HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 23 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 today lack hope, because they […]

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 […]

HOMILY ADVENT SUNDAY 3-B Be Light and Joy to a Dark World (Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; Luke 1; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28) **************************************************************** When the British took over Ireland in the 17th century, Catholicism was suppressed and priests had to minister on the run. British soldiers began persecuting the “Roman faith,” as they put […]

HOMILY ADVENT SUNDAY 4-B Trust In God and be a Beacon of Hope and Light to the World (2 Samuel 7:1-5b, 8b-12. 14a, 16; Psalm 89; Rm 16:225-27; Luke 1:26-38) ************************************************************ Years ago, noted television personality and writer Malcomb Muggeridge spent some time working with Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta. He noted that […]

ADVENT HOMILY DECEMBER 19th Humble Faith, Barrenness, Hope and Relational Justice (Jdgs 13:2-25; Ps 71; Lk 1:5-25) *********************************************** Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were powerless, came up empty, felt like your hands were tied behind your back? The readings today give us hope that God can work marvels of […]

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. The […]

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 03 – Year II Meeting Our Expectations (Is 45:6-25; Ps 85; Lk 7:19-23) *********************************************** In the movie The Priest, a young priest knows of incest in a girl’s family but can’t break the seal of confession and can’t get her to talk to anyone about it. In desperation he leaves a […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 02 – Year II God as Divine Dance (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 today invite us above all to live “in” God. […]