Traversing Emmaus - SoundSage

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Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (at the evening Mass) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Lord, hear a cause that is just, pay heed to my cry. Turn your ear to my prayer: no deceit is on my lips. I kept my feet firmly in your paths; there was no faltering in my steps. I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God. Turn your ear to me; hear my words." (cf. Ps 17).

"Pray for us; pray that the Lord’s message may spread quickly, and be received with honour as it was among you; and pray that we may be preserved from the interference of bigoted and evil people, for faith is not given to everyone. But the Lord is faithful, and he will give you strength and guard you from the evil one, and we, in the Lord, have every confidence that you are doing and will go on doing all that we tell you. May the Lord turn your hearts towards the love of God and the fortitude of Christ." (cf. 1 Thes 2:16-3:5).

"Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’ Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’" (cf. Lk 20:27-38).

Artwork: "The Mocking of Christ" by Matthias Grünewald, (c. 1503-05).

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Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (at the morning Mass) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"There were seven brothers who were arrested with their mother. The king tried to force them to taste pig’s flesh, which the Law forbids, by torturing them with whips and scourges. One of them, acting as spokesman for the others, said, ‘What are you trying to find out from us? We are prepared to die rather than break the laws of our ancestors.’ With his last breath the second brother exclaimed, ‘Inhuman fiend, you may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up, since it is for his laws that we die, to live again for ever.’ After him, they amused themselves with the third, who on being asked for his tongue promptly thrust it out and boldly held out his hands, with these honourable words, ‘It was heaven that gave me these limbs; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again.’ The king and his attendants were astounded at the young man’s courage and his utter indifference to suffering. When this one was dead they subjected the fourth to the same savage torture. When he neared his end he cried, ‘Ours is the better choice, to meet death at men’s hands, yet relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by him; whereas for you there can be no resurrection, no new life.’" (cf. 2 Macc 7:1-14).

"Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full." (cf. Ps 17).

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say. Finally, brothers, pray for us; pray that the Lord’s message may spread quickly, and be received with honour as it was among you; and pray that we may be preserved from the interference of bigoted and evil people, for faith is not given to everyone." (cf. 1 Thes 2:16-3:5).

Artwork: "Saint Peter and Saint Paul" by Jusepe de Ribera, (c. 1616).

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Homily for First Reconciliation Liturgy, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Listen then, Israel, keep and observe what will make you prosper and give you great increase, as the Lord your God of your fathers has promised you, giving you a land where milk and honey flow... Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart. You shall repeat them to your children and say them over to them whether at rest in your house or walking abroad, at your lying down or at your rising; you shall fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a circlet; you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (cf. Deut 6).

"With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption." (Ps 130).

"As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him. While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?' When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.'" (Mt 9:9-13).

Artwork: "Kalvarienberg" (Calvary) by Paolo Veronese, (c. 1580-88).

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Homily for First Reconciliation Liturgy, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum, Qld.

"With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption." (Ps 130).

Artwork: "Le Couronnement de la Vierge" by Enguerrand Quarton, (c. 1454).

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Homily for Socktober Mass with the Year 7s of Chanel College, Thursday 2nd November (Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time), delivered in the Chanel College Chapel, Gladstone, Qld.

"So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" ( Acts 1:6-8).

"That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: 'Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.Let anyone with ears listen!'" (Mt 13:1-9).

Artwork: "Imprécations contre les pharisiens" by James Tissot, (c. 1886-94).

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Homily for the Feast of All Souls, delivered (overlooking the gardens) at the Boyne Tannum Memorial Parklands Crematorium Chapel, Qld.

"The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us, like annihilation; but they are in peace... They who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await those he has chosen." (cf. Wis 3:1-9).

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." (cf. Ps 23).

"Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us." (cf. Rom 5).

"Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside." (Lk 7:11-17).

Artwork: "Resurrection of the Widow's son from Nain", an altar panel by Lucas Cranach the Younger, (c. 1569).

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Homily for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Qld.

"In your sight, Lord, the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales, like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground. Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent. Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence, for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it. And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist, how be conserved if not called forth by you? You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all." (cf. Wis 11-12).

"I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God." (Ps 145).

"To turn now, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived." (cf. 2 Thes 1:11-2:2).

"Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’" (Lk 19:1-10).

Artwork: "Kristus og Zakæus" by Niels Larsen Stevns, (1913).

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Homily for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at St Peter Channel Church, Tannum, Qld.

"You are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent... You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all. Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord." (cf. Wis 11-12).

"All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God." (Ps 145).

"We pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him..." (cf. 2 Thes 1).

"Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully... Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’" (cf. Lk 19:1-10).

Artwork: "Children Playing in a Tree" by Les Parson, (1990).

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Homily for St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School All Saints Liturgy, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum, Qld.

"Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and this is what we are." (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-3).,

"Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them: Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the kingdom of heavenbelongs to them! Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised! Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will be merciful to them! Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children! Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven.” (Mt 5:1-12a).

Artwork: "Darstellung der Glorie des Himmels: Heilige", by Paul Troger (1752).

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Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles (Friday in Thirtiet Week in Ordinary Time), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’..." (Eph 2:19-22).

"Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’." (cf. Luke 6:12-19).

Artwork: "The Martyrdom of Saints Simon and Jude", (c. 1370-75).

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Homily for the Thursday in the 30th Week of Ordinary Time, delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

Note, pending*. Readings were chosen for the class celebration.

Artwork: "Separation of David and Jonathan" by Rembrandt, (c. 1642).

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Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at Sacred Heart Church, Yeppoon, Qld.

"The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds, until it arrives he is inconsolable, nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him, acquits the virtuous and delivers judgement. And the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf." (cf. Eccl 35).

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned." (cf. Ps 34).

"My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing." (cf. 2 Tm 4).

Artwork: "Adorazione dei Magi" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, (c. 1655-60).

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Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

"The Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages... he listens to the plea of the injured party... the orphan’s supplication... the widow as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds...." (cf. Eccl 35).

"The Lord heard the cry of the poor." (cf. Ps 34).

"The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth." (cf. 2 Tm 4).

Artwork: "The Pharisee and The Tax Collector" by Master Freser (c. 1688).

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Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages. He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man, he listens to the plea of the injured party. He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication, nor the widow’s as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds. The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds... and the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf...." (cf. Eccl 35:12-19).

"The Lord heard the cry of the poor." (cf. Ps 34).

"The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (cf. 2 Tm 4:16-18).

Artwork: "The Pharisee and The Tax Collector" by James Tissot, (c. 1886-94).

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The Sacraments: God’s manifold effort to grace us with his healing, transforming presence. This presentation was given for the Women of Worth, Star of the Sea Parish, Gladstone. Below are the "intended learning outcomes" and the bibliography. If you would like the script for the talk, please request it by contacting me. My phone and email contact is easily found.

ILO 1: To access a richer experience of the Sacramental life of the Church.

ILO 2: To see the seamless thread running through each of the Sacraments.

ILO 3: To encourage recourse to each of the sacraments at the proper time.

Bibliography:

Understanding the sacraments: How many sacraments? (by Father Randy Stice, September 5, 2012), on The East Tennessee Catholic website, accessed via https://etcatholic.org/2012/09/understanding-the-sacraments-how-many-sacraments/

The Sacraments (in “Christianity”), accessed 22nd October 2022 via https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/The-sacraments and The Sacraments (in “Greek Orthodoxy”) accessed 22nd October 2022 via https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy/The-sacraments

Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed.). English Translation of the 1994 Latin text promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II. See Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Section One: the Sacramental Economy (two internal chapters), and Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church (four internal chapters).

Rite of Baptism

Rite of Matrimony

How Not To Say The Mass by Dennis C. Smolarski, SJ. (3rd Ed., 2014).

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Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-nineth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all." (Eph 4:1-6).

"Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? ‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’" (Lk 12:54-59).

Artwork: "The Blind Girl" by John Everett Millais, (c. 1854-56).

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Reflection with some of the St Francis of Assisi Preps and Year 1s (and parents and friends) at St Peter Chanel Church.

Artwork: Girl in garden, retrieved from Pinterest.

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Lectio Divina discussion on the readings for the Twenty-nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the park outside St Mary's Church, Ubobo, Qld.

"The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people." (cf. Ex 17).

"Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (cf. Ps 121).

"You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were, and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work." (cf. 2 Tm 3).

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’..." (cf. Lk 18).

Artwork: "Parable of the Unjust Judge" by Братья Белоусовы (the Belousov Brothers, c. 1881-82).

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Homily for the Twenty-nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum, Qld.

"Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (cf. Ps 121).

"Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it." (cf. 2 Tm 3).

Artwork: "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo, (c. 1508–1512).

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Homily for the Wednesday in the Twenty-nineth Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and their Companions, Martyrs, and of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.
"You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery... [to] share the same inheritance, [for we] are parts of the same body; the same promise... [and] how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is..." (cf. Eph 3:2-12).

"Truly, God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength, my song, he became my saviour. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." (cf. Is 12).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’" (cf. Lk 12:29-48).

Artwork: "Het loflied van Simeon" (Simeon's Song of Praise), by Aert de Gelder, (c. 1700-1710).

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Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of Saint Callistus, Pope, Martyr), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"It is in Christ that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came. Now you too, in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise, the pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised." (Eph 1:11-14).

"Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own." (Ps 33).

