Warner D'Souza

Cleansing or Healing? Friday after Epiphany – Luke 5:12-16 
Leprosy was the most terrible disease in Jesus’ day. It included a variety of different serious skin diseases & was not limited to what is today called “leprosy” or Hansen’s disease. It was greatly feared as it would cause grotesque disfigurement & sometimes death. The law forbade a leper to enter any walled city. They could not touch another person and no one would chance touching them. Their appearance was ghastly: dirty ragged clothing, dishevelled hair, a handkerchief over their mouth, running sores and missing body parts. The custom then was to exclude lepers from normal society.

Cleansing or Healing? Friday after Epiphany – Luke 5:12-16
Leprosy was the most terrible disease in Jesus’ day. It included a variety of different serious skin diseases & was not limited to what is today called “leprosy” or Hansen’s disease. It was greatly feared as it would cause grotesque disfigurement & sometimes death. The law forbade a leper to enter any walled city. They could not touch another person and no one would chance touching them. Their appearance was ghastly: dirty ragged clothing, dishevelled hair, a handkerchief over their mouth, running sores and missing body parts. The custom then was to exclude lepers from normal society.

Cleansing or Healing? |  Luke 5:12-16

Homily | Luke 4:14-22a

They chose the book; He chose the verse – Thursday after Epiphany – Luke 4:14-22a 
In his early thirties, Jesus had left Nazareth and the family workshop to listen to John the Baptist in the desert. Today’s Gospel tells us of Jesus’ dramatic homecoming to the little synagogue in Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee is significant because of its insignificance! Jesus did not grow up in Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish life and religious practice. Instead, he grew up in Galilee, the hinterlands, a place where many Gentiles live; a nowhere place as far as the religious elite are concerned. A major portion of his ministry is conducted in Galilee. Jesus, the familiar young local carpenter, is home again. Little did that village know that they were about to witness a turning point in world history.

They chose the book; He chose the verse – Thursday after Epiphany – Luke 4:14-22a
In his early thirties, Jesus had left Nazareth and the family workshop to listen to John the Baptist in the desert. Today’s Gospel tells us of Jesus’ dramatic homecoming to the little synagogue in Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee is significant because of its insignificance! Jesus did not grow up in Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish life and religious practice. Instead, he grew up in Galilee, the hinterlands, a place where many Gentiles live; a nowhere place as far as the religious elite are concerned. A major portion of his ministry is conducted in Galilee. Jesus, the familiar young local carpenter, is home again. Little did that village know that they were about to witness a turning point in world history.

They chose the book; He chose the verse | Luke 4:14-22a

Homily | Mark 6:45-52

Mark tells us that, after he has fed five thousand, Jesus dismissed his disciples and went up the mountain to pray (v. 46). This is something Jesus did very often. Jesus’ life was intensely active, yet he always nurtured his communication with God in silence and solitude. He needed to visit this wellspring to nourish his being.  We know little of how he prayed, what he said, how he sat or stood. It doesn’t seem to matter. Similarly, with ourselves; how we pray is not as important as that we pray. The good advice of an early Christian writer was, ‘Pray as you can, not as you can’t.’

Storm in a tea cup | Mark 6:45-52

Mark 6:34-44 | Homily

This is the story of a spoiled retreat and a miraculous feast. Jesus had sent out the twelve on a short-term mission trip. He gave them power over the unclean spirits and sent them out in pairs. They went out and cast out demons, healed the sick and proclaimed the good news about Jesus, calling people to repent. Jesus trusted them to join in his mission and in his work; he even shared his power with them. By all accounts they were successful. Now, in verse thirty they’ve come back. There’s a lot of energy and excitement as they gather around Jesus. You can imagine them all pumped up, eager to tell him everything that they’ve done, all that they accomplished in his name. 
However the disciples must have also been exhausted by all the unscripted coming and going of the crowds. So, Jesus said, ‘Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.’ He invited them to a retreat at a quiet spot on the lakeshore. This is the origin of the Christian practice of making a retreat: a lonely place, where we can drop our public mask, reflect on our life, and rest. Many people are afraid to be alone! Do not be afraid of being alone. Fear rather the opposite. As Pascal wrote, “The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.”

