Homily – Fr Cristiano Pinheiro – December 1st, 2024 – First Sunday of Advent, C
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1Thes 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28,34-36 – Fr. Cristiano Pinheiro, Shalom Catholic Community Today we begin the season of Advent. It’s a time that marks the start of a new year in the Liturgical calendar of the Church. It’s the beginning of a new time, a new chapter which is a time of waiting, because life itself is, in many ways, a kind of ‘waiting’, right? And the key question is: what do we fill this ‘waiting time’ of life with? What do we choose to focus on as we journey through life? Do we follow a specific direction? Do we know where we’re headed? Is there a HOPE or a PROMISE lighting our way ahead? Actually, that’s ...

To read and live the word of God
Those who have the Bible as their compass, safe harbour and Light, will never get lost or drown in the sea of despair or walk in the darkness of sin, on the contrary: they are enlightened to live and contemplate the face of Eternal Light.

Cor cordi loquitur: the heart speaks to the heart
It is not a sentimental devotion, but the experience of an integral spirituality, of a relationship with God that does not exclude feelings and affections, neither on His part nor on ours. We are called to (re)discover God's tender love for us and to love Him with all our heart.
O que é uma vida carismática?

What is a charismatic life?
More than belonging to a movement, being charismatic consists in exercising the charisms in their fullness, without the Spirit of division or boasting. They must be used to build up the Church of Christ, so that all peoples may know the Truth and turn entirely to the Lord.

Homily – Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God, that now dwells within us! Today, God pours into the depths of our hearts the very content of His inner life. He gives us the ‘Heart of His heart’, the ‘Life of His life’. The Church is all filled with the Holy Spirit! My friends, the goal of our Christian Life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit! As early as in the Old Testament we see so many outpourings of the Holy Spirit, from God’s Heart into the heart of humanity. Likewise, and with increasing intensity, every single moment of Christ’s Life is Spirit-filled. In the life and mission of Christ, there are many ...

Holy Tuesday Meditation (Fr. Cristiano Pinheiro)
Meditation – April 4th, 2023 – Holy Tuesday The account of the Gospel of John on the last hours of Jesus’ life is somewhat ‘suspenseful’. And we can misunderstand the account if we read it quickly; they actually need to be enjoyed in a ‘contemplative way’. Yesterday the Gospel led us to Bethany, where Jesus enjoyed the warmth of fellowship and friendship with the siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and where the meanness of Judas has been overcome by Mary’s generous and ‘fragrant’ love. Today, Holy Tuesday, we find ourselves in the ‘Upper Room’ of Jerusalem, at the dinner table. We fast forward to the Last Supper, the ‘hour’ when Jesus openly discloses that pain that causes Him to suffer: ...

Holy Week (Fr Cristiano) – Palm Sunday 2023
Homily – April 2nd, 2023 – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, A Mt 21:1-11; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:14-27:66 To the best of our abilities, pain should always be alleviated, eased, healed and if possible, of course, avoided. But many times we will run into inevitable crosses. And of course, in an outburst of sincerity, we can cry out to God: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me’, which is totally natural, honest and human! But the prayer of Jesus, in the midst of his uttermost agony, goes on, and within what is human and natural, He opens a window to the supernatural: ‘Yet, even if I am ...

Lent, a fertile desert
The desert, in this sense, is the place to which God Himself draws His children, where He leads the people of Israel into the desert, to speak to their hearts.