Father Weerackoon’s Homilies and Talks

7th Sunday of Easter

Right before entering His agony in the Garden, Jesus prays to the Father saying: "Father, they are your gift to me" because you are that gift. And if we recognize we are the Father's gift to Jesus, how could we ever turn down the Father’s gift of His Son to us in the Eucharist?

Ascension

The power of today’s feast of the Ascension shows us what true sacrifice is, because Christ’s sacrifice in time is brought into eternity where He offers Himself unceasingly to the Father. And the Ascension shows us where our destiny lies - in heaven above. So do we think about heaven and do we get excited to go to heaven? Ask yourself what's the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning, and you'll find your answer.

6th Sunday of Easter

The very peace Jesus grants us His word - which is a sword that pierces our hearts. And the more we allow Jesus into every aspect of our lives by reading the word of God, the more we open ourselves up to the healing He wants to grant us and to remove anything in our lives that is a barrier that’s keeping us from Jesus. 

5th Sunday of Easter

Jesus is drawn to us in our sufferings because He knows the deeper pains in our hearts. So like Jesus, instead of focusing on the hurts, we need to focus on loving so that we allow Christ to enter into our sufferings and abide in God's promise that He will dwell with us and we will be His people, and that God will wipe every tear from our eyes.

4th Sunday of Easter

There are a lot voices in the world and there are a lot of things we often reach out to and grasp at. There’s a vast array of opinions on how to be successful, how to be happy, how to be calm. But there’s only one voice that truly matters and there’s only one set hands in which we are safe, sustained, and loved. And that's the voice and the hands of the Good Shepherd promises: My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me because no one can take them out of my hand. 

3rd Sunday of Easter

As Jesus walked with Peter on the shore, Jesus wasn't upset that Peter denied Him. Jesus didn't tell Peter that He would forgive Peter, but make John the first Pope instead. And the reason why Jesus is so forgiving and reaffirms Peter in his role as the first Pope is because Jesus healed from His wounds and he healed quickly. As a result, Peter healed quickly. So the question is - are we willing to take a walk with Jesus on the shore so we too can heal quickly?

Divine Mercy Sunday

After the apostles had locked themselves in the upper room on Easter Sunday, Jesus breathes for His peace upon the apostles so He can unlock the doors to their hearts that had been filled with fear and shame. And Jesus shows His wounds to them so that we may have the courage to show Him our wounds and filled with only the peace that He can bring, because there is no sin that is beyond Divine Mercy.

Easter Sunday

Even though Peter had thrice sworn he didn't know Jesus, it didn't stop him from being the first person in John's Gospel to enter into the empty tomb. We too aren’t meant to lie buried in the tomb of our despair and discouragement, buried in our sins, so let's run in search of the risen Christ who says: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, and whoever believes in Me will never die."

Holy Thursday

The Last Supper is the first Mass, the institution of the priesthood, and the institution of the Eucharist. But it's also a wedding. What if we saw every Mass as a wedding, so that as we walk down the aisle to receive Communion, we realize we are met by Jesus our divine bridegroom who longs for us to live in communion with Him and who gives up His body and blood for us.

Palm Sunday

Only Luke’s Gospel tells us that the Lord turned and looked at Peter when Peter commits the biggest sin and worst mistake in his life. But our Lord's look at Peter wasn't a look of anger or condemnation or disappointment. It was a tender look of love to help Peter not to give into despair. So this Holy Week, meet Jesus's gaze and see the look of mercy in His eyes so that we may one day see Divine Mercy face to face.