Homily on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee 2 Timothy 3: 10-15; Luke 18: 10-14.   We live in a time where there are many doom-sayers who point to this or that which shows that bad things are going to happen. Whilst there can be times where less-than-perfect things do happen, we have the rock of Christ onto which to anchor  our faith and hope (cf. Matthew 7:24–25). Christ does not say that we will never have adversity, but rather He says that to trust in Him will hel

Outcasts - shame to fame! Whilst Jesus passed through the presbyteral town of Jericho, he saw an envied rich man who was the leading tax official hoisting himself up on a sycamore tree out of sight so that he could get a glimpse of the Lord.  Lk 19: 1-4 – [abbreviated]. This week being the last in ordinary time before we enter into the TRIODION which are the three preparatory weeks before Great Lent, we are presented with the story of Matthew the Apostle known formally as Zac

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark (Mk 1:1–8). “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgivenes

The Sunday Before Holy Nativity Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40; Matthew 1: 1-25. This week we celebrate the feast of the Holy Nativity . This feast, whilst heavily commercialised in the West, is the feast which represents our salvation. Christ came and took on our nature so that we might live; not just live day to day, but have life in Him which never dies. Without the Incarnation, we would not have the opportunity to become full members of His Holy Body, the Church. This seas

Another year over: losses and gains! This last Sunday of the Nativity Fast (Holy Advent) presents us with the genealogy – family tree of the Lord in preparation to receive him in the manger of our hearts. (Mat 1: 1-25) We may be familiar with my ancestry.com and even more with the next step of that process – tracing ones roots in antiquity. Tis a rather tempting offer to unearth ones origins and discover the connection with the famous and non, the good, the bad, and the ugly

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke (Lk 17:12-19): “As Jesus entered a village, ten lepers met him. Keeping their distance, they raised their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, Jesus said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a loud voice; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. He

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jewish Community in this time of great loss! Australia is a Land blessed by God, and we must be thankful and proud as a nation that we are free to express our cultural and religious heritages with great freedom! There is no place in Australia for rogue sentimentalities which harbour the objective of the Anicent Rebelion which seeks to destroy what God loves most - us his creation! It is unfortunate that most people struggle with the comma

Homily on the 26 th  Sunday of Pentecost Luke 13-10-17; Ephesians 5: 8-19. Homily – Feast of the Presentation of the All-Holy Theotokos at the Temple This week the Church celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the All-Holy Theotokos at the Temple. This feast is a profound prefiguration   of Mary’s unique and essential role in the salvation of mankind. Without the Theotokos’ “yes” to the All-Holy Trinity, (the Incarnation as it happened in time),   would not have taken pl

The Lord used another parable concerning that which is to be considered as priority stating: “The land of a wealthy farmer brought forth abundant harvests. Therefore, the time came to consider the storage of crops for they had multiplied and the barns were insufficient in space. Hence, the wealthy farmer reasoned within himself saying: “I need to demolish the present barns and build larger ones in order to cater for the over abundant produce!” (Lk 12:16-18) There is a great

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke (Lk 10:25–37). “ And behold, a lawyer stood up to test Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ He answered, ‘You shall 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.’ He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly

BEHOLD THE HOLY FOR THE HOLY! There came to pass that the administrator of the local synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus who was in that area and on seeing him, he cast himself down at his feet and began weeping; he begged the Lord to come visit his house for his only child a daughter of twelve years of age was approaching death. (Lk 8:41) This past week has been one of experiencing people’s pain, anxieties and troubles with various situations. Regardless of what those situa

Homily on the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Galatians 6:11–18; Luke 8:26–39. One of the greatest gifts we have in life is the gift of love. Love is what binds couples, families, and friends together. It is the gift that enriches and beautifies our lives. Without love, our existence would be void of the blessings that bring joy to the heart. Our faith calls us to love — to be open both to giving and to receiving that love from God and from others. Yet love also has a difficult s

MISERICORDIAE                The rich man who found himself in the absence of the promise at bodily death was spiritually tortured and cried out to the Father of Nations: “Father Abraham, please ask that mercy be shown me via sending poor Lazarus who begged at my door and I neglected for years to dip his finger in the well of our father Jakub; moistening my parched tongue in these flames of depression which craves the water of life.”  (Lk16:24) The well-known passage regardin

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787). A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke (Lk 8:5-15). The Lord spoke this parable: “The sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Some fell on the rock, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns, growing together with it,

A reflection on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said

Homily on the 18 th  Sunday after Pentecost 2 Corinthians 9: 6-11; Luke6: 31-36 Many people never have the time or the will to sit in...

THE VOICE IN THE DESERT – A VOICE FOR THOSE IN THE WORLD’S WILDERNESS   Blessed are you Lord God of Israel for you have come to visit...

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark (Mk 8:34–9:1). 8:34 Calling together the crowd with His...

Homily on the 14th Sunday after Pentecost 2 Corinthians 1: 21-2:4; Matthew 22: 1-14. One thing is certain: as followers of Christ and...

Those who detach from the world and gain God VS they who accumulate via stealth yet die in spirit A landlord of that time planted a...