2C Sunday homily - Water changed into wine (19 January 2025)

 

2C SUNDAY HOMILY, JOHN 2:1-11, JANUARY 19, 2025

1. STORY

One day while sitting at a well, John overheard three mothers speaking about their sons.  The first mother praised her son as he could recite many poems from memory.  The second mother praised her son because he could sing beautifully.  The third mother said nothing.  After their heavy buckets were full and they prepared to carry them home, the three sons appeared.  The first son continued to recite poems, the second son continued to sing songs, while the third son helped his mother carry her buckets.  When the mothers asked John what he thought about the three sons, he replied that he saw only one son, the one who helped his mother.  Jesus helped his mother  Mary.  Jesus was a true son.

 

2. GOSPEL, JOHN 2:1-11

A. THEY HAVE NO WINE.

Mary noticed that the wine had run out at the wedding banquet.  She knew that something had to be done so as to make it a successful gathering. 

B. DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.

Mary knew the only one who could help in this matter was Jesus.  At his mother’s request, he solved the problem by changing water into wine.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. OUR PROBLEMS.

Most people are bothered by some kind of a problem.  One may be in poor health, another may have money problems, still another may be unhappy with life.  One may have trouble with family members, dislike their work, or be lonely.  The list of problems is long. 

B. JESUS CAN HELP US.

Just as Jesus helped at the marriage banquet, so Jesus can help us in our lives. 

i) Jesus can help us by his TEACHINGS through the Church or through the bible.  He can tell us what we should do and not to do.  He can teach about the purpose and goal of life.  Listen to the word of Jesus.  

ii) Jesus can give us the STRENGTH through the Eucharist to live through difficulties.  He can give us the strength to do what is right and the strength to resist temptations in life.  Receive the Eucharist at every Mass you attend. 

iii) Jesus, by his EXAMPLE, can help us to accept life as it is, to accept suffering and unhappiness as he did.  Pray daily to Jesus for the help to do his will as he did the will of God.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The true son was the one who helped his mother carry the water buckets home.  Jesus helped Mary by changing water into wine.  Jesus helps us solve our problems by his teachings through the Church and the bible.  He gives us strength by the Eucharist to do what is right and resist temptations.  Jesus helps us by his good example to accept the suffering we have and the difficulties we encounter.  We thank Jesus for being our helper.  We ask him to give us the strength to help others.

 

C, Sunday homily - The Baptism of the Lord (12 January 2025)

 

TOPIC: THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

C, SUNDAY HOMILY, LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22, JANUARY 12, 2025

 1. STORY

Mary, a non-Christian, attended a Catholic school.  Although she liked to discuss religion with the priests and sisters, she had no desire to be baptized.  One day, when she was in form five, she went to one of the priests and asked to be baptized.  Surprised by this change in her attitude, he asked what changed her mind about baptism.  She said that it was the good example of the priests and sisters.  By their words and actions, they showed the love of God.  She was eventually baptized and considered the date of her baptism more important than her birthday.  God had changed her life.

 

2. GOSPEL, LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22

A. THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was given the power to carry out his mission of preaching the gospel and saving the people. 

B. YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON. WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.

Jesus came to us to do the will of his father thus making him pleasing to his father.  Obedience to the father’s will was extremely important to Jesus.  He did not come to do his own will.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. THE GIFTS WE RECEIVE AT BAPTISM

At baptism we receive the following four gifts.

i) We become adopted children of God the Father.  We can call him, “Our Father.”

ii) Jesus becomes our brother who cares for us and has come to save us. 

iii) The Holy Spirit becomes our guide.  We become temples of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 

iv) We become members of the family of God, the Catholic Church.  We have the right to receive the sacraments from the Church. 

B. WE STRIVE TO BECOME PLEASING TO GOD.  We become pleasing to God by obeying his will. 

i) We love God by trusting him, praying to him, and obeying his commandments. 

ii) We love our neighbor by being kind, helpful, and forgiving towards them.  We avoid hurting them by what we say and do.

iii) We love ourselves by caring for our spiritual and physical health.  We try to eat properly, get enough rest, do some exercise, and do not overwork.  We pray daily, attend Sunday Mass, receive Holy Communion, and make a good confession several times each year.

 

4. CONCLUSION

Mary, because of the good example of the priests and nuns in her school, was moved by God to be baptized.  This event changed her life.  When Jesus was baptized, he received the gift and power of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel and to save us.  By his life of obedience, he was pleasing to his Father.  At our baptism we became adopted children of the Father, Jesus became our brother, the Holy Spirit became our guide, and we became members of the family of God, the Catholic Church.  By doing God’s will, we, like Jesus, become pleasing to our Father.  We thank God for the gift of baptism.  We pray for the strength to be obedient to God.

 

Homily - Epiphany of the Lord (Sunday homily 05 January 2025) Helping others to find Jesus

 

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Sunday Homily, Matthew 2:1-12, January 5 2025 

1) STORY

One day John’s family asked me to go to the hospital to anoint him as John was very sick.  He was in Room 1 on the first floor.  Several weeks later around 8PM, I received a call from the family asking me to visit John as he was in a critical condition.  I immediately went to the hospital looking for John in Room 1 on the first floor.  To my great surprise, he was not there.  The nurse told me via an intercom to try the tenth floor.  I went to Room 1 on the tenth floor to discover it was a baby’s ward.  I was now lost with no phone and no family contact number.  Then my “star” appeared in the form of a nurse.  The nurse in the baby’s ward was willing to help me.  She guessed he was in Block C and we were in Block A.  She asked for permission to go through Block B to get to Block C where I finally found John thanks to her kindness.  She was my “star” leading me to my goal.

 

2) GOSPEL: MATTHEW 2:1-12

i. THE MAGI: The Magi, wise men from the East, were looking for the newborn king of the Jews.  They needed help to find the new king. 

ii. THE STAR: “They saw his star and wanted to do him homage.”  The star led them to Bethlehem where they found the new born king of the Jews, Jesus.

 

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE

i) MODERN MAGI: There are many people searching for happiness, peace, a purpose in life and how to live a meaningful life.  Though they may not be aware of it, they are searching for God who alone can give them the desires of their heart. 

ii) MODERN STARS: People need help to find God just as the Magi needed help to find Jesus, and I needed the help of a nurse to find John.  God has sent us to be like stars leading people to Jesus.  We do this by our kindness towards others, by our willingness to help them, and the example of living a good life.  We have the power and responsibility to lead others to Jesus.

 

4) CONCLUSION

Just as I needed a star to help me find John and the Magi need the help of a star to find Jesus, so too, do those looking for peace, joy and happiness need help in their search for these precious gifts.  We are modern stars helping by leading them to Jesus who alone can give them peace, joy, and happiness.