HOMILY ADVENT 01 02 – Year II Feast of St Andrew: Kerygma and Didache (Rm 10:9-18; Ps 19; Mt 4:18-22) *************************************************** “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your hearts that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This message of Paul to the Romans succinctly […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 01 01- Year II Faith in Jesus and the Inclusive Love of God (Is 2:1-5; Ps 122; Mt 8:5-11, 13) ********************************************** “Many will come from the east and the west and will recline … at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11). Today’s readings for this first weekday of Advent […]

HOMILY ADVENT SUNDAY ONE – C Celebrate an Advent Triple-Header (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36) ************************************************************ In the world of baseball, a triple-header is when two teams play three games against each other in succession over a few days. That sporting event pales in comparison with the liturgical triple-header that […]

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 […]