"The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops. To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid...'" (cf. Lk 12:1-7).

Artwork: The Potter's Hands, retrieve from Pintrest.

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Homily for Wednesday in the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Joseph's Chapel, Bishop's House Rockhampton, Qld.

Together with Bishop Michael and some of the priests of the Diocese.

"If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires." (Gal 5:18-25).

"Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life." (Ps 1).

"The Lord said to the Pharisees: ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!' A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’ ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’" (cf. Lk 11:42-46).

Artwork: "Wailing Wall" by Gustav Bauernfeind, (1887).

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Homily for Monday in the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Joseph's Cathedral, Rockhampton, Qld.

Concelebrated alongside Fr Matthias Ogwo Kelechi.

"The Jerusalem above, however, is free and is our mother, since scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children! Break into shouts of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour... When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery." (cf. Gal 4:22-5:1).

"The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them: ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation... when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’" (cf. Lk 11:29-32).

Artwork: "The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene" (middle panel only), by Pietro Perugino, (c. 1482).

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Homily for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Naaman the leper went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child. Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before him. ‘Now I know’ he said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel... allow your servant to be given as much earth as two mules may carry, because your servant will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any god except the Lord.’" (2 Kings 5:14-17).

"The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power: Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen, the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy." (Ps 98:1-4).

"Remember the Good News that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful, for he cannot disown his own self." (cf. 2 Tim 2:8-13).

"On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’" (Lk 17:11-19).

Artwork: "Cleansing of the ten lepers" from the Codex Aureus Epternacensis, (1035-40).

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Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith... that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit." (cf. Gal 3:7-14).

"The Lord will remember his covenant for ever." (Ps 111).

"When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you... ‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters." (cf. Lk 11:15-26).

Artwork: "Our Lady of the Holy Rosary" by Simone Cantarini (1612–1648).

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Homily for the Wednesday in the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of Saint Faustina Kowalska), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"It was not till fourteen years had passed that I went up to Jerusalem again. I went with Barnabas and took Titus with me. I went there as the result of a revelation, and privately I laid before the leading men the Good News as I proclaim it among the pagans; I did so for fear the course I was adopting or had already adopted would not be allowed. On the contrary, they recognised that I had been commissioned to preach the Good News to the uncircumcised just as Peter had been commissioned to preach it to the circumcised. The same person whose action had made Peter the apostle of the circumcised had given me a similar mission to the pagans. So, James, Cephas and John, these leaders, these pillars, shook hands with Barnabas and me as a sign of partnership: we were to go to the pagans and they to the circumcised... When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong. His custom had been to eat with the pagans, but after certain friends of James arrived he stopped doing this and kept away from them altogether for fear of the group that insisted on circumcision. The other Jews joined him in this pretence, and even Barnabas felt himself obliged to copy their behaviour. When I saw they were not respecting the true meaning of the Good News, I said to Cephas in front of everyone, ‘In spite of being a Jew, you live like the pagans and not like the Jews, so you have no right to make the pagans copy Jewish ways.’ (cf. Gal 2:1-14).

"Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News." (Psalm 117).

"Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.”’ (Lk 11:1-4).

Artwork: "Christ entouré de deux anges et de deux saints", by Antonis Mor, (c. 1556).

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Homily for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (in the evening) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"'How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen;
to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear
and you will not save...?' Then the Lord answered..." (cf. Hab 1:1-4).

"I am reminding you to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you... guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." (cf. 2 Tim 1:6-14).

"The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed...’" (cf. Lk 17:5-10).
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"Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith [one] 'freely commits [their] entire self to God." For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. 'The righteous shall live by faith.' Living faith 'work[s] through charity.' The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it. But 'faith apart from works is dead': when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body. The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: 'All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.' Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: 'So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.'" (CCC 1814-16).

Artwork: An untitled work by Deborah Calicchia, (n.d.), retrieved from Pinterest.

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Homily for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (in the morning) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen;
to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear
and you will not save? Why do you set injustice before me, why do you look on where there is tyranny? Outrage and violence, this is all I see, all is contention, and discord flourishes. Then the Lord answered..." (cf. Hab 1:1-4).

"I am reminding you to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you... not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control; bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God. Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. You have been trusted to look after something precious; guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." (cf. 2 Tim 1:6-14).

"The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you. ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid...”? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’ (cf. Lk 17:5-10).

Artwork: "Charity" by Anthony van Dyck, (c. 1627-28).

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Homily for the Feast of Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Apostle, Martyr (Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Their message goes out through all the earth." (cf. Ps 19).

"As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’" (Mt 9:9-13).

Artwork: "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Hendrick ter Brugghen, (c. 1621).

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Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (in the evening) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Listen to this... you who say 'by lowering the bushel, raising the shekel, by swindling and tampering with the scales, we can buy up the poor for money, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and get a price even for the sweepings of the wheat.’..." (cf. Am 8:4-7).

"High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory. Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth. From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people." (cf. Ps 113).

"My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone... there is only one God, and there is only one mediator... Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time... In every place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument." (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-8).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property... [In the end, however], the master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.'" (cf. Lk 16:1-13).

Artwork: "Last Judgement", by Stefan Lochner, (c. 1435).

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Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered (in the morning) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country... The Lord swears it by the pride of Jacob, ‘Never will I forget a single thing you have done.’..." (cf. Am 8:4-7).

"Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor." (cf. Ps 113).

"My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved..." (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-8).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.”... ‘No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.’" (cf. Lk 16:1-13).

Artwork: an etching in the Bowyer Bible, by Jan Luyken.

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Homily for the Feast Day End of Term Mass of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, at Canoe Point, Tannum Sands.
"In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters. God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that light was good..." (cf. Gen 1).

"In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him. What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light..." (cf. Jn 1).

Artwork: "Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata" by El Greco (1585 - 1590).

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Homily for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Wednesday in the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’ At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived." (Num 21:4-9).

"Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.’" (Jn 3:13-17).

See Bishop Michael McCarthy's motto and coat of arms here.

Artwork: "The Brazen Serpent" in the painting on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel, by Michaelangelo (15th Century).

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A conversation with the Yr 5s on retreat at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, looking at virtues for leadership.

"The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance." (CCC1834).

"Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion." Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor." (CCC1807).

Now, the Father's love, mercy, and forgiveness is afforded to all unsparingly and is sufficient for all, but "this outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us. Love, like the Body of Christ, is indivisible; we cannot love the God we cannot see if we do not love the brother or sister we do see. In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father's merciful love; but in confessing our sins, our hearts are opened to his grace." (CCC 2840).

Artwork: Wanderings in the desert map, (c. 1641).

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Homily for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Patrick's Church, Calliope, Qld.

"The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. "Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them..."' But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God... So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." (cf. Ex 32:7-14).

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all..." (cf. 1 Tim 1:12-17).

"The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke [in] parable[s] to them... [the] hundred sheep; [the] woman with ten drachmas; [the] man with two sons..." (cf. Lk 15:1-32).

Artwork: "The Worship of the Golden Calf" by Filippino Lippi (15th C.).

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Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mt Larcom, Qld.

"What man indeed can know the intentions of God? Who can divine the will of the Lord...?
Who could have learnt it, had you not granted Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from above? Thus have the paths of those on earth been straightened and men been taught what pleases you, and saved, by Wisdom." (cf. Wis 9:13-18).

"In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge." (cf. Ps 90).

"This is Paul writing, an old man now and, what is more, still a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became... if all that we have in common means anything to you, welcome him as you would me." (Phil 9-17).

"Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple; and indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’" (cf. Lk 14:25-33).

Artwork: "Divine Mercy" by Eugene Kazimierowski (1873–1939).

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Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants." (cf. Ps 90:3-17).

"Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple... none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’" (cf. Lk 14:25-33).

Artwork: "The Institution of the Eucharist" by Nicholas Poussin, (c. 1640).

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A Traversing Emmaus miniseries for the Season of Creation (1st Sept ‐ 4th Oct).

This is an ecumenical season that annually unites all Christians around the world to pray and act for our common home.

Episode 3 continues with the opening paragraphs of Laudato Si in which the Pope firstly canvasses what is meant by "integral ecology" (i.e. a vision of life in which all that is human, natural an spiritual, touches upon the questions of ecology — this is paragraphs 10-12). Secondly, the Pope sign-posts where the document is headed as part of the corpus of Catholic social teaching — what its missionary and evangelical hopes are (par. 13-16).

You can view the entire Laudato Si document at the Vatican website, available here: https://bit.ly/3q0IBda
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A Christian prayer in union with creation
Father, we praise you with all your creatures.
They came forth from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.
Praise be to you!
Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother,
you became part of this earth,
and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!
Holy Spirit, by your light
you guide this world towards the Father’s love
and accompany creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts
and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!
Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.
God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.
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A prayer of conversion,

Ever present God,
giver and sustainer of everything that has life,
maker and fulfilment of all that exists,
although we fail to respect your creation,
listen to the prayers of our heart:

We too are creatures.
Turn our hearts to your love and care for all creation.
With you we gave names to all living things.
Turn our minds to your vision of the heavens and the earth.
We live off the bounty of earth, sea and sky.
Turn our hands to your stewardship.

