A Jesuit Adventure

  1st Sunday of Advent My dear friends, today we begin the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent in Year A and before we rush into Christmas lights and carols, the Church gently taps us on the shoulder and says: Wake up. Look deeper. God is coming. The first reading taken from Isaiah presents a beautiful and hopeful vision given to the prophet Isaiah for Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah lived during a turbulent period when the Assyrian empire was growing in power and surrounding nations were constantly at war. The people of Judah were anxious, uncertain, and tempted to rely on political alliances rather than on God. Into this atmosphere of fear, Isaiah announces a promise of peace and restoration. The passage begins with the image of the “mountain of the Lord’s house” being lifted high above other mountains. In biblical language, mountains often represent places of encounter with God. By raising this mountain, God shows that His presence and His ways will become a guiding ...

Homily Christ The King Feast Ordinary Time Year C I Homily 23 November 2025 My dear friends on the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 to respond to growing secularism and atheism. This solemnity reminds us that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever. In the first reading taken from the second book of Samuel, David is made king over a united Israel after a period of division and hardship. The people come together acknowledging their relationship with David—they are his “bone and flesh”—and accept him as their shepherd and leader. This event is rooted in God’s plan, as David was chosen to unify the people and guide them with justice and care. Historically, David’s reign was seen as the ideal kingship in Israel’s memory, even though he was an imperfect human leader. The Church reads this story on the Feast of Christ the ...