Warner D'Souza

Luke 1:57-66 | Homily | 23rd December, 2020

A family feud in the Christmas story? | Luke 1:57-66

Luke 1:46-56 | Homily | 22nd December, 2020

Luke 1: 39-45 | Homily | 21st December, 2020

The journey from Nazareth to Ein Karim was long and uncomfortable. Mary carries the secret; she is the womb of God but that secret is let out of the bag or should I say out of the womb when John the Baptist leapt on hearing the voice of the Mary. This isn’t just a cute “I felt the baby kick” moment. It’s God’s Spirit at work. Zechariah had been told something about her child, “ he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” – Luke 1:15. This visitation could best be described as a Eucharistic moment. The light of Christ comes to Elizabeth through Mary. 
But this text rightly focuses on Elizabeth too. The scriptures record very little about Elizabeth, but she was a remarkable woman. She believed Gabriel when her husband did not. Mary was a young woman and she was an old woman, but Mary needed the encouragement that Elizabeth gave her. She assured her that all those things that had been told to her, by the angel, would happen.

The journey from Nazareth to Ein Karim was long and uncomfortable. Mary carries the secret; she is the womb of God but that secret is let out of the bag or should I say out of the womb when John the Baptist leapt on hearing the voice of the Mary. This isn’t just a cute “I felt the baby kick” moment. It’s God’s Spirit at work. Zechariah had been told something about her child, “ he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” – Luke 1:15. This visitation could best be described as a Eucharistic moment. The light of Christ comes to Elizabeth through Mary.
But this text rightly focuses on Elizabeth too. The scriptures record very little about Elizabeth, but she was a remarkable woman. She believed Gabriel when her husband did not. Mary was a young woman and she was an old woman, but Mary needed the encouragement that Elizabeth gave her. She assured her that all those things that had been told to her, by the angel, would happen.

Your presence is more important than your presents | Luke 1:39-45

An angel in the bedroom- The Annunciation of the Lord- Luke 1: 26-38 
Somewhere in the loud voice of the Church, projecting over the centuries, the big “yes” of Mary, is an adolescent girl who was terrified on seeing an angel. Centuries of romanticising Mary’s ‘yes’ has perhaps taken away from her, the overwhelmingly shocking fear of finding an angel hovering in her bedroom (the bedroom part is prose license). This was big news for Mary and it would take a lot more than a ‘I think you need to sit down and listen to this one’. And yet from this simple Jewish maiden comes the ‘yes’ that gave us so great a redeemer.

An angel in the bedroom- The Annunciation of the Lord- Luke 1: 26-38
Somewhere in the loud voice of the Church, projecting over the centuries, the big “yes” of Mary, is an adolescent girl who was terrified on seeing an angel. Centuries of romanticising Mary’s ‘yes’ has perhaps taken away from her, the overwhelmingly shocking fear of finding an angel hovering in her bedroom (the bedroom part is prose license). This was big news for Mary and it would take a lot more than a ‘I think you need to sit down and listen to this one’.   And yet from this simple Jewish maiden comes the ‘yes’ that gave us so great a redeemer.

Luke 1: 26-38 | Homily

Matthew 1: 18-24 | Homily | 18th December, 2020

Today’s readings look unsparingly at Jesus’ ancestry; it’s called the genealogy. Matthew, writing in a Jewish environment, begins his Gospel of Jesus by tracing the ancestry of Jesus back to the patriarchs. What Matthew is trying to do is to place Jesus’ birth within the context of Jewish history from the time of Abraham up to the birth of Jesus. Genealogies in Scripture always point in some way to the Lord, and the Lord’s choice. Look at this list as a star cast and credits of those involved in this great production. Yet there are surprises in this list of Jesus’ ancestors. 
This genealogy spans the whole history of salvation, from Abraham through David, in six groups of 7 names or three groups of fourteen name ( multiples of seven), 7 being the perfect number for Hebrews. The first fourteen names mentioned are those of the patriarchs, people such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The second fourteen are Israel’s kings, especially Kings David and Solomon. The last fourteen are unknowns from Israel’s past who played a vital role in the coming of the Messiah.