Through Christ, in whom all things are made
and held in being,
we pray for the power of your Spirit:
to transform our words and actions,
to care more deeply for all creatures,
to save what is threatened,
to mourn what is lost,
to seek Christ in the cry of the earth
and the cry of the poor,
and
to give glory to your name through all creation.
Amen.

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You can see the ACBC's JEP Office publications, such as the Social Justice Statement 'Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor', prayers and other resources here: https://bit.ly/3Ro2XZb

You can follow the international Laudato Si Movement here: https://bit.ly/3eeE7wR

May all of this lead to a deep and lasting ecological conversion for us all, wherever we are, with whomever we live and work.

Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

Artwork "Das Paradies" by Jan Brueghel the Elder, (c.1620).

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A Traversing Emmaus miniseries for the Season of Creation (1st Sept ‐ 4th Oct).

This is an ecumenical season that annually unites all Christians around the world to pray and act for our common home.

Episode 2 looks at the opening paragraphs of the document — the two subsections being 'Nothing in this world is indifferent to us' (par. 3-6), and 'United by a common concern' (par. 7-9).

You can view the entire Laudato Si document at the Vatican website, available here: https://bit.ly/3q0IBda
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A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
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Cry of the earth, cry of the poor prayer

Lord, when we listen with your ears we hear:
the bush grown more silent,
the birdsong less vibrant,
the stream’s sluggish ripple.
Have mercy and open our ears.

Lord, when we look with your eyes we see:
the soil depleted,
the sky smudged,
the oceans rubbished and the great currents slowed.
Have mercy and help us to see.

Lord, when we look with your eyes we see:
the workers who struggle to get by,
the women subjected to violence,
the people who are excluded.
Have mercy and help us to see.

Lord, when we listen with your ears we hear:
the sound of hungry children,
the distress of the mentally ill,
the silent pain of homeless women and men.
Have mercy and open our ears.

Send your Spirit upon us Lord to renew our sight,
to restore our hearing,
and to reclaim your reign of justice for all people
and peace for creation.

Amen.
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You can see the ACBC's JEP Office publications, such as the Social Justice Statement 'Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor', prayers and other resources here: https://bit.ly/3Ro2XZb

You can follow the international Laudato Si Movement here: https://bit.ly/3eeE7wR

May all of this lead to a deep and lasting ecological conversion for us all, wherever we are, with whomever we live and work.

Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

Artwork "Das Paradies" by Jan Brueghel the Elder, (c.1620).

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Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust... [and] the Lord alone is [our] judge; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God." (cf. 1 Cor 4:1-5).

"The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire; Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun." (cf. Ps 37:3-29).

"The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them...? No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak... and nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’" cf. Lk 5:33-39).

Artwork: "Marriage at Cana" by Giotto (c.1303).

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A miniseries for the Season of Creation, which commences today, 1st September, and continues until the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4th October.

This is an ecumenical season that annually unites all Christians around the world to pray and act for our common home. To make the most of this time, why not prayerfully sit with the Holy Father's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, and consider how we might each join the efforts now set in motion for the sake of all, especially those who are most disadvantaged, with whom we share this earth, our common home? Let us pray.

A prayer for our earth

See the Pope Francis' Message at: https://bit.ly/3AL59Dk

See information on COP27 here: https://bit.ly/3KGvOpt , and a video on the Catholic Church's position on COP15 here: https://youtu.be/s8MP3UgJEAY

If you would like to view the entire Laudato Si document, you can do so on the Vatican website. The document is available here: https://bit.ly/3q0IBda

You can see the ACBC's JEP Office publications, such as the Social Justice Statement 'Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor', prayers and other resources here: https://bit.ly/3Ro2XZb

You can follow the international Laudato Si Movement here: https://bit.ly/3eeE7wR

Please do consider how all of this may lead to a deep and lasting ecological conversion for you wherever you are, with whomever you live and work. Days and seasons like this are to mark our cultures, not just our calendars. God bless!

Artwork "Das Paradies" by Jan Brueghel the Elder, (c.1620).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Brothers, I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready... Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’? After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building." (cf. 1 Cor 3:1-9).

"Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own." (cf. Ps 33).

"Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he rebuked the fever and it left her... At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them. Devils too came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea." (cf. Lk 4:38-44).

Artwork: A mediæval illustration of Jesus healing the Gerasene, (1640).

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Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladston, Qld.

"My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. There is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in him. The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream." (cf. Eccl 3:19-31).

"God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor; the just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy. O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence. Father of the orphan, defender of the widow, such is God in his holy place. God gives the lonely a home to live in; he leads the prisoners forth into freedom; You poured down, O God, a generous rain: when your people were starved you gave them new life. It was there that your people found a home, prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor." (cf. Ps 68).

"What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s." (cf. Heb 12:18-24).

"On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. '... everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’" (cf. Lk 14:1-14).

Artwork: "The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind." (n.d.).

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Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

"My son, be gentle in carrying out your business; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. There is no cure for the proud man’s malady..." (cf. Eccl 3:19-31).

"God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor." (cf. Ps 68).

"What you have come to is nothing known to the senses... what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant..." (Heb 12:18-24).

"On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, "Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’" (cf. Lk 14:1-14).

Artwork: "The Ascension" in Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, (15th C.).

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Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save... Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ — Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength." (cf. 1 Cor 1:17-25).

"Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps... Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’..." (cf. Mt 25:1-13).

Artwork: "Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins" by Hieronymus Francken the Younger, (c. 1616).

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Homily delivered Wednesday 24th August 2022, for some of the Year 5s at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies... By his death on the cross Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God — Good News of peace to all – [brought by the] one Spirit into the presence of the Father." (cf. Eph 2:14-18).

"Jesus went into Jericho and was passing through. There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, 'Hurry down Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today...' Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.' Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today." (cf. Lk 19:1-9).

Artwork: "What Our Lord Saw from the Cross" by James Tissot, (1886-94).

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Homily for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, Martyr (Wednesday in the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The angel came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Ap 21:9-14).

"Your friends tell the glory of your kingship, Lord. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God. They make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age. The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts. Your friends tell the glory of your kingship, Lord." (cf. Ps 145:10-18).

"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’" (Jn 1:45-53).

Artwork: St Bartholomew Manuscript Leaf with the Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, from a ‘Laudario’, (c.1340, Florence).

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Homily for Tuesday in the Twenty-first Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint Rose of Lima), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"To turn, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in this way. Through the Good News that we brought God called you to this so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say." (cf. 2 Thes 2:1-17).

"The Lord comes to judge the earth." (cf. Ps 96).

"The word of God is living and active: it probes the thoughts and motives of our heart." (Heb 4:12).

"Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels! Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.’" (Mt 23:23-26).

Artwork: "Christ and Mary Magdalene in the House of Simon the Pharisee" by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, (1752).

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Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Mary's Church, Ubobo, Qld.

"The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. As an offering to the Lord they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord..." (cf. Is 66:18-21).

"Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News." (cf. Ps 117).

"Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons... Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again." (cf. Heb 12:5-13).

"Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!” Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’..." (cf. Lk 13:22-30).
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"O Lord, who gained for yourself a people by adoption through the one sacrifice offered once for all, bestow graciously on us, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace in your Church." (Prayer over the Offerings).

Artwork: "The Reconciliation of Esau and Jacob" by Rubens (1624).

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Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (children receiving First Holy Communion), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News." (cf. Ps 117).

"Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him...?" (cf. Heb 12:5-13).

"Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!” ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth... yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.'" (cf. Lk 13:22-30).

Artwork: "Jesus among the doctors" by Paolo Veronese (c. 1560).

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Homily for Friday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint John Eudes), delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"The hand of the Lord was laid on me, and he carried me away by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, a valley full of bones. He made me walk up and down among them. There were vast quantities of these bones on the ground the whole length of the valley; and they were quite dried up. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘You know, Lord.’ He said, ‘Prophesy over these bones. Say, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this to these bones: I am now going to make the breath enter you, and you will live. I shall put sinews on you, I shall make flesh grow on you, I shall cover you with skin and give you breath, and you will live; and you will learn that I am the Lord.”’ I prophesied as I had been ordered. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a sound of clattering; and the bones joined together. I looked, and saw that they were covered with sinews; flesh was growing on them and skin was covering them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, “The Lord says this: Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead; let them live!”’ I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army. Then he said, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They keep saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” So prophesy. Say to them, “The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.”...’" (Ez 37:1-14).

"When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’" (Mt 22:34-40).
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"If anyone examines the state of affairs outside the Christian fold, he will easily discover the principle trends that not a few learned men are following. Some imprudently and indiscreetly hold that evolution... explains the origin of all things, and audaciously support the monistic and pantheistic opinion that the world is in continual evolution. Communists gladly subscribe to this opinion so that, when the souls of men have been deprived of every idea of a personal God, they may the more efficaciously defend and propagate their dialectical materialism. Such fictitious tenets of evolution which repudiate all that is absolute, firm and immutable, have paved the way for the new erroneous philosophy which, rivaling idealism, immanentism and pragmatism, has assumed the name of existentialism, since it concerns itself only with existence of individual things and neglects all consideration of their immutable essences. [This] overthrows the foundation of all truth and absolute law, both on the level of philosophical speculations and especially to Christian dogmas." (Humani Generis, par 5-7).

Artwork: "Valley of The Dry Bones" by Gustav Doré, (1866).

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Homily delivered for Year 3s at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord says, 'Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.'" (Is 58:7).