This is the story of a spoiled retreat and a miraculous feast.  Jesus had sent out the twelve on a short-term mission trip. He gave them power over the unclean spirits and sent them out in pairs. They went out and cast out demons, healed the sick and proclaimed the good news about Jesus, calling people to repent. Jesus trusted them to join in his mission and in his work; he even shared his power with them. By all accounts they were successful. Now, in verse thirty they’ve come back.  There’s a lot of energy and excitement as they gather around Jesus. You can imagine them all pumped up, eager to tell him everything that they’ve done, all that they accomplished in his name.
However the disciples must have also been exhausted by all the unscripted coming and going of the crowds. So, Jesus said, ‘Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.’ He invited them to a retreat at a quiet spot on the lakeshore. This is the origin of the Christian practice of making a retreat: a lon

Go and See | Mark 6:34-44

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 | Homily

Galilee was small geographically but had a large population; approximately 204 towns with populations of 15,000 or more people according to the historian Josephus. This provides opportunity for many people to hear Jesus’ message. Most of Jesus’ ministry will take place in Galilee. Almost all of his teaching and healing ministries will take place in Galilee. 
One might wonder why Galilee is referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles”. Galilee was considered by some as a contemptuous place especially by the religious elite of Jerusalem in the south. The scrupulous people of Judea held Galileans in disdain. When Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46), his question reflected a general low opinion of Galilee and Galileans, half pagan in cult, and bilingual and the people spoke Greek as well as Aramaic. 
When the Israelites first settled in Canaan, God said, “When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their figured stones, destroy all their cast images, and demolish all their high places” (Numbers 33:51-52). However, Naphtali, Asher, and Zebulun (three of the five tribes that settled Galilee) failed to drive out the Gentiles, but instead dwelled in their midst (Judges 1:30-33).

Galilee was small geographically but had a large population; approximately 204 towns with populations of 15,000 or more people according to the historian Josephus. This provides opportunity for many people to hear Jesus’ message. Most of Jesus’ ministry will take place in Galilee.  Almost all of his teaching and healing ministries will take place in Galilee.  
One might wonder why Galilee is referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles”. Galilee was considered by some as a contemptuous place especially by the religious elite of Jerusalem in the south. The scrupulous people of Judea held Galileans in disdain. When Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46), his question reflected a general low opinion of Galilee and Galileans, half pagan in cult, and bilingual and the people spoke Greek as well as Aramaic.
When the Israelites first settled in Canaan, God said, “When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the l

Galilee of the Gentiles | Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Matthew 2:1-12 | Homily

Homily | John 1:1-18

Homily | Luke 2:36-40

Looking beyond the past into the future – Sixth day within the octave of Christmas – Luke 2:36-40 
In 516 BCE the reconstruction of the Temple was complete. King Herod renovated it in 19 BCE, expanding the facility to include what was basically a large shopping precinct, where you could buy religious goods and animals for sacrifice. It would have been a great sight to behold, especially for Mary and Joseph who had come from a very small town to the big city. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews. They would have travelled for about a week to get there, at great expense. For them, observing the laws of purification was absolutely essential. They are here for the purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus. It is here that they encounter Simeon and Anna.

Looking beyond the past into the future – Sixth day within the octave of Christmas – Luke 2:36-40
In 516 BCE the reconstruction of the Temple was complete. King Herod renovated it in 19 BCE, expanding the facility to include what was basically a large shopping precinct, where you could buy religious goods and animals for sacrifice. It would have been a great sight to behold, especially for Mary and Joseph who had come from a very small town to the big city. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews. They would have travelled for about a week to get there, at great expense. For them, observing the laws of purification was absolutely essential. They are here for the purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus. It is here that they encounter Simeon and Anna.

Looking beyond the past into the future | Luke 2:36-40

Homily | Luke 2:22-35

Mary and Joseph come to present Jesus in the temple. The parents of Jesus were fulfilling the Law, dedicating their son to God. There was, however, an important difference. They did not ‘redeem’ their son, as the law laid down, they ‘presented’ him to God. 
At the Presentation in the Temple, Mary and Joseph made the offering of the poor; two pigeons instead of the lamb which was the offering of the better-off. It is here that they meet Simeon and Anna. Simeon is one of the ‘quiet in the Land’, Jews who awaited God’s coming to his people in a spirit of prayer and quiet watchfulness, rather than the expectation of a triumphant warlord. 
 
Simeon, who was righteous and devout man came into the Temple, guided by the Spirit. It had been revealed to him by the Spirit that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before his death. He was an old man but one who looked forward to a new era. Attuned to the Holy Spirit, he identifies Jesus from the many children who came up to Jerusalem. Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God. Simeon sings his song of farewell after a lifetime of watching for the sign of God salvation. All his dreams were now fulfilled and as a servant he was content to go in peace.

