. As a pastor and friend, I know that he has nothing to fear. His life has been right and just. Yet, he says that he is afraid. I have not reached a conclusion whether his fear rises from the religious formation he received as a child, or it is the “Fear of the Lord,” which we know as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is the latter. This latter gift is also called “awe of God.” It means a healthy fear of God.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
There are passages in scripture that carry an element of solemnity that are more intense that other passages. One of such passage today’s gospel passage. In the synagogue, the solemnity with which the scroll is handed to Jesus, the description of Jesus unrolling he scroll, him reading the passage from Isaiah, the eyes of all in the synagogue looking intently at him, and Jesus announcing, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing," all point to a solemn and momentous event. Especially the words from Isaiah ending with the words “to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk 2:20) has a very specific meaning.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel reading is from the gospel of John. We know that John does not have an infancy narrative or the genealogy of Jesus. Luke and Matthew have these. But that does not mean that John is not interested in the origins of Jesus. Rather, instead of beginning with the earthly beginning of, John begins his story with the eternal existence of Jesus – “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). John’s Christmas is described in the simple words, “The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” (Jn 1:14).
The Baptism of the Lord
We bring the Christmas season to an end with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. Especially since Jesus was baptized as an adult, the celebration of the baptism of Jesus within the Christmas season is at best, superficial. More intriguing is the very question of Jesus’ baptism. Why would the sinless and incarnate Son of God need baptism?
The Epiphany of the Lord
There is a small Christian population in south-eastern Turkey who speak the same language that Jesus spoke – Aramaic. Thirty years back, there were about 50,000 Christians in this area. Today, there are merely 2,500 of them. The Christians of this tradition say that, instead of three there were twelve kings. They are not alone in claiming that there were more than three kings. St. Jacob and Michael the Syrian (aka St. Michael the Great) also claim that there were either 11 or 12 kings. The tradition of the three kings comes from reference to the three gifts. In his gospel, Matthew does not mention the number of the kings brought these three gifts. In fact, he does not even call them kings but simply magi. Magi refers to members of a priestly class. Neither Matthew nor any of the above traditions name the kings as Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar. These names belong a later 8th century tradition. No matter which tradition we ultimately go with – the feast of the Epiphany has implications for us.
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
(This homily was preached 3 years ago and is being reposted).
We have just celebrated Christmas. When we think of God’s plan and all the ways in which God could have come to us, is it not truly amazing that Christ came into a home? I find it fascinating that Christ was born into a family. The implication of this reality is immense. Just as Christ’s incarnation gave new dignity to the human race, Christ’s birth into a family brought new dignity to the human family, to the home.