"I am the servant of the Lord. The Lord rescues the poor who call to him, and those who are needy and neglected; He has pity on the weak and poor; he saves the lives of those in need; He rescues then from oppression and violence; their lives are precious to him; God remembers his people. He has done marvellous deeds for me. Holy is his name.” (cf. Ps 72).

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose one of you has a servant who is ploughing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry and eat his meal? Of course not! Instead, you say to him, 'Get my supper ready, and put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.' The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? It is the same with you; When you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Lk 17:7-10).

Artwork: "Miracle of the Slave" by Tintoretto (c. 1548).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld, Australia.

"The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'Shepherds, the Lord says this: Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock, yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and violently. For lack of a shepherd they have scattered, to become the prey of any wild animal; they have scattered far. My flock is straying this way and that, on mountains and on high hills; my flock has been scattered all over the country; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them. Well then, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, I swear it – it is the Lord who speaks – since my flock has been looted and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of any wild animal, since my shepherds have stopped bothering about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, in view of all this, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this: I am going to call the shepherds to account. I am going to take my flock back from them and I shall not allow them to feed my flock. In this way the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will not prey on them any more. For the Lord says this: 'I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view.'" (Ez 34:1-11).

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." (cf Ps 23).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard... the last will be first, and the first, last.’" (cf. Mt 20:1:16).

Artwork: "Good Shepherd" by Jean Baptiste de Champaigne (17th Century).

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"So, David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it. Next, he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites. The Levites carried it on poles on their shoulders, as the Lord had commanded through Moses. David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals. They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God. After David had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord." (1 Cor 15: 3-4; 15-16; 16: 1-2).

"Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, 'You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord's mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heardyour greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. How happy you are to believe that the Lord's message to you will come true!'

Mary said, 'My heart praises the Lord; my soul is glad because of God my Savior, for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is holy; from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him. He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel. He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!' Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home." (Lk 39-56).

Artwork: "Visitation" by Domenico Ghirlandaio, (1491).

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Homily for the Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Monday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth... The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ.’" (cf. Rev 11:19-12:10).

"The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold. The daughters of kings are among your loved ones. On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir. Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: He is your lord, pay homage to him. They are escorted amid gladness and joy; they pass within the palace of the king." (cf. Ps 45).

"Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet." (1 Cor 15:20-26).

"Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' And Mary said: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour...' Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home." (cf. Lk 1:39-56).

Artwork: "Immaculate Conception" by Peter Paul Rubens, (16th Century).

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Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death...' Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well, where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies.’ (cf. Jer 28).

"As for me, wretched and poor, the Lord thinks of me. You are my rescuer, my help, O God, do not delay." (Ps 40).

"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us... and keep running steadily in the race we have started... Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage; keep fighting to the point of death." (cf. Heb 12:1-4).

"‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'" (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Artwork: Wrisberg epitaph (showing divine graces distribute in the church and through the sacraments), by Johannes Hopffe (1585).

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Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Miriam Vale, Qld.

"The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.’ ‘He is in your hands as you know,’ King Zedekiah answered ‘for the king is powerless against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank." (cf. Jer 28).

"I waited, I waited for the Lord and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry. Lord, come to my aid! He drew me from the deadly pit, from the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock and made my footsteps firm." (Ps 40).

"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started... for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death." (cf. Heb 12:1-4).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over...!'" (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Artwork: "Jeremiah" in the Sistine Chapel, (Michaelangelo, 1508-12).

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Homily delivered for St Francis of Assisi's Sporting Houses School Liturgy (Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi), in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"My child, always be humble, and all of God’s people will love you. The more important you are, the more humble you should be. This will please the Lord. The Lord has great power, and it is praised by those by those who are humble." (cf. Sir 3:17-20).

"I will bless the Lord at all times. I will always praise the Lord; with all my heart, I will praise the Lord. Let all who are helpless listen and be glad. Honour the Lord with me! Celebrate His great name. I ask the Lord for help, and for him to save me from all my fears. Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to Him for protection, and you will be glad. Honour the Lord! You are His special people. No one who honours the Lord will ever be in need." (cf. Ps 34).

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My commandment is this: Love one another just as I love you. The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them. And you are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father. You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. This, then, is what I command you: Love one another." (Jn 15:11-17).

"Happy the soul to whom it is given to attain this life with Christ, to cleave with all one’s heart to him whose beauty all the heavenly hosts behold forever, whose love inflames our love, the contemplation of whom is our refreshment, whose graciousness is our delight, whose gentleness fills us to overflowing, whose remembrance makes us glow with happiness, whose fragrance revives the dead, the glorious vision of whom will be the happiness of all the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. For he is the brightness of eternal glory, the splendour of eternal light, the mirror without spot. Look into that mirror daily... and ever study therein your countenance, that within and without you may adorn yourself with all manner of virtues, and clothe yourself with the flowers and garments that become the daughter and chaste spouse of the most high King. In that mirror are reflected poverty, holy humility and ineffable charity, as, with the grace of God, you may perceive. Gaze first upon the poverty — the King of angels, Lord of heaven and earth, is laid in a manger. Consider next the humility — the untold labours and burdens which he endured for the redemption of the human race. Then look upon the unutterable charity with which he willed to suffer on the tree of the cross and to die thereon the most shameful kind of death. This mirror, Christ himself, fixed upon the wood of the cross, bade the passers-by consider these things: ‘All you who pass this way look and see...' Contemplate further the indescribable joys, the wealth and unending honours of the King... In such contemplation be mindful." (from Saint Clare's writings to Blessed Agnes of Prague).

Artwork: a painting of St Agnes of Assisi contemplating the crucified Christ, (n.d.).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Saint Laurence, Deacon, Martyr), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten. The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one." (2 Cor 9:6-10).

"I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life." (Jn 8:12).

"Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him." (Jn 12:24-26).

Artwork: "St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church" by Bernardo Strozzi, (c. 1625).

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Homily for the Solemnity of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, (Monday in the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"And then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, 'Up and go to Zarephath, a Sidonian town, and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to give you food.’ So he went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, 'Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord sends
rain on the face of the earth.' The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah." (1 Kgs 17:8-16).

"My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast." (Ps 63).

"You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful. Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:12-17).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am telling you not to worry... Look at the birds in the sky; think of the flowers growing in the fields... Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’" (Mt 6:25-34).

Artwork: Brisbane Archdiocesan Image of Saint Mary MacKillop.

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Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The devout children of worthy men offered sacrifice in secret
and this divine pact they struck with one accord: that the saints would share the same blessings and dangers alike; and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers." (cf. Wis 18:6-9).

"The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine. Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you. Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own." (cf. Ps 33).

"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God." (cf. Heb 11:8-19).

"What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, 'My master is taking his time coming,' and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him." (cf. Lk 12: 32-48).

Artwork: stained glass in Champagné-les-Marais Church, Vendée, France, (n.d.).

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Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"That night had been foretold to our ancestors, so that, once they saw what kind of oaths they had put their trust in,
they would joyfully take courage. This was the expectation of your people,
the saving of the virtuous and the ruin of their enemies; for by the same act with which you took vengeance on our foes
you made us glorious by calling us to you." (cf. Wis 18:6-9).

"Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own." (cf. Ps 33).

"Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended." (cf. Heb 11:1-2).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes... You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’..." (cf. Lk 12: 32-48).

Artwork: "Illuminierte Seite aus dem Waldburg-Gebetbuch", anonymous, (15th C., public domain).

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Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! For so it is that a man who has laboured wisely, skilfully and successfully must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights? This, too, is vanity." (Eccl 1:2, 2:21-23).

"Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him. That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: immoral, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything." (cf. Col 3:1-11).

"A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’ Then he told them a parable [explaining how] it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God..." (cf. Lk 12:13-21).

Artwork: Colorized version of King Solomon in Old Age by Gustave Doré (1866).

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Homily for Catholic Education Week 2022 (on the Feast of St James, Apostle), delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains – but if I have no love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, but if I have no love, this does me no good... Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fails." (cf 1 Cor 13:1-8).

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'My commandment is this: love one another just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. And you are my friends... if you do what I command you." (cf. Jn 15:12-17).

Artwork: "Enthroned Virgin and Child with SS. James the Greater and James the Lesser", by Pieter Claeissens the elder, (1499 - 1576).

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Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Approaching him he said, ‘Are you really going to destroy the just man with the sinner...? Will you really overwhelm them...? Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner, treating just and sinner alike! Do not think of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?’ the Lord replied, ‘If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town, I will spare the whole place because of them...' He said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the ten.’" (cf. Gen 18:20:32).

"I thank you for your faithfulness and love, which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul." (cf. Ps 138).

"You were dead, because you were sinners... he has brought you to life with him, he has forgiven us all our sins. He has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it to the cross." (cf. Col 2:12-14).

"You have received the Spirit which makes us God’s children, and in that Spirit we call God our Father." (cf. Rom 8:15).

"Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test... What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’" (cf. Lk 11:1-13).

Artwork: "Head of Christ", anonymous, (18th C.).

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Homily for Friday in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Saint Mary Magdalene), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The bride says this: On my bed, at night, I sought him whom my heart loves. I sought but did not find him. So I will rise and go through the City; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my heart loves. I sought but did not find him. The watchmen came upon me on their rounds in the City: ‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’ Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my heart loves." (Song 3:1-4).