Mary and Joseph come to present Jesus in the temple. The parents of Jesus were fulfilling the Law, dedicating their son to God. There was, however, an important difference. They did not ‘redeem’ their son, as the law laid down, they ‘presented’ him to God.  
At the Presentation in the Temple, Mary and Joseph made the offering of the poor; two pigeons instead of the lamb which was the offering of the better-off. It is here that they meet Simeon and Anna. Simeon is one of the ‘quiet in the Land’, Jews who awaited God’s coming to his people in a spirit of prayer and quiet watchfulness, rather than the expectation of a triumphant warlord.

Simeon, who was righteous and devout man came into the Temple, guided by the Spirit. It had been revealed to him by the Spirit that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before his death. He was an old man but one who looked forward to a new era. Attuned to the Holy Spirit, he identifies Jesus from the many children who came up to Jerusalem. Simeon took the ch

Presentation not redemption | Luke 2: 22-35

History records many evil men. You would be able to compile a list of their names as easily as I can, and your list would probably have some of the same names; Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein, Mussolini, Stalin and Herod, just to name a few. All of these men were mass murders. Herod as you will see was one of the worst because children were his victims. 
In 43 BC Herod’s father was assassinated by a threatened family member, and Herod and his brother were captured. After being captured, the brother committed suicide, but Herod managed to escape and flee to Rome. Then in 37 BC the Roman Senate appointed him “King of the Jews.” So, Herod returned to Palestine, raised up an army, and defeated his father’s assassin in battle. Herod’s rule of 33 years was a turbulent one. 
Herod was an extremely jealous ruler and his paranoia was legendary. One of his ten wives had a brother who was the high priest. Herod felt threatened by this brother-in-law of his, so he murdered him. Then he killed his wife, too. At one point, he was afraid of a plot against him by two of his sons, so he murdered both of them. He was a brutal, merciless man. So, it’s no wonder that Matthew tells us that Herod was “deeply disturbed” when he learned that a child had been born who was being called “King of the Jews.”

History records many evil men. You would be able to compile a list of their names as easily as I can, and your list would probably have some of the same names; Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein, Mussolini, Stalin and Herod, just to name a few. All of these men were mass murders. Herod as you will see was one of the worst because children were his victims.
In 43 BC Herod’s father was assassinated by a threatened family member, and Herod and his brother were captured. After being captured, the brother committed suicide, but Herod managed to escape and flee to Rome. Then in 37 BC the Roman Senate appointed him “King of the Jews.” So, Herod returned to Palestine, raised up an army, and defeated his father’s assassin in battle. Herod’s rule of 33 years was a turbulent one.
Herod was an extremely jealous ruler and his paranoia was legendary. One of his ten wives had a brother who was the high priest. Herod felt threatened by this brother-in-law of his, so he murdered him. Then he killed

One more mad man in History | Matthew 2:13-18

Luke 2:22-40 | Homily | Feast of the Holy Family | 27th December, 2020

Matthew 10:17-22 | Homily | 26th December, 202

Christmas soaked in blood | Feast of the protomartyr, Stephen | Matthew 10:17-22

This “Most High” that Zechariah mentions comes not in a cloud of glory, but as a vulnerable child, with an ordinary family, in a cold stable. That is the kind of God we have. This babe in a manger brings light to those in darkness and takes away all my sins, doing away with the power of evil. 
Zechariah’s song is very much ours. We see the faint light on the horizon, and we await the full, dazzling light of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. We find ourselves now in-between, standing in that moment of the already and the not-yet. The light has dawned but doesn’t seem yet to have reached the deepest darkness inside and around us. This is the movement Christmas calls us to make. To embrace the light of Christ and diffuse the darkness of sin.

This “Most High” that Zechariah mentions comes not in a cloud of glory, but as a vulnerable child, with an ordinary family, in a cold stable. That is the kind of God we have. This babe in a manger brings light to those in darkness and takes away all my sins, doing away with the power of evil.  
Zechariah’s song is very much ours. We see the faint light on the horizon, and we await the full, dazzling light of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. We find ourselves now in-between, standing in that moment of the already and the not-yet. The light has dawned but doesn’t seem yet to have reached the deepest darkness inside and around us. This is the movement Christmas calls us to make. To embrace the light of Christ and diffuse the darkness of sin.

Warner D'Souza Videos

Cleansing or Healing? | Luke 5:12-16