My homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent (Year A) as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11.

"The three temptations of Jesus reflect the same three attributes that were the gifts of God to humankind in Eden - food, protection, and place. The response of Jesus reminds us that the Season of Lent is the opportunity to repent of any belief we might have that we are at the centre of creation or that we are able to receive all of God's promised gifts through our own efforts."

My homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) as preached during the 5.30 pm Saturday evening Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48.

"We don't join a faction or group when we are baptised; we join Christ! We belong to Christ, and therefore to God, not the other way round. When we forget that, we forget the most important thing - something beyond personal preference or personal ideology. God is at the centre of everything, and everything we are and do serves God."

My homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings proclaimed were Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37.

"True righteousness before God is not measured by the external observance of God's laws and teachings, but of allowing the laws and teachings to transform us at our very core. Only when we allow ourselves to be converted in our hearts has the law and the prophets been fulfilled."

My homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) as preached during the 8 am Mass in St Columba's Church, Adamstown.

The readings were Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16.

"We are called to a be light to the nation, and the only way we can do that is by following what we hear in Scripture about how we are called to act and to be. Be bold and be brave in following Jesus, and don't allow the light to diminished by the tubs of fear or complacency."

My homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Year A) as preached during the 5 pm Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40.

"When the Lord appears in the Temple he does so as 'one like us' not as a distant external judge. In doing so, we are to be forever the brothers and sisters of Jesus called to be a 'light to the nations'."

My homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) as preached during the 5.30 pm Saturday evening Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. This Sunday also marks Australia Day and the first Sunday of the Word of God.

The readings proclaimed were Isaiah 32:15-18; Romans 12:9-13; Matthew 5:2-12.

"How can we be both authentically Christian and authentically Australian? Allowing the Word of God to permeate our very lives, everything we do, say and are, is a very good first step."

My homily for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34.

"The introduction to Paul's first letter to the Church of God in Corinth, though exceedingly formal and formulaic, reminds us that like the recipients we, too, are the Church here in this place and this time, holy because God is present with us, and called to be a light to the city in which we live, our country, and the entire world."

My homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-5; Matthew 2:1-12.

"Like the Magi, many people know they are seeking something 'more' because of something within themselves, or because of their own 'wisdom', or because of something beyond themselves like science. Also like the Magi, those who are seeking will not truly encounter the Divine until they encounter the Word of God. Our task, as Christians, is to be the living embodiment of the Word of God that allows those who are seeking to come to know that which they are seeking."

My homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent (Year A) as preached during the 5.30 pm Saturday evening Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24.

"The arrival of Jesus is prophesied as Emmanuel - as 'God is with us'. The present tense of the name given by Isaiah, and referenced by Matthew, reminds us as we prepare for the celebration of the Incarnation that God has already invaded human history, and the fulfilment of God's Reign will come with the Second Coming. Until then, we are called to live as the continuing presence of Jesus in the here and now, in this time and place. And that, please God, changes everything!"

My homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year A) as preached during the 5.30 pm Saturday evening Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton.

The readings were: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11.

"Jesus responds to the question of John's disciples by asking what they had seen and heard? The actions of Jesus in restoring sight to the blind, life to the dead, hearing to the deaf, and movement to the lame gives an answer more powerful than words could ever do. The references to the signs of the Promised One contained in Isaiah's prophecy are recognised and embraced by John's disciples."