"O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy. On my bed I remember you. On you I muse through the night for you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast." (cf. Ps 63).

"It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away... she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’" (cf. Jn 20:1-18).

Artwork: "Mary Magdalen at the Sepulchre" by Henry Lejeune, (1819-1904).

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Homily for Wednesda in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of a priestly family living at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’ I said, ‘Ah, Lord; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’ But the Lord replied, ‘Do not say, “I am a child.” Go now to those to whom I send you and, say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is the Lord who speaks!’ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: ‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth. Look, today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’" (Jer 1:1-10).

"Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables. He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’" (cf. Mt 13:1-9).

Artwork: "Parable of the Sower" by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1557).

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Homily for Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord appeared to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up, and there he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and bowed to the ground. ‘My lord,’ he said ‘I beg you, if I find favour with you, kindly do not pass your servant by. A little water shall be brought; you shall wash your feet and lie down under the tree. Let me fetch a little bread and you shall refresh yourselves before going further. That is why you have come in your servant’s direction.’ They replied, ‘Do as you say.' Abraham hastened to the tent to find Sarah." (Gen 18:1-6a).

"It makes me happy to suffer for you; [to] serv[e] the Church; [to deliver] God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints... The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect (cf. fully mature) in Christ." (cf. Col 1:24-28).

"Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’" (Lk 10:38-42).

Artwork: "The well-stocked kitchen, with Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary in the background" by Joachim Beuckelaer, (c. 1561–1570).

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Homily for Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint Bonaventure), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘The Lord says this, “Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live.”’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this prayer to the Lord, ‘Ah, Lord, remember, I beg you, how I have behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what is right in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah shed many tears. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, “The Lord, the God of David your ancestor, says this: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will cure you..." Hezekiah said, ‘What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of the Lord?’ ‘Here’ Isaiah replied — and the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined." (cf. Is 38:1-22).

"You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die." (cf. Is 38).

"Jesus took a walk one sabbath day through the cornfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The Pharisees noticed it and said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath.’ But he said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did...? Or again, have you not read [the] Law...? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple; what I want is mercy, not sacrifice; the Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’" (cf. Mt 12:1-8).
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"Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then such a man will make with Christ a pasch, that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulchre, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: Today you will be with me in paradise... Let us die, then, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ from this world to the Father, so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: It is enough. We may hear with Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; and we can rejoice with David, saying: My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all the people say: Amen. Amen!" (Daily Bonaventure, The Mind's Journey to God, 1259).

Artwork: "Jesus with the Pharisees", (Jacques Callot, 1635).

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Homily for Thursday in the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint Camillus), delivered in Chanel College Chapel, Gladstone, Qld.
"The path of the upright man is straight, you smooth the way of the upright. Following the path of your judgements, we hoped in you, O Lord, your name, your memory are all my soul desires. At night my soul longs for you
and my spirit in me seeks for you; when your judgements appear on earth the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity. O Lord, you are giving us peace, since you treat us as our deeds deserve. Distressed, we search for you, O Lord; the misery of oppression was your punishment for us. As a woman with child near her time writhes and cries out in her pangs, so are we, O Lord, in your presence: we have conceived, we writhe as if we were giving birth; we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth, no more inhabitants of the world are born... awake, exult, all you who lie in the dust, for your dew is a radiant dew and the land of ghosts will give birth." (Is 26:7-19).

"Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’" (Mt 11:28-30).

Artwork: Jesus bearing his Cross (source unknown).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint Henry), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord of hosts says this: Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, the club brandished by me in my fury! I sent him against a godless nation; I gave him commission... But he did not intend this, his heart did not plan it so. No, in his heart was to destroy, to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit. For he has said: ‘By the strength of my own arm I have done this and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine; I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples and plundered their treasures. I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust...' Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it, or the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood! And so the Lord of Hosts is going to send... a burning [that] will burn
like a consuming fire." (cf. Is 10:5-16).

"They crush your people, Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen. They kill the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless child, [and] say: ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’ Mark this, most senseless of people; fools, when will you understand? Can he who made the ear, not hear? Can he who formed the eye, not see? Will he who trains nations not punish? Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge? The Lord will not abandon his people. The Lord will not abandon his people nor forsake those who are his own; for judgement shall again be just and all true hearts shall uphold it." (cf. Ps 94:5-15).

"Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’" (Mt 11:25-27).

"Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness" (CCC 397); Faith in the one true God revealed in Jesus "means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust: Let nothing trouble you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes. God never changes. Patience... obtains all
Whoever has God... wants for nothing. God alone is enough." (CCC 227 cf 222-227).

"Lord God, you endowed Saint Henry with abundant grace and led him from an earthly to a heavenly kingdom, grant, at his intercession, that, amid this world’s changes, we may, with pure minds, hasten on our way to you." (Collect).

Artwork: Byzantine mosaic of Christ the creator of the world resting after creation, (12 Century, Montreal).

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Homily for Tuesday in the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saints Zélie and Louis Martin, the parents of the the Little Flower), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it. The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him: 'Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink
because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have plotted to ruin you, and have said: Let us invade Judah and terrorise it and seize it for ourselves, and set up a king there, the son of Tabeel. The Lord says this:
It shall not come true; it shall not be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. Six or five years more and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people. But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.'” (Is 7:1-9).

"... the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear: God upholds his city for ever." (cf Ps 48).

"Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent. 'Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! And as for you, Capernaum... it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.’" (cf Mt 11:20-24).

Artwork: unknown.

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Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Moses said to the people: Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, 'Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?' Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, 'Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?' No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance." (Deut 30:10-14).

"This is my prayer to you, my prayer for your favour. In your great love, answer me, O God; the poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for God will bring help to Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah... those who love his name shall dwell there." (cf. Ps 69:14-37).

"Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God... for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible; all things were created through him and for him. Before anything was created, he existed, and he holds all things in unity. Now the Church is his body... because God wanted all perfection to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth..." (cf. Col 1:15-20).

"There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’... Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do...'" (cf. Lk 10:25-37).

Artwork: "Altarpiece of the Lamentation" by Joos van Cleef, (early 16th Century).

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Homily for Friday in the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord. Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away...' I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from them. I will fall like dew on Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar, his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon. What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him? I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me. Let the wise man understand these words.
Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning." (cf. Hos 14:2-10).

"My mouth will declare your praise; Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin... Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom... Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise." (cf. Ps 51).

"Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you... You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved." (cf Mt 10:16-23).

Artwork: "Christ in the Garden of the Olives", by Henri Eugène Paul Gauguin (1889).

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Homily for Thursday in the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of Saint Peter To Rot), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Thus says the Lord: When Israel was a child I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt. But the more I called to them, the further they went from me; they have offered sacrifice to the Baals and set their offerings smoking before the idols. I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them. I led them with reins of kindness, with leading-strings of love. I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food. Ephraim, how could I part with you? Israel, how could I give you up? How could I treat you like Admah, or deal with you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought. I will not give rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not man: I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy." (cf. Hos 11:1-9).

"Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils... And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet." (cf. Mt 10:7-15).

Artwork: Illustration of Hosea and Gomer from the Bible Historiale, (1372).

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Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’ Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant." (cf. 1 Kngs 19:16-21).

"When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery." (cf. Gal 5:1).

"As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village. As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’" (Lk 9:51-62).

Artwork: "Elijah's firey ascent into heaven" (16th Century).

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Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2022, delivered in St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

"The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’ [Elisha] followed Elijah and became his servant." (cf. 1 Kngs 19:16-21).

"You are my inheritance, O Lord. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize.’" (Ps 16).

"When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence... Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger; If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you." (cf. Gal 5:1,13-18).

Artwork: "Elisha the Prophet" by Giorgio Vasari (c.1566).

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Homily for the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, (Readings from the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart), feast day Mass for St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.
"The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view... I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them." (cf. Ez 34:11-16).

"Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’" (Lk 15:3-7).

Artwork: "Zacharias Writes Down the Name of his Son" by Domenica Ghirlandaio, (1486-90).

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, (Friday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.
"The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited place in the land. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them." (Ez 34:11-16).

"Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it...? In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’" (cf. Lk 15:3-7).

Artwork: a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hanging above the entrance of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Mt Larcom.

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Homily for Thursday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, delivered Chanel School Chapel, Gladstone, Qld.
"Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done..." (cf. 2 Kngs 24:8-17).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock... But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand...' Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes." (cf. Mt 7:21-29).
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"Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside the water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground... Cling to God, and leave all the rest to Him: He will not let you perish. Your soul is very dear to Him, He wishes to save it." (Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque).

Artwork: Parable of the Fig Tree by Jan Luyken (in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas More), delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.
"The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it... On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the following order: ‘Go and consult the Lord on behalf of me and the people... great indeed must be the anger of the Lord'..." (cf. 2 Kngs 22:8-23:3).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’" (Mt 7:15-20).

Artwork: "King Josiah" in The Story of the Bible of Genesis to Revelation (1873).

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Homily for Tuesday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga), delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.
"Sennacherib, King of the Assyrians, sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?”’ Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God... It is true, O Lord...?' That same night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh." (cf. 2 Kngs 19:9-11,14-21,31-36).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs... Enter by the narrow gate [for] it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’" (cf. Mt 7:6, 12-14).

Artwork: "Christ Cleansing the Temple" by El Greco, (1570).

