13th Sunday in the Season of the Year (C) - Setting our face toward the Lord.
Recorded at Sacred Heart, Bomaderry, 9.30am (8'04")

• This is the final homily to be posted here. You will find new ones listed at my blog: www.rmh.id.au

Experiencing Jesus in 3D. Often we are content to stay with the images or ideas that we had about Jesus from our childhood. But there is so much more that we can experience about the historical and spiritual reality of Jesus of Nazareth, as he puts the same question to us that he put the disciples - 'who do you say I am?'

Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (7'43")

Hair and Tears - like a great artistic masterpiece, Luke tells the story of the day that a Pharisee invited Jesus to a festive meal, and the party was crashed by a woman who only wanted to anoint Jesus in gratitude to the immense love that he had shown in the forgiveness that she received.

Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (9'34" - plus Gospel)

The first reading from Genesis presents the intriguing character of Melchizedek, king of Salem, and priest of El Elyon (God Most High) who offers Abram a sacrifice of bread and wine. Why is this significant for the celebration of this feast of the Eucharist?

Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (11'10")

Trinity Sunday C. The heart of our faith; everything flows from it and to it; the distinctive message of Christianity. The first reading from Proverbs personifies Wisdom (she in the Hebrew) comes forth from God, yet not a creature, since she exists before all creation (before the springs and the mountains). 

Recorded at St Michael's, 6pm Vigil (8'46")

In the first reading from Acts 2 we hear a whole series of quite bizarre events - most of which we probably have no idea what they mean. To get a better sense of what we celebrate, we need to revisit the Jewish festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in the book of Exodus and remember the day that the Lord appeared in fire and thunder to all the people (including the erev rov - the mixed nations) to make covenant with his people on Mount Sinai.

Recorded at St Michael's 9.30am (11'03")

All the readings today talk about the power of the Holy Spirit being unleashed upon the disciples. Since Jesus had just spent the past few years teaching and preparing these boofheads, he knew they needed it! How would we be different if we knew the power that lay within us - the same power that conquered the grave lives in me and lives in you!

Recorded at Sacred Heart 9.30am (8'20")

Sixth Sunday in Easter (Year C). In Acts 15 we have a quite extraordinary moment in church history. At issue is how a Jewish community, gathered in worship at a Jewish synagogue around a Jewish Messiah, in the midst of a Jewish nation, keeping Jewish festivals and rituals - how does it welcome non Jews into this worship? What do these Gentiles have to do? Do men have to have that 'little operation' to be a part of this community? As they gather in Jerusalem for the Council, we read the decree that the disciples issue, which declares that "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and ourselves" which is an amazing thing in itself.

Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (9'38")

Fifth Sunday in Easter (Year C). Sometimes we get caught in the idea that there are spiritual moments in our lives (when we are in Church; praying; reading Scripture; listening to music or whenever) and all the rest is just secular and to some extent doesn't count. But that's not the story of the Scriptures. We are familiar with how the story begins - with the creation of everything from nothing - and it is all declared 'good'. But we are less familiar with the end of the story. This is precisely what we have in the second reading - from the penultimate chapter of the bible (Rev 21). Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30 (10'22")

Fourth Sunday in Easter (Year C) - Commemoration of Anzac Day. In the reading from the book of Revelation, John the Divine has this vision of an immense crowd - impossible to count - of people from every nation, tribe, people and language who have all been through the persecution / tribulation and have had their clothes washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. Although it has some strange imagery, I believe this vision has a lot to offer us as we commemorate Anzac Day today.

Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (8'15")

Easter 3C - John 21
In this final chapter to John's Gospel - probably written later than the rest of the Gospel - John provides a magnificent summary of the Christian life. He starts with the disciples returning to Galilee and with Peter in the lead, they head back to their old way of life and go fishing. Without the blessing and presence of the Lord, they are fruitless and catch nothing. But then the new day dawns and now the risen Son is on the beach and invites them to cast out their nets for a catch.
Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (11'58")

E2C - Finding mercy and faith in the heart of Jesus.

In Acts we are given the strange detail that people were bringing their sick to lay them on the streets near where St Peter would walk, knowing that if even his shadow should touch them they might be healed. The power of his amazing shadow!

Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (7'53")

A grave-robber had come – but it was God the Father who had acted in human history to defeat death. Death is a greatest fear and worry – human death, but also the death of relationships, business, work, and hope. All of that was changed as a result of Easter. New creation. New life. // Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (6'55")

Luke 24:1-12. // Hey! I’ll let you in on a little secret. Are you ready? (whispering) Dead people – well, they usually stay dead. We didn’t need the insights and advances of medical science in the past couple hundred years for humans to know that. // Full text on blog page.

Recorded at St Michael's, 7pm (8'52")

On Good Friday we reflect on the amazing love that was shown by Jesus. Last night we remembered the nature of our call to be a Eucharistic people and to respond to the call of our baptism through lives of service. Today we continue that reflection by remembering our call to be ministers and priests. // Recorded at St Michael's Hall, 3pm (6'59")

Jesus was an endlessly fascinating character and a simply amazing human being. Across his whole life he never failed to love and bring life to the people that he mixed and shared with, as he taught and healed and forgave sins. // Recorded at St Michael's Hall, Holy Thursday (4'49")

Palm Sunday = Passion Sunday (Year C)

The criminal on the neighbouring cross cried out - 'This man has done nothing wrong'. Pilate had a sign attached to the cross above the head Jesus - as was the custom in the Roman Empire, to provide the charge that had been made against the victim of crucifixion - this man was a rebel; thief; murderer; run-away slave; etc. The accusation against Jesus reads 'King of the Jews.' This was meant to be ironic, since clearly he was not the king of the people who accused him of making claims to deny support to the Empire, and leading the people astray. The criminal was correct - no, this man had done nothing wrong - except forgive sins, heal and offer new hope and life to a people who desperately needed it.
There was an appropriateness in the fact that Jesus died between two sinners / criminals. He had after all spent the last few years almost exclusively in their company. He seemed good at finding all the wrong kind of people to hang out with. He even seemed to prefer the company of sinners. Perhaps he was trying to teach us something there?

Recorded at St Michael's (9.30am, 6'08")

Palm Sunday = Passion Sunday (Year C)

The criminal on the neighbouring cross cried out - 'This man has done nothing wrong'. Pilate had a sign attached to the cross above the head Jesus - as was the custom in the Roman Empire, to provide the charge that had been made against the victim of crucifixion - this man was a rebel; thief; murderer; run-away slave; etc. The accusation against Jesus reads 'King of the Jews.' This was meant to be ironic, since clearly he was not the king of the people who accused him of making claims to deny support to the Empire, and leading the people astray. The criminal was correct - no, this man had done nothing wrong - except forgive sins, heal and offer new hope and life to a people who desperately needed it.
There was an appropriateness in the fact that Jesus died between two sinners / criminals. He had after all spent the last few years almost exclusively in their company. He seemed good at finding all the wrong kind of people to hang out with. He even seemed to prefer the company of sinners. Perhaps he was trying to teach us something there?

Recorded at St Michael's (6pm) - 6'31"

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C) - Knowing Christ Jesus.

Paul, the Pharisee, after giving us his impecable credentials for ministry within Judaism, then goes on to say why all of that - as impressive and amazing as it is - was as nothing compared to knowing the power of the resurrection at work in our life. We can know the same. And we can move beyond the need to have scapegoats and people to blame (like the crowd dragging the poor woman caught in the very act of adultery - by herself?) to experience the true nature of the law and righteousness.

Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (9'24")

The fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C) - Luke 15.

We have been pondering during Lent what it means to be in right relationship with God. Today we are reminded in the readings of the desire of God for us to have a full and complete life. We begin with the book of Joshua and the movement from the wilderness and the manna in the desert into the settled and rich life of the promised land - which is a sign of the new creation (2nd reading). Finally the Gospel gives once again the richest and perhaps the most famous of all of the parables of Jesus. Over the centuries even the best name to call this parable has been the subject of considerable discussion. Its most common name in the English-speaking world comes from a marginal note in an early edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible - the parable of the Prodigal Son. In German it is usually called 'Der Verlorene Sohn' - the Lost Son, which goes well with the first two parables in Luke 15 - the lost sheep and the lost coin. But what is clear, is that whatever name we give the parable, it needs to acknowledge that this rich parable is about more than a single character: all three (father and both sons) are significant and teach us invaluable lessons across our journey this Lent.

Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (10'16")