HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 03 – Year I Meeting Our Expectations: Memorial of St. John of the Cross (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 […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 02 – Year I The Divine Dance: Memorial of St. Lucy (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 […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 01 – Year I Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples (Rev 11:19, 12:1-10; Judith 13; Lk 1:39-47) ******************************************************* There are two options for the first reading on this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The richness and appropriateness of the second option […]

  HOMILY SUNDAY ADVENT 3-A Be Least in the Kingdom (Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11) *************************************************************** Fr. Bill Stang OMI started a shrub and flower garden in the back yard of the archdiocesan residence one year. Next spring, he placed railway ties along the fence and filled the space behind them […]

HOMILY WEEK 02 06 – Year I Powerful Guides to the Holy Land: Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto (Sir 48:1-11; Ps 80; Mt 17:10-13) ********************************************************* A pilgrimage to the Holy Land would be unthinkable without the help of a competent guide. The readings today provide us with two super guides to explore the […]

WEEKDAY HOMILY ADVENT 02 05 – Year I Feasting in the Light of God’s Word: Optional Memorial of St. Juan Deigo Cuauhtlatoatzin (Is 48:17-19; Ps 1; Mt 11:16-19) ******************************************************* Fr. René Fumoleau OMI recounted the story of an elder who commented to him that having faith in God was like driving a car at night. […]

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Balancing Devotion to, with Imitation of, Mary (Gen 3:9-20; Ps 98; Eph 1:3-12; Lk 1:26-38) ********************************************************** In November – December of 2016 and again in 2018, I was chaplain for a group of pilgrims to the Holy Land, and was privileged to preside at the Eucharist commemorating this feast of […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 02 03 – Year I Yoked with Jesus: Memorial of St. Ambrose (Is 40:25-31; Ps 103; Mt 11:28-30) *************************************************** In the gospel today, Jesus reassures us that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. We are not to avoid suffering, but to turn to him for the strength and power […]

ADVENT WEEK 02 02 – Year I Letting Ourselves be Stretched by God’s Immense Love: Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas (Isaiah 40:1-11; Ps 96; Mt 18:12-14) ************************************************** In his teaching, Jesus used images he was familiar with, such as shepherds. In the gospel today, he recounts a parable in which he mentions an unlikely scenario […]

WEEKDAY ADVENT WEEK 02 01 – Year I Redeemed and Ransomed by the Lord: (Is 35:1-10; Ps 85; Lk 4:17-26) ****************************************** The movie Argo depicts the liberation of American hostages from their captivity in Iran with the help of Canada. Imagine the feelings of those hostages as their feet touched freedom for the first time […]