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Homily for Thursday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, delivered Chanel School Chapel, Gladstone, Qld.
"The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch. It was he who brought famine on the people, and who decimated them in his zeal. By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens, he also, three times, brought down fire. How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have...? Elijah was shrouded in the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit; throughout his life no ruler could shake him, and no one could subdue him. No task was too hard for him, and even in death his body prophesied. In his lifetime he performed wonders, and in death his works were marvelous." (cf. Eccl 48:1-15).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this..." (cf. Lk 6:7-15).

"'Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.' But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or 'out of the depths' of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that 'we do not know how to pray as we ought,' are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer..." (CCC 2559).

Artwork: "The Lord's Prayer" by John Morgan Coaley, (1889).

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Homily for Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"This is what happened when the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, Elijah said, ‘Elisha, please stay here, the Lord is only sending me to the Jordan.’ But he replied, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!’ And they went on together... When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ ‘Your request is a difficult one’ Elijah said. ‘If you see me while I am being taken from you, it shall be as you ask...' and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and shouted, ‘My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!’ Then he lost sight of him, and taking hold of his clothes he tore them in half. He picked up the cloak of Elijah which had fallen, and went..." (2 Kings 2:1-14).

"When you give alms, [or] pray, [or] fast... your Father who sees all that is done in secret... will reward you'..."

"There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." (Communion Antiphon, Ps 26:4).

Artwork: "The Garden of Eden" by Lucas Cranach, (c. 16th).

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 2022, delivered in St Therese's Church, Monto, Qld.
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The last of three Thanksgiving Masses for the Callide Valleys.

"Blest be God the Father, and the Only Begotten Son of God, and also the Holy Spirit, for he has shown us his merciful love." (Entrance Antiphon).

"It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For with your Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit you are one God, one Lord: not in the unity of a single person, but in a Trinity of one substance. For what you have revealed to us of your glory we believe equally of your Son and of the Holy Spirit,
so that, in the confessing of the true and eternal Godhead, you might be adored in what is proper to each Person, their unity in substance, and their equality in majesty. For this is praised by Angels and Archangels, Cherubim, too, and Seraphim, who never cease to cry out each day, as with one voice they acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." (Preface for the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity).
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"In adoring the Holy Trinity, life-giving, consubstantial, and indivisible, the Church's faith also professes the distinction of persons. When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath. In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him." (CCC 689).

"By his coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit causes the world to enter into the 'last days,' the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited though not yet consummated:

We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has saved us." (CCC 732).

Artwork: Depiction of the Holy Spirit as a dove, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, (c. 1660).

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 2022, delivered in St Joseph's Church, Biloela, Qld.
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The second of three Thanksgiving Masses for the Callide Valleys.

"God our Father, who by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made known to the human race your wondrous mystery, grant us, we pray, that in professing the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever." (Collect of the Solemnity).

"When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand, put all things under his feet. All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters — O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!" (Ps 8:4-9).

"Jesus said to his disciples: I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All he tells you will be taken from what is mine." (Jn 16:12-15).
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"We can invoke God as 'Father' because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us. In this Son, through Baptism, we are incorporated and adopted as sons of God." (CCC 2798).

"He who believes in Christ becomes a son [or daughter] of God. This filial adoption transforms [them] by giving [them] the ability to follow the example of Christ, [and] of acting rightly and doing good. In union with [their] Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness. Having matured in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven." (CCC 1709).

Artwork: The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator (6th Century) at Saint Catherine's Monastery. Notice the dual expressions seeking to emphasise Christ's human and divine nature.

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 2022, delivered in St Michael's Church, Moura, Qld. , relieving the while Fr Simeon is on holidays.
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One of three Thanksgiving Massed offered for the gracious hospitality and prayerful support given by the people in the Callide Valley since my visit as a Seminarian in Advent of 2016.

"The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being..." (cf. Prov 8); "O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!" (Ps 8); "Through our Lord Jesus Christ... the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us." (cf Rm 5:1-5).

See a very simple definition of 'kataphatic' and 'apophatic' spirituality here (by author Jim Manney), and a more in-depth look at the terms here (by Fr Frederick McLeod SJ).

Artwork: a portion of The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities by Murillo (c. 1677).

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Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost, 2022, delivered in Our Lady to Star of the Sea, Qld.

"Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished." (cf. Acts 2).

"Holy Spirit, Lord of Light, from the clear celestial height thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor, come with treasures which endure; come, thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best, thou, the soul’s delightful guest, dost refreshing peace bestow

Thou in toil art comfort sweet, pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, light divine, visit thou these hearts of thine, and our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, all his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew, on our dryness pour thy dew, wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen, warm the chill, guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore, thee confess and thee adore, with thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die, give us life with thee on high, give us joys that never end."
(Pentecost Sequence).

Artwork: The Pentecost depicted in a 14th-century Missal.

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Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost, 2022, delivered in Our Lady to Star of the Sea, Qld.

"When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house..." (cf. Acts 2).

"It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf... through the blood of Jesus we have the right to enter the sanctuary, by a new way which he has opened for us, a living opening through the curtain, that is to say, his body. And we have the supreme high priest over all the house of God. So [let us] go in." (cf. Heb 9:24-10:23).

"Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him." (cf. Rm 8:8-17).

"Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever. If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him...'" (cf. Jn 14:15-23).
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"The Church, 'in the course of the year, . . . unfolds the whole mystery of Christ from his Incarnation and Nativity through his Ascension, to Pentecost and the expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord' (SC 102 § 2);On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ's Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance." (CCC 1194, 731).

Artwork: a map of Jerusalem noting the place of the Pentecost, Ubi apostoli acceperunt spiritum sanctum, at the location of the Cenacle (1472).

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Homily for the Friday in the Seventh Week of Eastertide (Feast of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld._____
Thank you to Yr3 from St John the Baptist Primary School, for the liturgy you prepared, and for your presence and gifts.

"King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation...'" (cf. Acts 35:13-21).

"The Lord has set his thrown in heaven." (cf. Ps 103).

"Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep... follow me.'" (cf. Jn 21:15-19).

Artwork: Christ's Charge to Peterby Raphael, (c. 1515).

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Homily for the Wednesday in the Seventh Week of Eastertide (Feast of Saint Justin Marty), delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"... ‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard..." (Acts 20:28-31).

"Show forth, O God, show forth your might, your might, O God, which you have shown for us. He thunders his voice, his mighty voice. Come, acknowledge the power of God... God is to be feared in his holy place; He gives strength and power to his people." (cf. Ps 68).

"Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: ‘Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us; I kept those you had given me; I have watched over them; [I] share[d] my joy with them to the full; I passed your word on to them... I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one; [to] consecrate them in the truth; as you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth'..." (cf Jn 17:11-19).

"... there is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle — the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes: He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows." (CCC 2015).

"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (CCC 675).

Artwork: a pelican vulning herself, used in Christian iconography since the 12 century.

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Homily for the Monday in the Seventh Week of Eastertide, delivered for some of the Yr4 students at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words, Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them..." (Acts 19:1-6).

"... ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see... [and] because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them: ‘Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered... each going his own way... be brave: I have conquered the world'..." (cf Jn 16:29-33).

Artwork: An early Christian painting of the 'agape feast', or the celebration of the Eucharist.

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Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, in Easter, 2022, delivered in Our Lady to Star of the Sea, Qld.

"In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught... He had shown himself alive and [told] them about the kingdom of God... ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: ... you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit...' As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight." (cf. Acts 1:1-11).

"What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. So Christ himself gave [gifts] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:9-14 NIV).

‘You see how it is written... [that] the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations... Now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay...' and lifting up his hands he blessed them — [and] as he blessed them, he withdrew from them... and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him... and they were continually in the Temple praising God." (cf. Lk 24:46-53).
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"Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3); [thus] God's plan has entered into its fulfillment. We are already at 'the last hour', and 'the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect.' Christ's [second] coming in glory has been imminent [and] could be accomplished at any moment." (CCC 650, -70, -73).

Artwork: 'The Ascension of Christ' by Pietro Perugino (1448–1523).

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Homily for Sixth Sunday in Easter, 2022, delivered in Mary Immaculate Church, Emu Park, Qld.

"Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement..." (Acts 15:1-2).

"In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates [over which] were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; the city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple..." (cf Rev 21).

"I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything..." (cf. Jn 14:21-29).

Artwork: "New Jerusalem" Armenian manuscript by Malnazar and Aghap'ir in New Julfa bible, 1645.

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Homily for Fifth Sunday in Easter, 2022, delivered in St Mary's Church, Ubobo, and Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God'..." (cf. Acts 14:21-27).

"I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth; I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them'..." (cf Rev 21:1-5).

"If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself... love one another; just as I have loved you: by this... everyone will know that you are my disciples'..." (cf. Jn 13:31-35)

Artwork: Fresco in the Vatican Cappella Paolina by Michelangelo, (1542-45).

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Homily for the Friday in the Fourth Week of Eastertide, delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Paul and his friends carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats. After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message: ‘Brothers, if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so.’ Paul stood up, held up a hand for silence and began to speak: ‘People of Israel, and fearers of God, listen! ... We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the second psalm: You are my son: 'today I have become your father'; I want you to realise that it is through him that forgiveness of your sins is proclaimed. Through him justification [is] offered to every believer'; Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them." (cf. Acts 13:14-43).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ (Jn 14:1-6).
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"The characteristics of the awaited Messiah (i.e. "Isaiah said this when he saw [Christ's] glory,"), 'There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.'..." (cf. Is 11; CCC 721).

