Sermon by Br Josias for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

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What happens when we advocate for other people? How and where are we involved in God’s promise work of liberation that is good news to the marginalized in our day? With the ongoing injustice, exclusion and oppression that is taking place in various parts of the world, is liberation theology still a prominent theological movement?

These questions came to mind when I was looking at the first reading for this morning. The prophet’s lamentation comes out in a period of despair and disbelief, one that does not expect God to change things. Silence normally accompanies such feelings, but the prophet sets an example for us. He declares:

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest till her righteousness shines out …”

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Homily by Br Luc for the Feast of the Epiphany

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May the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be praised! Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany whereby God manifested or revealed His only begotten Son to the peoples of the earth by the leading of a star.

Our first lesson this morning comes from the book of the prophet Isaiah. “Arise and shine!” The prophet calls to the people of Israel and to us this morning. “For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!” (60:1). This is a wake-up call that carries with it a lot of optimism, spoken to a people that were just returned from exile and who may have given up and most probably would have wanted to pull up the covers and continue in their slumber of the status quo. The prophet Isaiah presents a vision of hope and restoration, not just for the people of Israel but for all the nations… us included! He offers a vision of timeless majesty and the power of God’s reign breaking into our world and into everything.

Isaiah is trying to renew the hope of a community familiar with the imagery of light. Although this portion of the book, usually called 3rd Isaiah, was written slightly after the first wave of exiles had returned home from Babylon, they still needed encouragement so that they could become fully alive to the doings of God. The imagery helps move them from moments and clouds of confusion and despair to a brightness full of illumination and splendor. Isaiah reveals for them the morning sunlight streaming in as through a window after a dark night and shouts to them that the glory of the Lord is shining, “Wake up and shine along!”

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Homily by Br Luc for the Feast of the Epiphany Read More »

The First Sunday after Christmas – Sermon by Br Daniel

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We tend to live our lives from one happening to the next. We all have diaries or reminders on our cell phones or laptops or tablets, or whatever electronics we use. We have lists of stuff to do. And once we have attended to the schedule, we delete it with satisfaction; job well-done. And so, it seems with Christmas: it was on the list and now it is done and deleted; job well-done. Thing is, John has a different understanding of Christmas. John invites us to contemplate a Christmas that fills us with hope and joy the whole year.

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Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” In what days? And who are these people?

The appointed reading for today has dumped us unceremoniously into the middle of a lengthy narrative in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. The days, Luke tells us, are those of King Herod of Judea. Zechariah is a priest, married to Elizabeth; both are getting on in years, and they are childless, a source of deep embarrassment in that society. I should say, they have been childless, for it is clear that Elizabeth is now pregnant. Her young relative Mary is a virgin engaged to be married to Joseph, who doesn’t get a speaking part in Luke’s story. Elizabeth refers to Mary as a mother; in fact, Mary, too, is pregnant with her first child, and quite recently so. She remains a virgin, though; Luke quotes her as saying that she has no knowledge of man.

Oh, there’s another significant character in the story so far. He’s an angel named Gabriel.

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Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent by Br Mpumelelo

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Let us pray: Make us to know Your Ways, O LORD JESUS CHRIST; teach us Your Paths. Lead us in Your Truth, and teach us, for You are the GOD of our Salvation; for You we wait all day long. Amen.

Last week we were told about John the Baptist, that “he is a voice crying in the wilderness, saying: Prepare the way of the LORD, make his paths straight” — as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah — and I believe that each one of us had a question in their heart: “How do we prepare the way of the LORD? How do we make His paths straight?” Today, we see GOD answering that question through His Word clearly: to prepare the way of the LORD, and to make His paths straight, means to repent and bear fruits worthy of repentance! This is why Mark once said: “John was proclaiming the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins!” (Mark 1:4)

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Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent by Br Mpumelelo Read More »

Sermon by Br Josias for the Second Sunday of Advent

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In the Name of God the Creator, the Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen!

This week marks the second week of Advent. The period of Advent for me is a time of reflection. We look at what is and anticipate what ought to come. We reflect on the life that is and hope for something better. This second week of Advent takes us from thinking about hope to a related idea of peace, something we all need to think more about.

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Sermon by Br Josias for the Second Sunday of Advent Read More »

November 2024 News – Rowan Williams at Volmoed

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We were privileged to have the presence and input of Bp Dr Rowan Williams, a former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, at Volmoed during the first half of November. His deep spirituality humbly shared was much appreciated.

Bp Rowan provided input on the theme of passions and freedoms to the Volmoed Colloquium during the first weekend of November. Some of the colloquium group attended Vespers with the Brothers on the Friday evening, and most of the group attended the Eucharist on the Sunday morning. This was followed by the final colloquium session, during which Bp Rowan spoke about freedom with (dynamic relationships that welcome diversity by reframing questions) in addition to freedom from and freedom for.

During the following week, Bp Rowan provided input on the theme of the prophetic witness of the church today for a retreat that was offered at Volmoed. There were one or two input sessions each morning (they can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/@CrossingRivers2024/videos), and a question-and-answer session after supper each evening.

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November 2024 News – Rowan Williams at Volmoed Read More »

Reflection for Sunday 1 December 2024 – the First Sunday of Advent – by Br Aelred

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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

Can you imagine what a boring place this world would have been if Almighty God had created all of us the same; with the same brain, the same way of thinking, the same personalities, just everything the same? We would not have had anyone or anything to challenge us, we would not have had the ability to use our brains to interpret and choose for ourselves how to live our lives.

Today we start a new liturgical year, a time for deep reflection. You see, the past is in the past, and as Christians we don’t look back, we look forward. We take what we have learned from the past and move forward, with the light of Christ as our guide.

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Reflection for Sunday 1 December 2024 – the First Sunday of Advent – by Br Aelred Read More »

Sunday 24 November 2024: Feast of Christ the King – Sermon by Br Daniel

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And so, the liturgical year ends with the celebration of Christ the King.

The Catholic Echo tells of the origin of the Feast of Christ the King as follows.

Since the first century A.D., Christians have acknowledged that Jesus is a king. However, it was only 99 years ago that the feast day of Christ the King was created and inserted into the annual church liturgy. 

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Sunday 24 November 2024: Feast of Christ the King – Sermon by Br Daniel Read More »

Sermon for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

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I wonder what the disciples were thinking when they asked Jesus about when his prophecy of the destruction of the temple would come about, and what signs they should look for. Such a massive building erected over so many years: Was there perhaps some scepticism in their questioning? How could it all be destroyed so completely?

We know that the temple was in fact destroyed some years later. The unthinkable did happen. The centre of their practice of faith, the place where heaven and earth came together, where God was most surely to be found, was no more. They should have asked another question: What will we do then? Where will we find God afterwards?

What do we do when what we had thought to be the centre of our world, the source of our security, is no more?

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Sermon for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Read More »

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