Fr Tom’s Homilies
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…]
At first glance the master who goes abroad seems far removed from the God who feeds his people. But it is important to remember that although the master is abroad the servants are still his servants and the talents he gives them are his talents. All that they do will be done in his name … [Read more…]
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear of ten virgins, five foolish and five wise. The five wise ones have flasks of oil with their lamps. The foolish do not. Now, why couldn’t the five who had thought of it simply share some of their oil with the others? Why did they have to make it … [Read more…]
During the ordination rite of a priest, the bishop says to the newly ordained: “Know what you are doing; model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s Cross.” Knowing what you are doing presupposes knowing who you are. In small matters, not knowing what we are doing might be comical or annoying, but in more … [Read more…]
The cross of Jesus, in this fallen world, is what love of God and neighbor leads to and looks like. Packed away in this short scene is the truth that we too must take up our crosses if we are to love our Heavenly Father and those around us. We can expect ridicule, scorn and sometime … [Read more…]
Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s In the first reading for this Sunday, the Prophet Isaiah makes a startling statement. He refers to King Cyrus of Persia, a pagan, as someone who has been anointed by God. Cyrus was the king of Persia who conquered Babylon, where many Jews … [Read more…]