Sunday Homilies

Readings: Exodus, 17:8-13, Psalm 121:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2, Luke 18:1-8

Persist in Prayer, not in begging.

It is common to hear people say “I have prayed over this, I have prayed over and over but I feel my prayers are not being answered”. The word of God today answers a such question. The answer is, never give up. Keep praying. We have different ways of looking at and understanding or perceiving prayer. The most diffused understanding of prayer is that prayer is begging, asking from God. But there is a wider perspective of prayer rather than just begging. Prayer is adoration, prayer can be praise and worship, prayer can be thanksgiving, and prayer can be intercession. Prayer can be seeking God. All these aspects give a wider view of Prayer.

Increase our faith!

Readings: Hab 1, 2-3. 2, 2-4; Ps 95, 1-9; 2 Tim 1, 6-8.13-14; Lk 17, 5-10

The Word of God for us on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time C invites us to call to mind the word of St. Paul to the Romans: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8, 28). Our faith and trust should be strong enough not to be shaken even amidst difficulties and challenges. We ought to thank God for the gift of faith which helps us to understand life with all its paradoxes. Let us, with gratitude, fan the flame of faith!

Readings: 2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 97:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Luke 17:11-19

Faith and gratitude; the password to total healing

If our faith were as small as the mustard seed, we would do great things. We would say to the mulberry tree be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey. We would do what is seemingly impossible, just with faith as tinny as the mustard seed. This was the baseline of the gospel we heard last Sunday. Imagine then how little faith we have. Yet it does great things, it brings magnificent changes. Today, through the experience of the ten lepers, the Lord wants to bring to concreteness the effects of our faith.

Readings   Amos 6:1,4-7, Psalm 146:6-7,8-9,9-10, 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Luke 16: 19-31

Do not abuse God’s gifts and blessings

At a time when there is economic crisis and famine in parts of the country like Karamoja, it can cause bleeding in the heart to hear a person blessed with food and other necessities of life using them in a way that is inappropriate and wasteful when others are dying of hunger. The rich man in the gospel had more than he needed, and Lazarus had nothing. But he never thought of giving him anything, not even the scarps that fell from his table. Imagine living in a neighborhood where there are people who have plenty and there are those who have nothing at all, and instead of sharing the surplus, it is just thrown away, what an insult that would be for those who have nothing! What a mockery it would be for them! They would die earlier because of hatred and lack of love than of hunger.