Sunday Homilies

There is a rather common idea today that a good Christian should never criticise another person. We hear phrases such as, “Who am I to judge?” or “It is none of my business.” And certainly, Christians must avoid being judgemental, self-righteous or being an interfering busybody. But today’s readings remind us of something equally important:

Blessed Juvenal and the Renewal of the Mind On Friday, we celebrated the feast day of St Augustine, special to us as the patron of our cathedral and a son of our African soil. The conversion story of this esteemed doctor of the Church allures us too – he’s the bad boy turned good in

Isaiah 22:19-23 | Romans 11:33-36 | Matthew 16:13-20 Who is this Shebna in the first reading? He is one of those obscure Old Testament characters whom we meet for only a moment, but who turns out to be rather interesting. Shebna is the “master of the palace” under King Hezekiah, one of the most powerful

Today, the Church presents us with two extraordinary images of the same woman. In the first reading from Revelation, we see “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). And then, in the Gospel, we see a very different image: a young

There is something deeply human about the Elijah we meet in the first reading today. Only a short time earlier he had stood on Mount Carmel before King Ahab, the people of Israel, and the prophets of Baal. It had been one of the great dramatic moments of the Old Testament. Elijah had challenged the

‘I want everyone to go to heaven’ This year, we celebrate an extraordinary year of St Francis of Assisi, commemorating the 800th anniversary of his death. Two significant legends come to us from his life, which we could use today as a structure for meditation around the readings for this Sunday. The first is perhaps

Imagine yourself to be the farmer in today’s Gospel. You rise early. A bag of seed hangs over your shoulder. With each step you reach into the bag and scatter another handful across the field. Every handful is an act of hope. No one sows seed expecting failure. We sow because we believe there will

The Seeds of St Benedict, sown in St Philip – and us You can picture the scene of inevitable destruction: widespread political unrest, violence on people, honoured and ancient institutions; there is an invasion also of ideas contrary to Christ and the truth; inevitably, high taxes and low social satisfaction. This is the fifth century.

Today’s first reading evokes Holy Week and specifically Palm Sunday, containing the prophecy applied to Our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem by the Gospel authors: “Rejoice … daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you … triumphant and victorious … humble and riding on a donkey.” This striking image of a Messiah king contrasts with

The readings today ask us a simple question: who has room in our lives? Who shapes your decisions? Who receives your attention and your energy? Who or what has the ability to change the way you live? Let us begin with the first reading from the Book of Kings. We a very simple story which