"The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit [imparted to all the faithful] are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations, [enabling "one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions."] 'Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God... If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ'..." (CCC 1831, -45, 1808).

"The faithful should bear witness to [and] confess the faith without giving way to fear [or swearing false oaths, which, violating the second Commandment, 'take[s] God as witness to what one affirms, [and] invoke[s] the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one's own truthfulness: 'You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name.'] Preaching and catechizing should be permeated with adoration and respect for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (CCC 2145, [2150]).

Artwork: The Preaching of Saint Paul at Ephesus by Eustache Le Sueur (c. 1649).

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Homily for a Liturgy of the Word with two of the Year 1 classes at St John the Baptist's Catholic Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

" I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgement, so that you will be able to choose what is best. Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus can produce, for the glory and praise of God." (Phil 1:9-10a, 11).

"I will thank you, O Lord, among the nations, I will praise you among the people; Your constant love reaches to the heavens: your faithfulness touches the skies; Show your greatness in the sky, O God, and your glory over all the earth." (cf. Jn 12:44-50).

"When Joseph and Mary had finished doing all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their home town of Nazareth in Galilee. The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him." (Lk 2:39-40).
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"Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true freedom. With respect to children who have died without Baptism, the liturgy of the Church invites us to trust in God's mercy and to pray for their salvation. In case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he pours water on the candidate's head while saying: 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit'." (cf. CCC 1282-84).

"God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange." (CCC 221).

Artwork: Christ blessing the Children, (by Lucas Cranach the Younger, c. 1515–1586).

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Homily for the Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Eastertide, delivered Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers, [and] in the church at Antioch [were] prophets and teachers... One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off — these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus... John acted as their assistant." (cf. Acts 12-13).

"Jesus declared publicly: Whoever believes in me
believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me; if anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully [but] rejects me and refuses my words... the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. For what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I was to say, what I had to speak,
was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I know that his commands mean eternal life..." (cf. Jn 12:44-50).

There are in this world "sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature"; such signs "do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it", making us "disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and [rendering] various occasions in life... holy." In all this, "[p]astoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety and, if necessary, to purify and correct the religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the faithful may advance in knowledge of the mystery of Christ. (cf. CCC 1667, 1670, 1676).

Artwork: Christ and the woman taken in adultery(by Rembrandt, c. 1639–41).

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Some comments to acknowledge and bless our mothers before the penitential act at Mass.

Artwork: The Marriage at Cana, (Gerard David, c.1500).

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Homily for Fourth Sunday in Easter, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, and St Peter Chanel Church, Miriam Vale, Qld.

"... they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats... [and] the next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. [Being] made... a light to the nations [and] an instrument of salvation... the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit." (cf. Acts 13).

"I, John, saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands... the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water." (Rev 7).

"No one will ever steal [my sheep] from my hand [nor] the Father's hand... the Father and I are one." (cf. Jn 10:27-30).

"His brightness is like the day, rays flash from [horns were coming out of] his hands, that is where his power lies hidden." (Hab 3:4).

Artwork: a panel from the Ghent Altarpiece, also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a 15th-century polyptych altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium (H. & J. van Eyck, 1420-1432).

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Homily for the Thursday in the Third Week of Eastertide, delivered for the Year 10 RE students of Chanel College, Gladstone, in the College Chapel.

"Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and meet that chariot.’ When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side... [And] starting [with] this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him... Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?’..." (cf. Acts 8:26-40).

Jesus said to the crowd: No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They will all be taught by God', and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world..." (cf Jn 6).

Artwork: The Baptism of the Eunuch, (by Rembrandt, 1626).

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Homily for the Feast of Saint Peter Chanel (Wednesday in the Third Week of Eastertide), delivered at Chanel College, Gladstone.

CHANEL DAY.

"The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way to see it as God’s power to save... Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today...? And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God." (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-25).

"Go out to all the world and tell the Good News." (Ps 116).

"After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ He saw Simon and his brother Andrew — and a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John... He called them... and at once they followed him. (cf Mk 1:14-20).

Artwork: The Last Judgement, by Michelangelo (c. 1536–1541).

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Homily for the Wednesday in the Third Week of Eastertide, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"That day a bitter persecution started... everyone except the apostles fled.. There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him. Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house..." (cf. Acts 8:1-8).

"Jesus said to the crowd: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst... All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away; I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me — [that is], that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day." (cf. Jn 6:35-40).

Artwork: The Stoning of Saint Stephen, by Rembrandt (1625).

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Homily for the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles (Tuesday in the Third Week of Eastertide), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; I taught you what I had been taught myself; [it] will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything." (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-8).

"Their message goes out through all the earth." (cf. Ps 19).

"Jesus said to Thomas: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me... Philip, have I been with you all this time... and you still do not know me...? You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me — on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason. I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it." (cf. Jn 14:6-14).

Artwork: Спас Лоза Истинная ("Christ the True Vine", 16th C.).

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Homily for Third Sunday in Easter, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"... 'We gave you a formal warning... not to preach in this name, and what have you done...?!' 'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men... we are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.' [And] so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name." (cf. Acts 5:27-41).

"In my vision, I, John, heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered round the throne and the animals and the elders; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands, shouting, ‘The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.’ Then I heard all the living things in creation – everything that lives in the air, and on the ground, and under the ground, and in the sea, crying, ‘To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.’ And the four animals said, ‘Amen’; and the elders prostrated themselves to worship." (Rev 5:11-14).

"Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias... there [he] stood on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus... After this he said, ‘Follow me.’" (cf. Jn 21; Mt 4:19).

"Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority; every human community needs an authority to govern it... The foundation of such authority lies in human nature — necessary for the unity of the state... The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect... gratitude and good-will." (CCC 1897-1900); "There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom 13:1, cf. CCC 1918).

Artwork: The miraculous catch of 153 fish by Duccio, (14th C.).

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Homily for the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena (Friday in the Second Week of Eastertide), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"One member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the Law and respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the apostles taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, ‘Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people... If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.’..." (cf. Acts 5:34-42).

"Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip... [but] see[ing that] they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, [he] escaped back to the hills by himself." (cf. Jn 6:1-15).

"Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are." (From the dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor).

Artwork: Saint Stephen Mourned by Saints Gamaliel and Nicodemus, by a follower of Carlo Saraceni, (c. 1615).

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Homily for the Feast of Saint Peter Chanel (Thursday in the Second Week of Eastertide), delivered at St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum, Qld., 2022.

"If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God...." (Acts 5:38-39).

"At once he called them and, leaving their father [and] the men he employed, they went after him." (Mk 1:20).

"Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude. 'Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God.'" (CCC 2473).

Artwork: The calling of Peter and Andrew, by James Tissot (c. 1836-1902).

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Homily for Wednesday in the Second Week of Eastertide, delivered at New Auckland Place Aged Care Residence, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"... at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, ‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.’ They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach... The captain went with his men and fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them." (Acts 5:19-21, 26).

"Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved... On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light... because their deeds were evil." (Jn 3:16-17, 19).

Artwork: Nicodemus coming to Christ, by Henry Ossawa Tanner (c. 1924-29).

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Homily for ANZAC Mass, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them... If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality; God has put them to the test and proved them — tested them like gold in a furnace... When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they." (cf. Wis 3:1-9).

"The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save." (1 Cor 1:18).

"Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid... I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe." (Jn 14:27, 29).

Artwork: Poppies (oil on canvas painting by Princess Kaʻiulani, 1890).

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Homily for Easter Octave (Divine Mercy Sunday), 2022, delivered in St Patrick's Church, Calliope, Qld.

"... it was the Lord’s day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet, '... do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever..." (cf. Rev 1:9-19).

"... a phrase used by Saint Augustine in recounting the story of Jesus’ meeting with the woman taken in adultery (cf. Jn 8:1-11). It would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful or apt way of expressing the mystery of God’s love when it touches the sinner: 'the two of them alone remained: mercy with misery'. What great mercy and divine justice shine forth in this narrative! Its teaching serves not only to throw light on the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, but also to point out the path that we are called to follow in the future... The Mother of Mercy gathers us all under the protection of her mantle. Let us trust in her maternal assistance and follow her perennial counsel to look to Jesus, the radiant face of God’s mercy." (Pope Francis, Misericordia et
misera, 2016).

"In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I sending you... Receive the Holy Spirit'..." (cf Jn 20:19-31).

Artwork: retrieved from Pinterest.

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Homily for Easter Wednesday (within the Octave), delivered at Our Lad Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"When [the man who had been cripple from birth] saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us.’ He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’" (cf. Acts 3:1-10).

"Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself appeared among them... [and] he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself... When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’..." (cf. Lk 24:13-35).

Artwork: Apparition du Christ aux pélerins d’Emmaüs, Laurent de La Hyre, (1656).

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Reflection for Easter Prayer, delivered at St Francis of Assisi School, Tannum Sands, Qld., 2022.

"On the day of Pentecost..." (Acts 2:36). "When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him... But when they looked they saw that the stone — which was very big — had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, 'There is no need to be so amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here'..." (cf. Mk 16:1-7).

