Learning from the Magi (Is 60:1-6; Ps 72; Eph 3:2-6; Mt 2:1-12) *************************************************  When a topic pertaining to wisdom, theology or academia comes up, Bishop Emeritus Gerry Wiesner, who lives, taught and ministers in Western Canada, often quips, “All wise persons come from the East – and the wiser they are, the sooner they come!” […]

Three That Testify: Living God’s Testimony (1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147; Mk 1:4-11) ******************************************* And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. That sentence from the first reading hints at the dynamic energy and power of God at work in our lives through Jesus Christ. We […]

Living Faith and Loving Action (1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100; Jn 1:43-51) **************************************** A fellow was hiking in the mountains when he fell over a cliff. Halfway down the face of the mountain, he luckily managed to grab hold of a branch with both hands that stopped his fall. Suspended between heaven and earth, he […]

Singing A New Song (1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98; Jn 1:35-43) **************************************** O sing a new song to the Lord. That first sentence of the first stanza of the psalm today captures the spirit of the readings: We are to live a new life in Christ, the Lamb of God. The readings today fit together […]

Abiding in friendship and in God: Saints Basil and Gregory (1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98; Jn 1:19-28) ******************************************** Can you think of a friendship that changed your life? The reading today from 1 Jn, and the memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, invite us into an always deeper and more intimate […]

Prophetic Marriage and Family Life (Sir 3:2-14 Ps 1028; Col 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40) ************************************************************** Noted sociologist Reginald Bibby, in his book The Boomer Factor, quotes respected American journalist Walter Kirn as saying, “There is still only one way to be sane – enjoy your family, friends, faith and job – but every year there are […]

Walking as Jesus Walked (1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96; Lk 2:22-35) ************************************** The Word Among Us today has an interesting commentary on today’s gospel that with some adaptation will make up this homily. It begins with the quote, “The parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,” and continues […]

Light in the Darkness (1 Jn 1:2-2:2; Ps 124; Mt 2:13-18) ********************************************** St. John, whose feast we celebrated yesterday, begins the readings today with the proclamation that God is light and in him there is no darkness. Those who repent and receive the forgiveness of Jesus will have communion with each other, and also walk […]

Making Visible the Invisible (1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97; Jn 20:2-8) ***************************************** When a bishop is named, the tradition is to have the ordination on a feast day. So strong is that tradition that I, at the insistence of the nuncio, was ordained on August 29th, the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist! […]