Homily for Epiphany Sunday, Christmastide, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried. At this sight you will grow radiant..." (cf. Is 60).

"The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him. For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor." (cf. Ps 72).

"This mystery... revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets... means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel." (cf. Eph 3).

"After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way." (cf. Mt 2).

Artwork: "A Adoração dos Magos" by Domingos Sequeira (c. 1828).

Homily for Epiphany Sunday, Christmastide, delivered at St Peter Chanel Church, Miriam Vale, Qld.

"Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears... camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord. (cf. Is 60).

"Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." (cf. Ps 72).

"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. This mystery... revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations..." (cf. Eph 3).

"After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way." (cf. Mt 2).

Artwork: "The Adoration of the Magi" by Giotto (c. 1303).

Homily for 6th January (Friday before the Epiphany), Christmastide, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God... We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater, and this is God’s testimony, given as evidence for his Son. Everybody who believes in the Son of God
has this testimony inside him;  This is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son; anyone who has the Son has life, anyone who does not have the Son does not have life... believe in the name of the Son of God [and] be sure that you have eternal life." (cf. 1 Jn 5).

"He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees." (cf. Ps 147).

"In the course of his preaching John said: ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’ It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’" (cf. Mk 1).

Artwork: a section of "Christ as the True Light" by Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1526-27).

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (New Year's Day), delivered in Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Mt Larcom, Qld.

"The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.” This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’" (Num 6:22-27).

"O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. May God still give us his blessing till the ends of the earth revere him." (cf. Ps 67).

"When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons... God has made you son — has made you heir." (cf. Gal 4).

"The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." (cf. Lk 2). 

Artwork: an icon purchased in the Old City of Jerusalem. 

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (Vigil, New Year's Eve), delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.” This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’" (Num 6:22-27).

"Let the nations be glad and exult for you rule the world with justice. With fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on earth." (cf. Ps 67).

"The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir." (cf. Gal 4).

"The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished... As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen — exactly as they had been told. When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception." (cf. Lk 2).

Artwork: "Our Lady of Kazan" (n.d.).

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Wednesday in the Christmas Octave), delivered at New Auckland Place Nursing Home, Gladstone, Qld.

"This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; if we live our lives in the light... if we acknowledge our sins... our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s." (cf. 1 Jn 1).

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth..." (cf. Ps 24).

"After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead." (cf. Mt 2).

Artwork: The Massacre of the Innocents at Bethlehem (10th century manuscript).

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Wednesday in the Christmas Octave), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; if we say that we are in union with God... if we say we have no sin in us, we are receiving ourselves. But if we live our lives in the light... if we acknowledge our sins [and] if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, [who] takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s." (cf. 1 Jn 1).

"If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive..." (cf. Ps 24).

"After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'I called my son out of Egypt.' Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.'" (cf. Mt 2).

Artwork: an icon of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, retrieved from the Damascene Gallery website.

Homily for the Feast of Saint John, Apostles, Evangelist (Tuesday in the Christmas Octave), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life — this is our subject. That life was made visible: we saw it and we are giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete." (1 Jn 1:1-4).

"On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed." (cf. Jn 20).

Artwork: "St John and Jesus at the Last Supper" by Valentin de Boulogne, (c. 1612-32).

Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, delivered at St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

"For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders... every cloak rolled in blood... for there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders... Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity. From this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this." (cf. Is 9).

"Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad, let the sea and all within it thunder praise, let the land and all it bears rejoice, all the trees of the wood shout for joy at the presence of the Lord for he comes, he comes to rule the earth." (cf. Ps 96).

"[O]ur great God and saviour Christ Jesus... sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good." (cf. Tit 2).

"And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.'" (cf. Lk 2).

"The Church's constant missionary proclamation is endangered [due] to... certain presuppositions... which hinder the understanding and acceptance of the revealed truth." (par. 4, Dominus Iesus).

Artwork: a photograph of the Nativity icon I purchased from Joseph Giacaman & Sons in Bethlehem Square. 

Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian. For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed by fire. For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace." (cf. Is 9).

"... tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples; with justice he will rule the world, he will judge the peoples with his truth." (Ps 96).

"We must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus." (cf. Tit 2).

"In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" (cf. Lk 2).

"The Church's constant missionary proclamation is endangered today by relativistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism, not only de facto but also de iure (or in principle). As a consequence, it is held that certain truths have been superseded; for example, the definitive and complete character of the revelation of Jesus Christ, the nature of Christian faith as compared with that of belief in other religions, the inspired nature of the books of Sacred Scripture, the personal unity between the Eternal Word and Jesus of Nazareth, the unity of the economy of the Incarnate Word and the Holy Spirit, the unicity and salvific universality of the mystery of Jesus Christ... The roots of these problems are to be found in certain presuppositions... which hinder the understanding and acceptance of the revealed truth." (par. 4, Dominus Iesus).

Artwork: "The Mystical Nativity" by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1500), also retrieved from a Thomistic Institute post.