Today’s readings look unsparingly at Jesus’ ancestry; it’s called the genealogy. Matthew, writing in a Jewish environment, begins his Gospel of Jesus by tracing the ancestry of Jesus back to the patriarchs. What Matthew is trying to do is to place Jesus’ birth within the context of Jewish history from the time of Abraham up to the birth of Jesus. Genealogies in Scripture  always point in some way to the Lord, and the Lord’s choice. Look at this list as a star cast and credits of those involved in this great production. Yet there are surprises in this list of Jesus’ ancestors.
This genealogy spans the whole history of salvation, from Abraham through David, in six groups of 7 names or three groups of fourteen name ( multiples of seven), 7 being the perfect number for Hebrews. The first fourteen names mentioned are those of the patriarchs, people such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The second fourteen are Israel’s kings, especially Kings David and Solomon. The last fourteen are unknowns fro

The march of the unqualified | Matthew 1:1-17

Writing straight on crooked lines | Isaiah 45: 6b-8,18,21b-2

The Hebrew word for “anointed” is mashiach, “messiah” or “ Christos ( Christ) in Greek. While the title of ‘Christ’ or ‘Messiah’ is a bit hard for us to swallow when attached to a Persian King and that too announced by the prophet Isaiah, the reality was that various figures were ‘anointed’ in ancient Judah; not only kings but also high priests, and occasionally prophets. However, all of them had crucial religious roles. Anointing implicitly reflected a close relationship with God and special divine blessing. So for Isaiah to proclaim the ‘messiahship’ of Cyrus, a foreign conqueror, would have been a shock. How could that office be assumed by a foreign conqueror? So what are we to do with Cyrus, the only non-Israelite leader to be called a messiah? And is the proclamation and title good news or bad news?

Writing straight on crooked lines | Isaiah 45: 6b-8,18,21b-25

Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 | Homily | 15th December, 2020

The people of Judah have disregarded their covenant with God and taken up the idolatrous practices of their pagan neighbours, and God announces their punishment through his prophet. It is the worst of times. Zephaniah prophesies that Judah will be conquered and the Israelites taken into captivity. They will suffer dire consequences as a result of their sin; the first two thirds of the book of Zephaniah are dreadfully hard to read. 
After the good king Josiah died, it appears that God had laid it on the prophet Zephaniah’s heart to take up where the prophet Habakkuk left off, and to approach the difficult challenge of bringing God’s people into line; but from a somewhat different angle. So, Zephaniah appears on the scene to define the problem as pride, and he proposed humility as the solution, knowing that if the people refused to humble themselves, their pride would be defused by the Lord God who would humble them Himself. “Had you rather humble yourself before God, or would you prefer to be humbled by God?”

The people of Judah have disregarded their covenant with God and taken up the idolatrous practices of their pagan neighbours, ...

A minor prophet with a major message | Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13

In Numbers 22—24, we find the story about Balaam and the king of Moab, a man called Balak. King Balak wanted to weaken the children of Israel, who on their way to Canaan had moved in on his territory. Balak sent to Balaam, who lived in Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River (Numbers 22:5), and asked him to curse Israel in exchange for a reward. Balaam was apparently willing to do this but said he needed God’s permission (verse 8). Balaam, of course, had no power, in himself, to curse Israel, but, if God were willing to curse Israel, Balaam would be rewarded through Balak. God told Balaam, “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (verse 12). King Balak then sent “other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first” (verse 16), promising a handsome reward. This time God said, “Go with them, but do only what I tell you” (verse 20). 
The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and left for Moab (Numbers 22:21). God sent an angel to oppose Balaam on the way. The donkey Balaam was riding could see the angel, but Balaam could not, and when the donkey three times moved to avoid the angel, Balaam was angry and beat the animal. “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth” (verse 28), and it rebuked the prophet for the beatings. “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn” (verse 31). The angel told Balaam that he certainly would have killed Balaam had not the donkey spared his life. Ironically, a dumb beast had more wisdom than God’s prophet. The angel then repeated to Balaam the instruction that he was only to speak what God told him to speak concerning the Hebrews (verses 33–35).

