Hear – Paul Anka’s song dedicated to fathers:
Holy Trinity A 2014
Links to earlier posts:
http://www.tkayala.com/2012/05/trinity-sunday-homily.html
http://www.tkayala.com/2012/06/trinity-prayers.html
http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/holy-trinity-2013-homilies-and-stories.html
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Some Stories: (More Stories at the bottom or at: http://www.homilystories.in/2014/06/holy-trinity.html)
The story is told of a priest sitting in an airport waiting for his flight. A fellow killing time struck up a conversation. Said he, "Father, I believe only what I can understand. So, I can't buy your Trinity. Perhaps you can explain it to me." The priest reluctantly put down The New York Times. "Do you see the sun out there?" "Yup." "OK, it's 80 million miles away from us right now. The rays coming through the window," said the priest, "are coming from the sun. The delightful heat we are enjoying on our bodies right now come from a combination of the sun and its rays. Do you understand that?" The fellow answered, "Sure, padre." "The Trinity," the priest went on, "is like that. God the Father is that blazing sun. The Son is the rays He sends down to us. Then both combine to send us the Holy Spirit who is the heat. If you understand the workings of the sun, its rays, and heat, why do you have difficulty believing the Trinity?" The man said something about catching a flight and was off.
He recalled the husband, who said when he became a father, he better understood the Trinity. When he and his wife had their son, they had evidence of their love for each other. There was the lover, the beloved, and the love, each distinct and yet one.
Pentecost A
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Back Posts:
Pentecost 2013: http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/pentecost-2013-homilies-and-stories.html
Water, Fire, Wind Symbols: http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/holy-spirit-3-symbols-video.html
Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection: http://www.tkayala.com/2012/05/pentecost-may-21-homily.html
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Starters:
The Church on Fire
Two persons were talking together before a large church which was being destroyed by fire. The first man spoke in a voice which could be heard above the voice of the firemen: "This is the first time I ever saw you at church." To this the second responded: "This is the first time I ever saw the church on fire." There are many prophets of doom saying that the age of the Christian Church is over - that it has lost its zeal! We're taking a beating right now in this country and around the world. Our theology is being questioned. Everyone is writing a critical book against the organized church. We have had to take some unpopular stands on social issues. Magazines are attacking the ministry, and it isn't the thing to do anymore to join the church. John Kelman said, however, "God pity the nation or city whose factory smokestacks rise higher than her church spires."
Why Belong To The Church?, anthology, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
Ascension 2012
Introduction
Today’s readings
describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory after he had promised his disciples his Holy Spirit as their source of heavenly power,
and commanded them to bear witness to him throughout the world by their lives
and preaching.
But the ascended
Jesus is still with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit as he has promised,
"I
am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Today’s feast celebrates Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death and resurrection – a glory in which we hope to
share.
Scripture Lessons
The first reading
gives an account of the event of Jesus’ ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to remain in Jerusalem
and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his
“witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus
from the sight of the disciples and two heavenly messengers in white garments
gave them the assurance of Jesus’ “second coming” or return in glory. Today's psalm suggests that, by his Ascension, the risen Lord "mounts his throne" in glory. In the
second
reading, Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation, giving us
the
assurance that one day, we, too, will be ascending to heavenly glory, provided we carry out the mission
entrusted to us by the ascending Lord. Today's gospel describes how Jesus ascended
to heaven after giving
his final
blessing and
missionary command to his disciples. The command was to “proclaim the good news to
every creature”(Mark 16:15), “to be his witnesses"(Acts 1: 8), and “to make disciples of all n ation s.”
(Matthew 8:19).
Life Messages
1) We need
to be proclaimers
and
evangelizers: To be a Christian
is
to be a proclaimer
and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and
proclaiming. We preach with words but we proclaim
with our lives.
