The Chapel of Emmaus House (58)

Dear brothers,

Some days, all we can see are ruins. A broken classroom. An unmaintained house. A heavy heart. The people in today’s first reading knew that feeling well. They had returned from exile, tried to rebuild the Temple, and all they saw was a poor copy of what once …

Dear brothers and sisters,

The readings today ask us to stop and think: What are we really building with our lives? And what are we really looking for?

In the first reading the prophet speaks to the people who had returned from exile in Babylon. Eighteen years had passed, …

Today’s readings remind us to go back to basics — faith, freedom, and being faithful to God. They ask us to remember who we are, where we’ve come from, and what God wants us to become. God doesn’t shout these things at us; He speaks quietly, in our hearts, and calls us to …

Brothers,

The readings today remind us of something very close to our own experience: rebuilding, belonging, and living as God’s family. And on this feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina — Padre Pio — we see how this message was lived out in him.

In Ezra, the people who had come …

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The readings today are about rebuilding: God restores a people, God renews their hope, and God calls them to let the light of faith shine where all can see.

In the Book of Ezra we hear that “the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of …

Dear brothers and sisters,

“Hear this, you who trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land.” (Amos 8:4)

These words are not easy. They weren’t when Amos thundered them in ancient Israel, and they aren’t now. But we must hear them—because they speak to our …

The readings today are about the hidden power of not giving up—not simply human effort, but the grace-filled cooperation between God’s patient sowing and our open, persevering hearts.

Dear friends in Christ,

Jesus tells us a parable in the Gospel. A farmer throws seed …

The readings today are about the true wealth that endures, and the quiet strength of those who serve the Gospel with faith and generosity.

Saint Paul’s letter to Timothy strikes with sobering clarity. “The love of money,” he writes in 1 Timothy 6:10, “is a root of all kinds …

The readings today are about how we see—and whether we let mercy change what we see. They ask us to look more honestly at others, more gently at ourselves, and more deeply at God.

In our first reading today from the First Letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy not to let …

The readings today ask a probing question: Are we truly listening to the voice of Christ, and is that Word shaping the way we live?

Today, in the Jesuit calendar, we celebrate Saint Robert Bellarmine, a man who embodied the very wisdom Jesus speaks of in Luke’s Gospel. While …

The readings today are about the kind of leadership that guards the Gospel, the mercy that restores life, and the faith that stands unshaken even in the face of death. They bring before us the quiet dignity of service in the Church, the steadfast love of God for His people, …

The readings today are about the wideness of God’s mercy, the weight of human suffering, and the mysterious way the two meet at the foot of the Cross. In the first reading from the First Letter to Timothy, St Paul urges prayers “for everyone — for kings and all in authority” …

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today we lift high the Cross. Once a sign of shame, now the sign of love. Once an instrument of death, now the tree of life. The liturgy itself says it best: “For you placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so …

Have you ever picked a fruit that looked perfect, only to bite into it and find it rotten? Jesus says in the Gospel today: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit… each tree is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:43–44)

He’s not talking about …

The eyes of Christ do not merely look—they illumine. And today, the readings invite us to see with His eyes, so we do not lead others into confusion or shadows, but into clarity, compassion, and truth.

In our first reading, Paul speaks like a man who has seen himself …

The readings this morning are about what it means to publicly wear the heart of Christ.

Paul tells the Colossians: clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. This is not an optional extra. It is the daily uniform of a Christian. The …

Some people go through life always looking down—just trying to survive, to stay safe, to keep going. But the readings today invite us to look up. Not to ignore what’s happening around us, but to live with our eyes and hearts lifted—living here on earth, but rooted in heaven. …

Today we celebrate the Patronal Feast of our Archdiocese, the Feast of one of our own brothers, St Peter Claver. This is the day the Church in Harare remembers its patron saint—someone whose life shows us what it means to follow Christ in a real and practical way.

Peter …

In our lives, big things often start small. A baby’s first breath. A word of forgiveness. A hand held in grief. These don’t make headlines, but they change everything. The same is true with God. He begins in quiet places — and the birth of Mary was just such a beginning. We …

Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today the Lord invites us to count our days, weigh what truly matters, and follow Him with a free heart.

