Fr Tom’s Homilies
Today’s reading point us to consider God’s call and the necessary immediacy of our response. They begin with the journey of Jonah through Nineveh. According to the reading, Nineveh was a very large city. But the Ninevites didn’t need to hear Jonah’s prophecy for three days. After a single days walk they repented. In the … [Read more…]
By Father Colin Carr, O. P. One of the greatest gifts we can give to another person is our ears. If people could listen to each other the world would be a safer and healthier place. But it’s dangerous to listen: you will be invited to share pains as well as joys; you will be … [Read more…]
On this final Feast of the Christmas Season Mark begins his Gospel in the desert, where John baptizes and where Jesus will be tested by Satan. The desert is a place at the fringes of social order, neither town nor country. But when John comes preaching repentance the normal is turned inside out: Mark tells … [Read more…]
We are just a few short days into our new calendar year, and perhaps already any resolutions we might have made have already fallen by the wayside. Yet our desire for change and a better future as we begin a new year is perfectly understandable. After all, without a desire for growth and development, what … [Read more…]
Children and teenagers, among others, have a very keen sense of justice. Or, perhaps more precisely, they have a very keen sense of injustice; they can be quick to lament “it’s not fair” should they perceive a wrong. “Life’s not fair” is the typical reply. Family life is not fair. Was it fair that Christ, … [Read more…]
Christmas is a time of year when we are bombarded with material things. We see, smell, taste and hear this festive time of year and are reminded of the infant birth with Christmas cards, songs, nativity sets, and decorations. The gifts that we exchange with friends, family and colleagues are symbolic of the gifts given … [Read more…]
St John’s Gospel is very clear about the divine identity of Jesus. The prologue to the Gospel today speaks of Him as the Word which was in the beginning with God and is God. Jesus Himself repeatedly uses the phrase ‘I am’, echoing the divine name revealed to Moses in the burning bush. There is … [Read more…]
There is a lot of distress and anxiety in our daily lives these days. Who would not want or need to be comforted. Economic systems are teeter back and forth. Political systems are being distorted and corrupted by some politicians who no longer seem adequate to the task. The stock market oscillates wildly between hope … [Read more…]
By Father Isidore Clarke Impatiently, the Psalmist, speaking for his people, exclaims, “Arouse Yourself, why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?” He was desperate. Where was God? Has He forgotten us? Does He no longer care for … [Read more…]
By Father John O’Conner Thinking of this Sunday’s gospel reading, that of the Final Judgment, and of the Gospel readings for the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King on other years, is reminiscent of a scene from Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, in which Jean Valjean, the principal character of the book, encounters the saintly … [Read more…]