Artwork: Eastern Orthodox icon of the two Marys and Salome at the Tomb of Jesus (Kizhi, 18th century).

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Homily for Easter Monday (within the Octave), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld., 2022.

"On the day of Pentecost... listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God. [He was] put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, [and] you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him: I saw the Lord before me always,
for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me. So my heart was glad and my tongue cried out with joy; my body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your holy one to experience corruption. You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence... Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit." (cf. Acts 2:14,22-33).

"The Christian Creed - the profession of our faith in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and in God's creative, saving, and sanctifying action - culminates in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in life everlasting. We firmly believe, and hence we hope that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives for ever, so after death the righteous will live for ever with the risen Christ and he will raise them up on the last day. Our resurrection, like his own, will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity: If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you. The term 'flesh' refers to [us] in [our] state of weakness and mortality. The 'resurrection of the flesh' means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death, but that even our 'mortal body' will come to life again. Belief in the resurrection of the dead has been an essential element of the Christian faith from its beginnings. "The confidence of Christians is the resurrection of the dead; believing this we live: How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. . . . But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (CCC 988-991).

Artwork: Isenheim Altarpiece: The Resurrection, by Matthias Grünewald in (1512–1516).

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Homily for Easter Sunday, 2022, delivered in St Patrick's Church, Calliope, Qld.

"Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did... and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen. [W]e are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people: ... all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’" (cf. Acts 10:34-43).

"... you have been brought back to true life with Christ; you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him." (cf. Col 3:1-4).

"Till this moment [of Mary Magdalen finding the empty tomb, and then John and Peter,] they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that [the Lord] must rise from the dead." (cf. Jn 20:1-9).

Artwork: Resurrection, by Luca Giordano, after 1665.

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Homily for Easter Vigil, 2022, delivered in St Peter Chanel, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water. God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good... Evening came and morning came: the first day." (cf. Gn 1:1-2:2).

"In the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion... Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left." (cf. Ex 14:15-15:1).

"Thus says the Lord: Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat, and, at no cost, wine and milk. Why spend money on what is not bread,
your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live." (cf. Is 55:1-11).

"Listen, Israel, to commands that bring life; hear, and learn what knowledge means... you have forsaken the fountain of wisdom. Had you walked in the way of God, you would have lived in peace for ever. Learn where knowledge is, where strength, where understanding, and so learn where length of days is, where life, where the light of the eyes and where peace. But who has found out where she lives, who has entered her treasure house...? [T]he One who knows all knows her, he has grasped her with his own intellect, he has set the earth firm for ever
and filled it... He sends the light – and it goes... It is he who is our God... Turn back, Jacob, seize her, in her radiance make your way to light: do not yield your glory to another; what pleases God has been revealed to us." (cf. Bar 3:9-15,32-4:4).

Artwork: a depiction of Christ's descent to the dead, (accessed from www.trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk — http://bit.ly/3KJwWrL )

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Homily for Good Friday, 2022, delivered in St Peter Chanel, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"See, my servant will prosper,

he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look

that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.” (cf. Is 52:13-53:12).

"Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed." (Heb 4:14-16).

"After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, "It is accomplished"; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit... And all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: 'Not one bone of his will be broken'; and again, in another place scripture says: 'They will look on the one whom they have pierced'..." (cf. Jn 18:1-19:42).

Artwork: Raising of the Cross, by Sebastiano Mazzoni, (17th C.).

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Homily for Holy Thursday, 2022, delivered in St Peter Chanel, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand — hastily... when I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape... This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour — for all generations; for ever.”’ (cf. Ex 12:1-14).

"I saw one like the Son of Man..." (cf. Dan 7:13; Acts 7:56; Rev 1:13).

"If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’’ (Jn 13:8).

Artwork: Jesus Washing Peter's Feet, Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893).

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Homily for Psalm Sunday, delivered to the young people at Ignite Youth Summer Camp 2022, QCCC Mapleton.

The theme for 2022 is Big House (cf. Jn 14:2).

The first Gospel (Luke 19:28-40) before processing to the Altar is what is included in this recording, rather than the dramatised Gospel (Lk 22:14-23:56).

"He is inflaming the people with his teaching...!" (Lk 23:5).

"Indeed I promise you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (23:43).

Artwork: Entry into Jerusalem, by Giotto, 14th century.

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Homily for Friday in the Fifth Week in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"Jeremiah said: I hear so many disparaging me, ‘“Terror from every side!” Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ (cf. Jer 20:10).

"The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’" (cf. Jn 10:31).

Artwork: The Capture of Christ by Fra Angelico, c. 1440.

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Homily for Wednesday in the Fifth Week in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"King Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have erected...?' [They] replied, ‘Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; [but] even if he does not... we will not serve your god or worship (cf. Dan 3:14-28).

"To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: ‘If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free... the slave’s place in the house is not assured, but the son’s place is assured. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed... If God were your father, you would love me, since I have come here from God; yes, I have come from him; not that I came because I chose, no, I was sent, and by him.’" (cf. Jn 8:31-48).

"The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: 'Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting flames?'" (Is 33:14).

Artwork: Camino de Emaús, by Lelio Orsi, 1560–1565.

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Homily for Fifth Sunday (of Year A) in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me." (John 11).

Artwork: The Raising of Lazarus, by Duccio, 1310–11.

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Homily for Laetar Sunday, the Fourth Sunday (of Year A) in Lent, 2022, delivered in St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

‘"Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’... ‘Blind? If you were,
you would not be guilty,
but since you say, “We see,”
your guilt remains.’" (John 9:1-41).

"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Rom 5:1-5).

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Homily for Laetar Sunday, the Fourth Sunday (of Year A) in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

The Sunday Gospel passage is abridged in this episode; the full Gospel can be seen below, and heard in the following episode.

"As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’ ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

‘As long as the day lasts
I must carry out the work of the one who sent me;
the night will soon be here when no one can work.
As long as I am in the world
I am the light of the world.’

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.
His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.
They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’
So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.
Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.
Jesus said:

‘It is for judgement
that I have come into this world,
so that those without sight may see
and those with sight turn blind.’

Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’ Jesus replied:

‘Blind? If you were,
you would not be guilty,
but since you say, “We see,”
your guilt remains.’" (John 9:1-41).

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want; If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort." (Ps 23:1, 4). "You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Eph 5:8, 14).

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Homily for Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Third Week in Lent), 2022, delivered in to some of the children at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"Listen now, House of David... the Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’ (cf. Is 7).

"The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. "Rejoice, Mary!" [The angel said,] "... do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary answered, 'let what you have said be done to me.'" (cf. Lk 1:26-38).

"The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory." (Jn 1:14).

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Pope Francis' Act of Consecration for Ukraine and Russia, prayed on Friday March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!

Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.

We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.

That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!

Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.

Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.

Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.

Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world. Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.

Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.

Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.

Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.

O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.

Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.

Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.

Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace.
Amen.

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Homily for Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"... have life; enter and take possession; keep [and] observe [these] laws and customs [which] will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding..." (cf. Deut 4:1-9).

"Salvation comes from the Jews." (Jn 4:22 cf. Nostra Aetate; Dominus Iesus).

"Do not imagine I have come to abolish... I have come not to abolish but to complete — not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear: [Therefore] be considered great in the kingdom of heaven [by] keep[ing] and teach[ing]" all that has been received. (cf. Mt 5:17-19).

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Homily for the Third Sunday (of Year A) in Lent, 2022, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

The Sunday Gospel passage is abridged in this episode; the full Gospel can be heard in the following episode.

“What am I to do with these people...?" The Lord answered, "Strike the rock, and the water will flow..." (cf. Ex 17). "... whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (cf. Jn 4).

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Homily for Friday of the Second Week in Lent (and the Feast of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem), 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"... 'Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him... our brother, and our own flesh'..." (Gen 37:19,20, 26).

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotte son... [whom] they sold him... for twenty [or so] silver pieces." (Jn 3:16 cf. Gen 37:28; Mt 26:15).

"Having received this pledge of eternal salvation, we pray, O Lord, that we may set our course so well as to attain the redemption you promise — through Christ our Lord." (Prayer after Communion).

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Homily for Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

"Keep your family, O Lord, schooled always in good works, and so comfort them with your protection here as to lead them graciously to gifts on high." (From the Collect).

"Come on, let us concoct a plot; let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word..." (cf. Jer 18:18-20). "You do not know what you are asking... Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink...?" (cf. Mt 20:17-28).

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Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

“For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He [who is 'our light and our salvation' (Ps 27)] will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe." (cf. Phil 3:17-4:1; Luke 9).

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Homily for Friday of the First Week of Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

“Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?” (cf. Ez 18:23). "If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?" (Ps 130). Our virtue must go deeper than this, if we, are to ever enter the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5).

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Homily for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent (and the Feast of Saint Frances of Rome), 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, Qld.

“Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent?” (cf. Jonah 3:1-10). Even so, "a broken and humble heart, O God, [we do know] you will not spurn." (Ps 50).

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Homily for the First Sunday in Lent, 2022, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mt Larcom, Qld.

“Be with [us], Lord, [for your] Word is near… in [our] mouth and in [our] heart.” (Ps 91 cf. Rm 10:8)

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Homily delivered for the communities of St Agnes, Agnes Waters, and Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone.

"Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." (cf. Gen 3:19).

Traversing Emmaus: Recent Episodes

Ashwin Emmanuel Acharya