The Book of Wisdom reminds us how limited we are. “We cannot trace the counsel of God… our bodies are a burden, our minds a tent” …

My brothers and sisters, as we gather at this altar today, the Word of God brings us back to what matters most. It tells us again: God wants to bring us from distance to closeness, from fear to trust, from a religion of rules to a life shaped by mercy.

St Paul says it …

Christ is not simply a part of life — He is the beginning, the centre, the one through whom everything came to be. That’s what Paul sings in his letter to the Colossians. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. In Him, everything was made — …

What would happen if you trusted God enough to go deeper?

That is the question today’s readings place before us.

Paul tells the Christians in Colossae that they have already been rescued from darkness and brought into Christ’s kingdom. He prays that they may live in …

Brothers and sisters, good morning. Today we celebrate St Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, whose own missionary zeal helped the Gospel grow from a single seed to a flourishing forest, even in lands where it had never been heard before.

The readings today are …

The readings today quietly call us to attention. Not the tense, alert posture of someone expecting danger—but the gentle readiness of a heart that expects Christ to appear in real places, real people, real time. Paul tells the Thessalonians not to waste energy predicting …

Good morning, brothers and sisters.

Today we begin the Season of Creation and celebrate the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Church lifts up its voice—for the earth, and for all who suffer when the earth suffers. And our readings this morning invite us …

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Imagine a simple, open table—nothing polished, just a surface wide enough for whoever comes. In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns a meal into a glimpse of God’s kingdom. And he invites us to ask: Where do I sit? Who have I invited?

We all know …

Moses wasn’t out looking for God. He was going about his daily work, leading sheep through the desert. He wasn’t praying for a vision, or preparing for a mission. He was just doing what needed to be done that day. And it’s there—in the middle of the ordinary—that God met …

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on how we respond—to danger, to suffering, to God’s presence and His grace. The readings we just heard speak to a moment of crisis, a moment of choice, and the quiet workings of God amidst it all. …

Fire can do many things. It can destroy, but it can also clean and purify. When Moses sees the burning bush, he sees a fire that burns but does not destroy. This is the kind of fire Jesus came to bring—not a fire of violence, but a fire of truth. It doesn’t burn what’s on …

Dear brother,

The Gospel today brings us into a familiar story. A man lies by the side of the road. Stripped, wounded, half-dead. Two pass by. One stops.

Jesus tells the story and then asks, “Which of these was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” And …

Brothers,

There’s a quiet holiness in a man’s last request—especially when that man is Jacob. Today’s first reading from Genesis 49 brings us his final desire: “Bury me with my fathers.” Not in Egypt’s wealth, but in the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and …

My dear brothers,

As men who pray, we know that silence is often where God speaks. It is also where trust begins to take root. Today’s readings—Jacob journeying to Egypt, the Psalm’s quiet hope, and Jesus sending out the apostles—draw us into one invitation: to trust God …

This morning’s readings speak to us about wounds—wounds we carry inside, and wounds we show on the outside. Some are physical. Some are emotional. Some are spiritual. But not every wound means something is broken. Some wounds become places where healing begins. Some …

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on how God works through people—flawed, wounded, sometimes unwilling people—to feed the hungry, heal the broken, and carry out His saving work.

We meet Joseph at a moment of deep emotion. His brothers have come to Egypt seeking food. …

The readings this morning are about struggle, silence, and being sent. They show us that God often works not when life is easy or clear, but when we are weary, unsure, and in the dark. When we don’t have the answers, but still hold on.

Jacob, in the first reading, is in that …

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This morning’s readings remind us that God often draws near when life is most uncertain. Not in comfort, but in chaos. Not when we feel strong, but when we are tired, lost, or afraid.

In our first reading from the Book of Genesis , we …

Today’s readings are about the kind of joy that doesn’t come from what we own or achieve, but from being sent by God. A joy that doesn’t depend on having power, money, or comfort—but flows from carrying peace in our hearts. A joy that’s quiet and steady, like water returning …

My brothers in Christ,

The human heart is a strange vessel. It holds both memory and hope, both ache and yearning. Like wineskins stretched by time, our souls can grow rigid with habit, worn by repetition, reluctant to contain the wild, fermenting grace of something new. But …

Good morning, everyone,

Sometimes, it’s in the quiet acts—measured steps, open hands, a fair word spoken—that mercy takes shape. Today’s readings unfold like this: slowly, steadily, as though God were whispering, This is how I move—quietly, faithfully, mercifully.

