The Piling Bodies in Ekurhuleni: When Performance Theatre Replaces Public Safety By Fr Mathibela Sebothoma The Piling Bodies in Ekurhuleni: When Performance Theatre Replaces Public Safety By Fr Mathibela Sebothoma Seven women. Seven bodies. Roughly two months. That is enough to make any decent human being stop and ask: What is happening to us? From Kempton Park to Olifantsfontein and Kwa-Thema, women have been found dead, their bodies abandoned in places where nobody should have to fear being dumped, forgotten or never found. Police investigations are under way. Rewards have been offered. Senior police officers have been deployed. Politicians have expressed their horror. And rightly so. But I am tired of politicians being shocked. I am tired of the statements. I am tired of the microphones, the solemn faces, the carefully prepared words about "deep concern" and "senseless violence". We know it is senseless. We know it is horrific. We know families are grieving. Th...
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Prayer for Healing Family Memories In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, I come before You as I am. I come carrying the story of my family— the beautiful memories, the painful memories, the things I understand, and the things I still cannot understand. I bring before You the people who gave me life, those who loved me in the ways they knew how, those who protected me, encouraged me and blessed me, and those who, knowingly or unknowingly, wounded me. Lord, there are memories for which I am grateful. There were moments of laughter, tenderness, sacrifice and belonging. There were blessings I received that I sometimes forget to acknowledge. But there were also moments that hurt. Some memories still have the power to disturb my peace. Some words were never forgotten. Some wounds were never spoken about. Some disappointments were buried so deeply that I learned to live around them. And there are memories for which I feel almost noth...
HOMILY – SAINT MONICA 27 August 2026 First Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2–3, 4–5, 6–7 Gospel: Matthew 24:42–51 “DO NOT GIVE UP ON WHAT GOD IS STILL WORKING ON” Introduction Today the Church gives us Saint Monica. And if there is one word that comes to mind when I think about Monica, it is persistence . She prayed. She waited. She cried. She hoped. She watched. She trusted. And she refused to believe that a difficult situation was the final word. Perhaps that is why Saint Monica speaks so powerfully to you today. Because there is probably something in your life about which you have quietly said: “I have prayed about this for long enough.” Maybe it is a person. Maybe it is your family. Maybe it is a relationship. Maybe it is a dream that seems to be dying. Maybe it is yourself. You have asked God. You have waited. And nothing seems to change. Today's Gospel comes with a challenging command: “Stay awake.” Jesus is not mere...
God, You always ask me, “Who do people say I am?” But before I answer, before I borrow the names people have given me, before I gather the titles, the robes, the years, the victories, the wounds— tell me, God, who am I? Am I the man people see standing at the altar, or the man who sometimes kneels there broken? Am I my collar, my calling, my education, my achievements, my failures, my history? Am I the voice that speaks about You, or the silence within me that still searches for You? Tell me, God, who am I when nobody is watching? Who am I when the applause is gone, when the Facebook likes disappear, when the room becomes quiet and I am left alone with my own heart? Am I the child who once looked at the sky and believed You were near? Am I the man who learned to survive by hiding certain tears, certain fears, certain memories behind a strong face? Am I the priest who gives blessings to wounded people while carrying wounds of his own? Am I the gardener who keeps planting even afte...
HOMILY – 21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A Sunday, 23 August 2026 Isaiah 22:19–23 | Psalm 138 | Romans 11:33–36 | Matthew 16:13–20 “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” Introduction Today I want to speak to you personally. Not to a crowd. Not to a parish. To you. Because there comes a moment in every serious spiritual journey when you have to stop borrowing other people's answers about God and discover what you yourself believe. You can inherit a faith from your parents. You can learn the prayers. You can attend Mass. You can know the Catechism. You can know the Bible. You can even spend years working in the Church. But eventually Jesus turns to you personally and asks: “Who do you say that I am?” Not: “What does your mother say?” Not: “What does your priest say?” Not: “What does your Church say?” Not even: “What does everybody else say?” Who do you say that I am? That question goes deeper than religion. It goes to the centre of your identity. Because the answer you give to Jesus will e...
HOMILY – SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 15 August 2026 Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6a, 10ab | Psalm 45 | 1 Corinthians 15:20–27 | Luke 1:39–56 “WHEN YOUR SOUL IS HUNGRY FOR MORE” Introduction Today, I want to speak to you personally. Not to a crowd. Not to a parish. Not to an audience. To you. Because somewhere beneath everything you do, there is a part of you that is searching. You may not always talk about it. You may cover it with work, relationships, entertainment, possessions, social media, success, ministry, achievement or even religious activity. But there is a question that eventually finds every human being: “Is this all there is?” Why do I still feel restless after achieving what I thought would make me happy? Why can I be surrounded by people and still feel lonely? Why can I pray and still feel empty? Why does my heart continue searching when I already have so much? The Assumption of Mary gives us a startling answer. You were made for more. The huma...