Homily Archives 2004

The following are Archives of Fr. Coutt’s homilies, through Easter Sunday 2004 through Church year-end, Christ The King (last is most current).

• Christ The King - This is the bottom line when we celebrate this important feast of Christ the King. Nobody is coerced into following, it is a free invitation. The choice is yours !
   
• 33rd Sunday - This is the Urgency of the Gospel. The good news has been with us for 2000 years, but there are still so many people that have never heard the Gospel. Like Henry there are so many who have never been told...
   
• 31st Sunday - And Jesus comes - the Wisdom of God who looks at people in a different way. Here is a creature - something created by  God and in whom God delights. How could Jesus look at him in any other way. He  says, Zaccheus come down, I am going to eat with you today...
   
• 30th Sunday -  In our Church today, we all have something good within us, whether we can see it like the Pharisee, or do not acknowledge it like the Publican. But we are all limited as persons and hence can always break our relationship with God. We can always turn away and sin. We are therefore weak and in need of God's protection, poor and in need of God's riches...
   
• 29th Sunday - When we are weak, when our faith grows dim, we need the others to  support us. We need them to hold up our arms, our  hands...
   
• 28th Sunday - “Sanctity is found in the ordinariness of coming to Church each Sunday. Saying our prayers regularly - in season and  out of season, in sickness and in health, in riches and in poverty. In changing  diapers and cleaning runny noses, in doing a 9-5 job and wondering how to make  the evening meal interesting. The Gate to heaven is narrow, the path is rough and  tough...”
   
• 27th Sunday - “Those who would proclaim the Word of God would  be ordained by the laying on of hands. The community did this to Paul and  Barnabas as we have seen in the Acts of the  Apostles.  Their faith would not be defined by a  set of doctrines and words to which the believers would have to give  credence.”
   
• 26th Sunday - "In  your careers you will meet many people. All  are significant.  They  deserve your attention and care,  even if all you do  is smile and say 'hello'.”
   
• 25th Sunday - A  good boss would care for the welfare of the Worker.  This attitude can only come from a business person who although is in business for the profits, does not put the profits above human beings. We see that in the Gospel today...
   
• 24th Sunday - “Father forgive me, even though I knew what I was doing.”Our readings today should fill us with a great sense of hope and a deep sense of gratitude.
   
• 23rd Sunday - The invitation of Jesus to follow him. The invitation of Jesus to work for the Kingdom makes us look at our comfort zone and decide whether we are willing to pay the price for following him.
   
• 22nd Sunday - A shy and young man from Canada was an engineer invited by an African Country to help with Town Planning. When he was there, he was treated like royalty...
   
• 21st Sunday - “WARNING: Exposure to the SON may prevent burning”. Who will be saved ? Yesterday at the Charismatic Prayer group meeting, there was a big discussion about whether we are saved or not. Some thought we were saved, others thought we were a long way from being saved. The discussion became heated and emotional. But the Apostles did not ask that question. They know that Salvation is there for all, the question is WHO will benefit from this Salvation ...
   
• 19th Sunday - Faith is the belief that things will happen in the future because of the person who has made you the promise and because you believe that person is powerful enough to make things happen. I trust in God to take care of me, because God loves me and God has the power to care for me.
   
• Assumption of Our Lady - It was therefore most appropriate that the Blessed Virgin Mary who heard the Word of God and kept it, who was faithful not only in Great things, but also in little things, who like the seed that fell in the ground and bore 100 fold, who like the Wise bridesmaids had oil in her lamp, which was lit, who like the faithful servant was ready for the Master at whatever hour he  would come.
   
• 17th Sunday - “Do you believe that: Our Father. Then I am the Father of you all. The rich and the poor, the young and the old. I am the Father of all. Do you believe that? Yes Lord I believe...
   
• 16th Sunday - “Sooner or later you and I have to do all three: Pray, Preach and Act.”
   
• 14th Sunday - It is from God alone that we can have hope and strength. It is through the Cross and Resurrection alone that we can hope for the Salvation and Peace, that the exiled Israelites found in Jerusalem.
   
• 13th Sunday - Some 45 years ago this week, I joined the seminary. I was given a cassock - a long white gown with a belt. It was the garb of the seminarian. I was given a name - before my baptismal name, I had the word: “Brother” attached to it. I was known as Brother Coutts. I felt special and I knew I was called to an awesome task. And so I could understand Elijah calling Elisha . Elijah is commanded by God to designate the young man as his successor.
   
