What are my words saying about me? Jesus says that our words flow out of what fills our hearts. Our words reveal our inner lives, and they have a powerful influence on what our hearts are like.

Make no mistake, this is Jesus’ most difficult teaching. This teaching is what sets Christianity apart from other religions, philosophies, psychologies, and even basic common sense. This teaching of Jesus defines the core of Christian ethics and who we are as Christians.

The key to understanding the biblical path to happiness is: “Blessed the one who has placed his trust in the Lord”

In the same way that Mary and Joseph literally were entrusted with keeping Jesus alive, we need to keep him alive within ourselves and in others."

Today we consider what darkness and difficulty we have or may be still experiencing that the light of Christ can dispel. The light of Christ comes to the temples of our lives to bring hope and comfort.

The power of the Word of God is that is it always has the potential to be fulfilled in our hearing.

Jesus transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, just as His death and resurrection transform humanity’s relationship with God.

This feast of the Baptism of the Lord calls for a response: to receive the revelation of God and live in communion with him.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany – 7 January 2024

God delights in showing himself to us so that our yearning for him can be fully satisfied. His love is humble, beautiful, and true, reaching into our lives with salvation today.

Human families are joyous and messy, yet called to holiness.

Today, we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, a tiny baby born to humble parents in a stable. This is no ordinary story; it is the drama of God reaching out to save us. The angel’s announcement to the shepherds—"To us is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord"—speaks to the deep longing in our hearts.

Mary, our model of Advent, helps us prepare with her trust, courage, and readiness to bring Christ to birth in the world.

The joy we have as Christians is not dependent on our circumstances.

God speaks to those with hearts that are humble and open.

Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near; Jesus answers our shame with forgiveness, our fear with love, and our despair with hope, reminding us of the fullness of salvation.

It comes through prayer, participating in worship and receiving the sacraments. It comes through embracing the ordinary, everyday tasks of our lives with a loving and cheerful heart. What we do becomes a means to happiness and holiness, and ultimately, when the end time comes, to our salvation with God.

Our lives are about being on a pilgrimage of trust, of moving from holding back something of our lives for ourselves, just in case, to a complete surrender to God.

Let us decide here and now, today, that we want to become saints, and then do everything we can, put all our efforts, all our attention, into allowing God to make us saints. 

Like Bartimaeus, we call out to Jesus in our need, recognizing Him as the Messiah and gentle high priest, asking for the gift of healing and spiritual sight.

The service that Jesus invites us to, is the way of love. We are called to offer ourselves up for one another.