Reflections by Fr Mathibela Sebothoma

  Homily – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Sunday, 9 August 2026 1 Kings 19:9, 11–13 | Romans 9:1–5 | Matthew 14:22–33 “LISTEN FOR GOD IN THE SILENCE” Introduction Perhaps you are reading or listening to this homily alone. No congregation around you. No choir. No incense. No one sitting beside you. Just you—and God. And perhaps that is not such a bad place to be. Because there are moments in life when we discover that, underneath all the noise, all the activity, all the relationships, all the achievements and disappointments, there is a question that refuses to go away: “Where is God in all of this?” You can have people around you and still feel profoundly alone. You can be successful and still feel empty. You can pray regularly and still wonder whether God hears you. You can serve others and secretly ask, “But who is looking after me?” There is something deep within every human being that longs for more than possessions, recognition, success or pleasure. We lo...

  Homily for Monday, 3 August 2026 Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Readings: Jeremiah 28:1–17 | Matthew 14:22–36 Introduction There are moments in life when God seems silent. You pray, but heaven appears closed. You work hard, yet nothing changes. You smile in public while privately fighting fear, loneliness, disappointment or grief. Many people believe that the greatest miracle is seeing Jesus calm the storm. I think the greater miracle is this: Jesus came while the storm was still raging. He did not first remove the wind. He first revealed His presence. Perhaps that is exactly where you are today. You are searching for God—not because life is easy, but because life has become too heavy to carry alone. Today's readings remind us that in our search for God, we must distinguish between comforting lies and life-giving truth, and learn to recognise Jesus even when He comes to us through the storms we fear. A Life Story A man proudly told his priest, ...

 My dear fellow ministers,   This is not a message from a textbook. This is not theology from a classroom. This is not the opinion of a man sitting comfortably behind a desk. This is wisdom gathered from years of ministry, tears, betrayals, victories, disappointments, observations, mistakes, corrections, and painful lessons. Many good pastors are in trouble today not because they committed adultery, stole money, abandoned the faith, or turned their backs on God. Some are suffering because they were innocent but careless. They were sincere but unguarded. They were compassionate but lacked boundaries. They were kind-hearted but failed to understand the dangerous realities of the times in which we now live. Please hear me carefully: In ministry today, being holy is not enough. You must also be wise. A single accusation can destroy what took thirty years to build. A single careless decision can bury a ministry. A single moment of poor judgment can hand your enemies the weapon...

  Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 12 July 2026 Readings: Isaiah 55:10–11; Psalm 65; Romans 8:18–23; Matthew 13:1–23 Introduction Have you ever wondered why some people seem to experience God so deeply while others feel nothing? Why do some prayers change a person's life, while others seem to disappear into silence? Why do two people hear exactly the same Gospel, yet one leaves transformed and the other remains exactly the same? Perhaps the greatest tragedy is not that God has stopped speaking. The tragedy is that we have stopped listening. Today's Gospel is not really about farming. It is about the human heart. Jesus is not examining the soil beneath our feet; He is examining the soil within us. Every day God throws His love, His grace, His truth and His mercy into our lives. The question is never whether God is speaking. The question is: What kind of soil am I? A Life Story A little boy came home from church. His mother asked, "Wha...

  Psalm 23 1  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2       He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. 3       He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness      for His name’s sake. 4  Even though I walk      through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;      for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff,      they comfort me. 5  You prepare a table before me      in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;      my cup runs over. 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me      all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord      forever.

  Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 5 July 2026 Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 Introduction My dear friend, May I ask you a very personal question? How heavy is the load you are carrying today? Perhaps it is not visible to anyone else. It may be the weight of financial pressure. The burden of caring for an ageing parent. The disappointment of a broken relationship. The grief of losing someone you love. The loneliness of feeling misunderstood. Or perhaps it is the exhausting burden of trying to be perfect, trying to please everyone, trying to hold everything together. Many people are physically alive but spiritually exhausted. They wake up tired, work tired, pray tired, and go to bed tired. Today's Gospel is one of the most comforting invitations ever spoken by Jesus: "Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Notice that Jesus does not first deman...