In Numbers 22—24, we find the story about Balaam and the king of Moab, a man called Balak. King Balak wanted to weaken the children of Israel, who on their way to Canaan had moved in on his territory. Balak sent to Balaam, who lived in Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River (Numbers 22:5), and asked him to curse Israel in exchange for a reward. Balaam was apparently willing to do this but said he needed God’s permission (verse 8). Balaam, of course, had no power, in himself, to curse Israel, but, if God were willing to curse Israel, Balaam would be rewarded through Balak. God told Balaam, “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (verse 12). King Balak then sent “other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first” (verse 16), promising a handsome reward. This time God said, “Go with them, but do only what I tell you” (verse 20).
The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and left for Moab (Numbers 22:21). God sent an angel to oppose Balaam o

The story of a prophet for hire | Numbers 24:2-7,15-17a/Matthew 21:23-27

John 1: 6-8, 19-28 | Sunday Homily

Homily | Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11b & Matthew 17:10-13

The Gospel of today dwells on the same topic. Jesus’ disciples had a vision of Jesus transfigured in glory and flanked by Moses and Elijah, obviously Elijah was still on their minds. So they ask Jesus for confirmation regarding the role of Elijah as forerunner of the end time. Jesus’ reply was unexpected in more ways than one; the real forerunner is John the Baptist and he has was badly treated and this will also be the fate of Jesus himself. 
In speaking of Elijah, Jesus is predicting His own death. He is preparing his disciples for what will come. Jesus tells them “the Son of Man will suffer.” However, the disciples assume that Jesus is talking about John the Baptist. As usual, Jesus’ disciples did not understand. The coming of Jesus was meant to bring about the kingdom of God on earth with the offer of salvation for all; but the people struck out against the bearer of the message.

The Gospel of today dwells on the same topic. Jesus’ disciples had a vision of Jesus transfigured in glory and flanked by Moses and Elijah, obviously Elijah was still on their minds. So they ask Jesus for confirmation regarding the role of Elijah as forerunner of the end time. Jesus’ reply was unexpected in more ways than one; the real forerunner is John the Baptist  and he has was badly treated  and this will also be the fate of Jesus himself.
In speaking of Elijah, Jesus is predicting His own death. He is preparing his disciples for what will come. Jesus tells them “the Son of Man will suffer.” However, the disciples assume that Jesus is talking about John the Baptist. As usual, Jesus’ disciples did not understand. The coming of Jesus was meant to bring about the kingdom of God on earth with the offer of salvation for all; but the people struck out against the bearer of the message.

Listening with the ear of the heart | Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11b Matthew 17:10-13

Homily | Isaiah 48:17-19

“Even the best teacher fails, when his pupils are unwilling to learn and God is lamenting this reality in verse 18. He was the teacher who taught the Israelites for their own good (verse 17) who lead them where they ought to go and yet they paid no attention to Gods commandments ( verse 18). The tragedy of Israel could easily have been avoided; but the prophet reminds her that all of her past history was one unending tragedy of squandered opportunities. This, of course, places the responsibility of Israel’s tragic state squarely upon the people themselves.

Squandered opportunities | Isaiah 48:17-19

Isaiah 40:25-31 | Homily

How many of you are right-handed? If yes, you are among the group of 85 to 90% who are. Have you ever wondered why? Scientist has pondered this question for centuries. Most agree that it was evolutional in nature. Observe people with their children; you will notice that most parents hold their child’s right hand with their left. I am sure that they are  probably not aware of this tendency. But perhaps there is a grain of protection to this decision. Very unaware, perhaps they felt better able to protect their child with their dominate hand. Also making the child feel more secure by having their hand in control of a greater power.  Yet God chooses to hold us with OUR right hand which means that he is using HIS left hand ( unlike most parents).

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