Homilies For This Week
Homily Archive
Baptism of the Lord |
Ordinary TimeMark 1:7-11
Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, submit Himself to a baptism of repentance? Even John the Baptist was puzzled. I don’t propose to solve the mystery today. Instead I want to consider what the...
Each Of Us Is Part Of God's Plan
Cycle II
Monday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 1:1-8 & Mk. 1:14-20
As people of faith, trying our best to live the faith each day, we are called upon to believe that God guides and directs our personal lives, as well as world events. At times to emphasis His...
Respect Life And Shun Satan
Cycle II
Tuesday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 1:9-20 & Mk. 1:21-28
Hannah was a devout woman whose life was complete except for one thing - she had borne no children. It was a public shame and a private curse to be barren in Old Testament times. The ancient Jew's...
Wednesday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 3:1-10, 19-20 & Mk. 1:29-39
A man lost his hearing. An operation to have it restored was a failure. On leaving the hospital he commented, 'I would have liked to have had my hearing back but it was not to be. At least I can...
The Leper Who Teaches Us How To Pray
Cycle II
Thursday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 4:1-11 & Mk. 1:40-45
Today’s readings are all about our attitude to God and our approach to Him when we pray.
There can be no doubt that the Chosen People were fickle. They vowed to obey and love God, but so often...
Friday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 8:4-7; 10-22 & Mk 2:1-12
Throughout history people have tended to be never satisfied with their circumstances. Are we always looking for something better to turn up, and to be like those who seem to be better off in life...
What Wonders Jesus Can Do For Us!
Cycle II
Saturday of
Week 1 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 9:1-4, 17-19, 10:1 & Mk. 2:13-17
Called to be king of Israel in very ordinary circumstances, Saul was anointed by Samuel with utter simplicity. He looked every inch a king, the most handsome man in Israel, but because somebody looks...
Jesus Is The Lamb Of God
Year A
Sunday of
Week 2 in Ordinary TimeJohn 1:29-34
John the Baptist was a man with a mission. His life was planned for him. His task was to herald the coming of the Messiah to the Jews. He prepared himself for this task by living an austere life in...
Sunday of
Week 12 in Ordinary TimeJer. 20:10-13; Rom. 5:12-15; Mt. 10:26-33
Some of us fail to recognise our worth. The world has many ways of putting us down. More often than not, it simply ignores us! A sense of our own self-worth is difficult to build, and even more...
Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice
Cycle II
Monday of
Week 2 in Ordinary TimeSam. 15:16-23 & Mk. 2:18-22
God commanded King Saul to wage a holy war against the Amalekites. Not one of their possessions was to be spared. But Saul made the mistake of putting his judgement above that of God. With good...
Don't Judge By Appearances
Cycle II
Tuesday of
Week 2 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 16:1-13 & Mk. 2:23-28
Those of us who are the youngest in the family can take heart from today's first reading! When Samuel was looking for a future king from the sons of Jesse, the Lord told him to reject each one who...
Wednesday of
Week 2 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 & Mk. 3:1-6
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most familiar in the entire Old Testament. But we continue to read it to discover how to act and to find courage in the face of overwhelming odds....
Beware The Evil Of Jealousy!
Cycle II
Thursday of
Week 2 in Ordinary Time1 Sam. 18:6-9, 19:1-7 & Mk. 3:7-12
Saul was the ruling king and David, his understudy, was most willing to serve in any way he could. He had already laid his life on the line for king and country against Goliath. They could have been...
Friday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17 & Mk. 4:26-34
There is no need to read paperbacks or watch television to see sex and violence - we can find plenty of it in the pages of the Bible!
Today's story is a classic and we can perfectly understand all...
Saturday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 12:1-7, 10-17 & Mk. 4:35-41
The prophet Nathan was given a very difficult task from the Lord which demanded a great deal of courage. He was to confront King David with his sins of adultery and murder, and call him to...
Monday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 5:1-7, & Mk. 3:22-30
During today's first reading were you struck by the similarities between David and Jesus? When He was a boy I am sure Jesus would have been steeped in the history of His people. He would have known...
God Is In Our Midst
Cycle II
Tuesday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 6:12-15, 17-19 & Mk. 3:31-35
David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. By doing this he made Jerusalem the centre of worship and helped to bring about national unity under his rule. Contained in the Ark were the two...
God Dwells In Us
Cycle II
Wednesday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 7:4-11 & Mk. 4:1-20
David was eager to build God a dwelling because he lived in a fine palace while the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God's presence among His people, was in a tent. But God spoke to David through...
Thursday of
Week 3 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 7:18-19, 24-29 & Mk. 4:21-25
David's prayer in the first readings is one of gratitude. He had just received, through the prophet Nathan, a solemn promise from God that He would build a dynasty. This meant that David's line would...
Monday of
Week 4 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 15:13-14, 30, 16:4-13 & Mk. 5:l-20
Absalom was a son of King David who had murdered Amnon, his half-brother and David's eldest son. David imposed on him a punishment which was mild in comparison: he was sent into exile for two years...
The Love Of A Father
Cycle II
Tuesday of
Week 4 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30-19:3. & Mk. 5:21-43
David loved his son Absalom although he had turned against his father and wanted to kill him and usurp his throne. But when word reached David that his son had been killed, he reacted as a father,...
Placing Our Complete Trust In God
Cycle II
Wednesday of
Week 4 in Ordinary Time2 Sam. 24:2, 9-17 & Mk. 6:1-6
What is wrong in having a census? It might have been that David was acting as a prudent ruler but, in doing so, he offended God.
A head count gave a king power over his subjects, a little like the...
David's Last Moments
Cycle II
Thursday of
Week 4 in Ordinary Time1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 & Mk. 6:7-13
David knows his death is near and so, very peacefully and in a calm voice, he speaks his last words to Solomon, his son and king to be. He had witnessed so much death in his long life; most of those...
God Forgives And Forgets Our Sins
Cycle II
Friday of
Week 4 in Ordinary TimeEccles. 47:2-11. & Mk. 6:14-29
The book of Ecclesiasticus was written many centuries after the death of King David. It looked back upon his life in much the same way as do with our national heroes, such as Nelson and Churchill,...
The Value Of Unselfish Prayer
Cycle II
Saturday of
Week 4 in Ordinary Time1 Kings 3:4-13 & Mk. 6:30-34
The prayer of Solomon pleased God because it was an unselfish prayer. The gift he asked for, although for himself, was to benefit others. He was a young king who wanted to govern his people well, so...