• 12th Sunday - Who is Jesus and what do we really know about him? About a decade ago, a group of theologians had a conference which dealt with the Search for the Historical Jesus.
   
• Trinity Sunday - In a word the Mystery of the Trinity is a not a mathematical problem to be solved, but the reality of relationships we experience.
   
• Pentecost Sunday! - When the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, they proclaimed Jesus fearlessly before the Jews, the Gentles and Kings. The result was a "salvation story".
• People repented.
• People were forgiven.
• People were baptised.
• People received the Holy Spirit.
   
• Ascension Sunday - Our feast of the Ascension is a good model or paradigm of the way we should proceed. The Ascension is a story of unprecedented sharing of authority and power between God and us, human beings. It is a feast that is a pivot in the History of the Church.
   
• 6th Sunday of Easter - What a beautiful picture of the God who has chosen to make his Home in us. These three family members gave have the image of God the Father with the fullness of Wisdom - a Wisdom that God wants to share with us. Jesus like the Father shows the way by which this Wisdom becomes concrete in our life, becomes flesh and dwells among us. And the Grandchild like the Holy Spirit makes us live this Wisdom, this Understanding, this Peace, this Courage each in our own way.
   
• 5th Sunday of Easter - Our readings call us to enjoy the Victory of Easter and the deep inner sense of contentment that comes with it. Don't let it slip by you.
   
• 4th Sunday of Easter - The fourth Sunday of Easter is designated as World Day of prayer for Vocations. We pray in a particular way for priestly vocations. It is usually connected with the Picture or Parable of the Shepherd or Pastor (Latin for Shepherd), the yardstick or measuring rod for the Shepherd is Jesus himself, the Good Shepherd...
   
• 3rd Sunday of Easter - The Large Catch of Fish. This story had been floating around in the oral tradition. You can find similar to this in the Gospel according to Luke. Some Scholars think it was added here, first because the appearance of Jesus was on the Shore of Galilee...
   
• 2nd Sunday of Easter - “Come down from the Cross and will believe in you.  Show us a sign that you are the Messiah.  Today we find Thomas, one the Apostles, asking for a sign even though he was taught that Jesus had to suffer and die and would be raised from the dead.”
   
• Easter Sunday - Each Easter we read the same story of the Resurrection. Yet each year our lives have changed. There are new wars, new atrocities, new heroes emerge. The same Gospel is seen in a new light - the kaleidoscopic colours change. The story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb is O! So new ...
   
• Good Friday - Good Friday? - The agony in the Garden, the Crowing with thorns, a whipping at the pillar, the carry of the Cross and the humiliating nailing to the Cross. Was there no other way?
   
• Holy Thursday - We remember, We celebrate, We believe.
   
• Palm Sunday - 2004 - After the long and dramatic reading of the Passion, it would be hard to remember the second reading, much less the very first line of that reading. "Put on the mind of Jesus Christ."
   
• Service of Light - A service that savours some of that richness. We have a "rehearsal" we look out for what is meaningful and significant. Secondly: Walking in the Light is not a once in a life time experience. It is not like Baptism and Confirmation: - however we have constantly and continually to get back...
   
• Fifth Sunday In Lent - "Don't pet sweaty things, don't sweat petty things" ...
   
• Fourth Sunday In Lent - The fourth Sunday of Lent very aptly falls on the first day of Spring. How appropriate because the theme of our readings is "everything old has become new again." Everything that looked dead during winter will soon shows signs of new life: the buds on the trees and the new leaves.
   
• Third Sunday in Lent - We are midway through Lent, "Make sure your seat belts are fastened, your chairs and tables are in the upright and lock position, your handbags are in the overhead bins or under the seat in front of you, as we prepare for take off" - (3/14/04)
   
• Second Sunday in Lent - The Transfiguration (3/7/04)
   
• First Sunday In Lent (2/29/04)
   
• Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (2/22/04)
   
• Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2/15/04)
   
• Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (2/8/04)
   
• Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time (2/1/04)
   
• Third Sunday In Ordinary Time (1/25/04)
   
• Second Sunday In Ordinary Time (1/17/04)
   
• The Baptism of Jesus (1/11/04)
   
• Feast of the Epiphany, year ”c” (1/4/04)