We begin …

This morning’s readings are about foundations—about what holds us up when everything else feels uncertain. They are about wounds and walls, about doubt and belief, about a Church built not on perfect people, but on people like Thomas.

We often call him “doubting Thomas,” but …

Today’s readings are about being cast out—and being heard by God.

Hagar is sent into the desert with her son, Ishmael. She has no shelter, no water, no future. When the water runs out, she places her child under a bush and walks away. She cannot bear to watch him die. She …

Sometimes, life takes unexpected turns. Not suddenly with commotion. But quietly. Slowly. Like a mud hut crumbling after heavy rain. Plans eventually fall through. Strength gradually runs out. Even our prayers feel weak—like whispers lost in the wind.

In those moments, what …

There is something almost audacious in Abraham’s conversation with the Lord today—a quiet man standing before divine fire, daring to speak, daring to plead, daring to ask again and again: What if there are fifty? Forty? Thirty? Not for himself, but for others. Abraham …

My brothers in the Lord,

Today, the Church pauses her rhythm to honour two lives at her foundation. Two apostles. Two martyrs. Two men—so different in story, yet so united in surrender. Peter and Paul.

One was a fisherman—earthy, impulsive, unsure of his strength. The other, …

My dear friends,

We gather today to celebrate the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and we do so the day after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These two hearts—one human, one divine—beat in perfect harmony, guiding us to understand the depth of God’s love and the way …

My dear brothers and sisters,

Some truths ask us not to rush. They draw us in slowly, like walking into a quiet chapel, asking us to listen more with the heart than the mind. Today, the Church gives us one of these truths to contemplate—the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This feast …

Today’s readings speak quietly, but clearly, about trust, patience, and the love of God that never runs out.

The first reading tells the story of Abram and Sarai—a couple who had waited a long time for God’s promise. God had told Abram he would have many descendants, as many …

Abram stands in the night, empty-handed and ageing. He has left behind all that was familiar. He has followed a voice into a land he does not yet understand. And now, he waits.

Then God says, gently, as if to a friend: “Look up. Count the stars, if you can. So shall your …

The Church pauses today to celebrate the birth of John the Baptist—not just as a historical event, but as a moment that invites us to reflect on the way God prepares the world for His presence. John’s birth marks a turning point: it signals that something new is about …

Abram’s story begins not with a triumph… but with a call—a simple command: “Go.” He is not yet Abraham, the father of nations. He is just a man living an ordinary life when the God of promise interrupts his routine and invites him into the unknown. No map. No …

On this solemn feast of Corpus Christi, we gather not only to remember a sacred event but to receive a living Person. We come not merely to observe, but to be drawn into the quiet centre of our faith: the Body and Blood of Christ, given for us.

The Scriptures today do not …

Hidden wounds often speak louder than visible victories. Paul’s mysterious thorn—a persistent ache within his being—became not a mark of shame but a source of divine revelation. Amid his plea for deliverance came God’s quiet assurance: “My grace is sufficient for you; …

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the quiet moments of life, when the noise fades, a fundamental question emerges: What do I truly treasure? It’s not just about what we say we value, but what our hearts truly cling to, revealing where our priorities lie.

Saint Paul …

There are few things more revealing than what we’re willing to give up for love.

Today’s readings press that question into our hearts. St Paul, worn yet unwavering, speaks with the ache of someone who has emptied himself for his people. The psalmist, wide-eyed with wonder, …

There’s something quietly Eucharistic about an open hand. It gives. It receives. It doesn’t cling. It doesn’t grasp. “God loves a cheerful giver,” St Paul tells us—not the calculating giver, not the reluctant one, but the one whose giving flows from joy. The one whose life …

My dear brothers,

Today, St Paul offers us a glimpse into the hearts of the Macedonian churches—communities marked by suffering and poverty. And yet, he says, “their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2). They …

There is something quietly transformative about the way St. Paul speaks today—not in defiance, but in the unwavering serenity of someone who has been broken open by suffering and found there, not despair, but grace. His is not the voice of a hardened warrior but of a servant …