AD SENSE

11 SUNDAY C - Woman in Simon's House - HOMILIES

Thomas O’Loughlin

Introduction to the Celebration 

Today is one of the very few times in the year when the actions of women towards Jesus are at the centre of our recollection. We recall that Jesus was supported and helped by women in his work as he moved around Palestine. We also recall the incident when an unnamed woman anointed his feet with oil, kissed his feet, and wiped away her tears with her hair. Her sins were forgiven because she had shown such love.

Now we are gathered at table with the Lord, let us pray that our love will be such that our sins may be forgiven. 

Quotes 78 - Greatest Things done



"The greatest things ever done on Earth
have been done little by little."


- William Jennings Bryan

Story of the Turtle Family…

Turtle FamilyA turtle family decided to go on a picnic.. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

10 Sunday C - Raising Dead Man - Homilies

 Introduction: 

We see it every day on the news—the raw grief of a parent whose child has died, perhaps in a drive-by shooting or while serving in Afghanistan. Sometimes the tragedy is tied to an automobile accident. We hear of these deaths so often that we become numb to the pain. Then comes something like the shooting in Newton, Connecticut. Parents, friends and neighbors weep.
_________________

  a) A Key to the Reading

Today’s gospel gives us the story of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain. A look at the literary context of the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Luke will help us to understand this episode. The evangelist wishes to show that Jesus opens the way for us by showing us something of what is new about God as it comes to us in the proclamation of the Good News. This is how  transformation and openness come about: Jesus listens to the prayer of a foreigner, a non-Jew (Lk 7:1-10)  and raises the son of a widow (Lk 7:11-17) The way in which Jesus reveals the Reign of God comes as a surprise to the Jewish brethren who were not used to this kind of openness. It is a surprise also to John the Baptist who sends messengers to ask, Are you the one who is to come or are we to  wait for another (Lk 7:18-30). Jesus mocks the fickleness of his contemporaries: They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.”’(Lk 7:31-35). At the end we see Jesus’ openness to women (Lk 7:36-50)