Homily for Pentecost Sunday, delivered in St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, 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... They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech." (cf. Acts 2).

"You take back your spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came. You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." (cf. Ps 104).

"No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit. There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them... and one Spirit was given to us all to drink." (cf. 1 Cor 12).

"In the evening of 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.’..." (cf. Jn 20).

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Eastertide, delivered (at the evening Mass) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." (cf. Acts 8).

"... if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong. Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life." (cf. 1 Per 3).

"In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.’" (cf. Jn 14).

Artwork: an image produced on the Wonder app.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Eastertide, delivered (at the morning Mass) in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town." (cf. Acts 8).

"Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring." (cf. 1 Per 3).

"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, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him,
because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live." (cf. Jn 14).

Artwork: an image produced on the Wonder app.

Homily for Thursday in the Fifth Week of Eastertide, delivered in the Chanel College Chapel, Gladstone, Qld.

"After the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus'..." (cf. Acts 15).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.’" (Jn 15:9-11).

Artwork: a happy family travelling life's journey, generated using the Wonder app. 

Conversation on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, with some senior students in one of our Primary Catholic schools.

Image pending: currently seeking permission from artist Jen Norton for use. 

Reflection delivered (in the Fifth  Week of Eastertide) with some of the children in the Library of St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"In the sixth month 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. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favor! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus." (Lk 1:26-31).

Artwork: a painting of David facing off with Goliath, retrieved from here. 

Homily for Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Eastertide, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, 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, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders. All the members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the pagans had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by the brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done with them. But certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to look into the matter." (Acts 15:1-6).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me, as I make mine in you... Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.’" (cf. Jn 15:1-8)..

Artwork: a painting of the Jewish Council forbidding the Apostles' preaching, by James Tissot (n.d.), retrieved from here. 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Eastertide, delivered in Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Mt Larcom, Qld.

"About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith." (Acts 6:1-7).

"... you [are] the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God... living stones making a spiritual house... a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart..." (cf. 1 Pet 2:4-9).

"Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him... To have seen me is to have seen the Father... The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason; 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.’" (cf. Jn 14).

Artwork: a copper engraving of a Jewish Highpriest burning incense, (1713).

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Eastertide, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"... the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food...' [S]even men of good repute [were] presented... to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith." (cf. Acts 6:1-7).

"The Lord is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house... you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." (cf. 1 Pet 2:4-9).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me; 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... 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.’" (cf. Jn 14).

Artwork: an image of Jesus the Eternal Highpriest, retrieved from Pinterest.

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

Joined by two year levels from St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School.

"Paul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak: ‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people. ‘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.’" (Acts 13:26-33).

"'With a rod of iron you will break them, shatter them like a potter’s jar.’ Now, O kings, understand, take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe and trembling, pay him your homage." (cf. Ps 2).

"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).

Artwork: "Flagellation of Christ" by Piero della Francesca, (c. 1468–1470).