HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 23 – Year II (HOMILY 01) An Infinite Horizon of Faith, Forgiveness and Healing: Optional Memorial of St. John Kanti (Mal 3:1-4; 4:5-6; Ps 25; Lk 1:57-66) ******************************************************** Bishop Olivier Tremblay, an Oblate who previously worked with university students in Eastern Canada, spoke at an Oblate symposium once. He noted that youth […]

HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 22 Profound Faith and Grateful Praise (1 Sam 1:24-28; 1 Sam 2; Lk 1:46-56) ********************************************** The readings today, as we approach Christmas, invite us to cultivate a profound faith in God’s love, as well as an attitude of grateful praise like Hannah and Mary. The first reading about the fidelity and gratitude […]

HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 21 – Year II Faith, Forgiveness, Healing and Joy: Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius (Zeph 3:14-18; Ps 33; Lk 1:39-45) ******************************************* “The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies.” Those words, a repeat of the first reading from the third Sunday of Advent, along […]

ADVENT HOMILY DECEMBER 20 Prophecy Fulfilled – Mary’s Fiat – God is With Us (Is 7:10-8:10; Ps 24; Lk 1:26-38) ************************************************ How accurate do you think you would be in predicting events seven hundred years into the future? The readings today, about prophecy fulfilled in Mary, encourage us to be like her and let the […]

ADVENT SUNDAY 4 – C Priests, Prophets and Kings (Micah 5:2-5; Psalm 80; Hebrews 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45) ************************************************** “This is where your heart is,” said the teacher, pointing to his chest. “Mine is where I sit down,” a little boy called from the back of the class. “Whatever gave you that idea?” asked the teacher. […]

HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 18th Prophecy Fulfilled: God is With Us (Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72; Mt 1:18-24) *********************************************** Do you have a friend whose word you can trust totally? Today’s readings can be a reminder of the rock-solid foundation of our faith, based on the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. In […]

HOMILY ADVENT DEC 17th The Blessing of Our Genealogies (Gen 49:8-10; Ps 72; Mt 1:1-17) *************************************** Are there any skeletons in your family’s closet? Today’s readings can help us relax and trust that God can work marvels even with a less than holy family tree. Today we read the opening lines of Matthew’s Gospel—the first […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 04 – Year II Greater than John the Baptist (Is 54:1-10; Ps 30; Lk 7:24-30) ************************************* Today’s readings invite us to place our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, and to strive to be even the least in the Kingdom of God. The first reading from Isaiah is a poetic reminder […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 03 – Year II Jesus the Messiah – the One Who Was to Come (Is 45:6-25; Ps 85; Lk 7:19-23) *********************************************** In the movie The Priest, a young priest learns of incest in a girl’s family but can’t break the seal of confession and can’t get her to talk to anyone […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 02 – Year II Living in God as Divine Dance: Memorial of St. John of the Cross (Zeph 3:1-13; Ps 34; Mt 21:28-32) **************************************** The Trappist monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton taught that some people live “for” God; some people live “with” God, and some live “in” God. The readings […]