Let us ask the
guidance of the Spirit
of God to bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian
lives. 2) We need to transmit his teachings to the world: Jesus taught us lessons of
faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy and salvation by his life and preaching and gave us the mission to teach these to others. Hence, let us learn about Jesus and his
teachings by our daily study of the Bible and the teachings of the Church, experience
him
in personal prayer,
reception of the
sacraments and works of charity, and convey
to others Jesus whom we have
experienced with the help of his Holy Spirit.
3) We need seek our help in this mission from the ascended Jesus
who
is our strength and encouragement: We will be able to
overcome doubts about
our
faith and baseless fears,
anxieties and worries by
meditating on Jesus’ Ascension and the lesson it
teaches, that we, too, are called to share
his
glory in heaven. L/12
Ascension 2009
From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
Anecdote 1)
God’s love in action: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera
Turandot. The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama
Butterfly and Tosca. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that
he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on
the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his
energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, 'If I don't
finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.' He died in 1924, leaving the work
unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it
in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The
world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and
Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went
beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He
stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced,
'Thus far the master wrote, but he died.' There was a long pause; no one moved.
Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in
his eyes, announced, 'But his disciples finished his work.' The opera closed to
thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works.
Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving
mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds.
Easter 7 A
1. Fr. Ted Martin
Purpose:
The Ascension of our Divine Savior marks the destiny for all human flesh;
glory with the Father and the blessed in heaven. The greatest gift of the
Christian faith is the supernatural end to which the anchor of hope secures joy
amidst the difficulties and sufferings of this life. We learn in this Sunday’s
readings that Christian life consists of walking toward Jerusalem with the
Apostolic band and our Lady, so that we shall see the good things of the Lord
in the land of the living. This Sunday’s readings teach us: 1. The necessity of
praying with the Church; 2. Prayer as the key to suffering; 3. The unicity of
Jesus Christ; and, the necessity of proclaiming His Lordship.
KFC - Story of Colonel Sanders
The Story
Behind KFC - Colonel Sanders..
Reverend
Albert Kang
Colonel
Harland Sanders has become a world-known figure by marketing his "finger lickin'
good" Kentucky Fried Chicken.His chicken is now served daily across the United States as well as in more than eighty other countries. It is one of the largest fast food corporations in the world.
Easter 6 A - Homilies - Love and Communion in the Spirit
In the Footprints of Loneliness, the Servant of God Catherine DeHueck Doherty (d. 1985) wrote:
Loneliness is a terrible thing, and we must do something about it. It is here that tenderness, gentleness, and understanding helps us to live… Gentleness and tenderness assuage loneliness and make it possible to disappear…Tenderness is the ability to be present, extending the warmth of my heart to your heart.
Easter 5 A: I am the Way, Truth and Life; Don't Be Anxious
The Peacemakers
Dawne Olson, a South Dakota mother of four, was preparing to give a talk on unity at her women's Bible study. She woke up early to type out the scripture verses. She wasn't quite finished when her four children began coming downstairs asking for breakfast. She could hear the children just around the corner in the kitchen as they rummaged through the refrigerator and cupboards for something to eat. At some point they discovered half of a toaster pastry on the counter from the night before. They all began screaming and fighting; each claiming the half-eaten Pop Tart.
As Dawne made a couple of futile attempts to quiet them down, she finished typing the verse in Matthew 5:9 that says, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." Taking her cue from scripture, she hollered into the kitchen above the noise, "Would somebody PLEASE be the peacemaker?!"
12 Leadership Principles of Jesus That Inspire Me
Ron Edmonston
There are many leaders I admire who have influenced my own leadership. I admire the teachings on leadership by guys like John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, and Patrick Lencioni. There are leaders from my personal life such as a former pastor, a former boss, a high school principal and leaders in my own community who have influenced me as I have watched their leadership. I also love to learn from a great athletic coach. I have been known to choose the teams I support by the coach that leads them. I love leadership. It is so needed these days; especially in our churches.
The principles, however, that I admire most are found in the leadership style of Jesus. Jesus’ leadership is still impacting culture today.Here are 12 leadership principles of Jesus that inspire me:
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