CHRISTMAS EVE YEAR A Christmas – Nothing Out of the Ordinary (Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-16) ************************************************************ What words best describe Christmas? Humble faith? Immense hope? Great joy? Endless Peace? Perhaps all of these? We could add two other perhaps shocking words: Ordinariness and Poverty. These two words convey, at a […]

BAPTISM OF THE LORD – C Living as a Covenant People (Isaiah 42:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-22) **************************************************** “Then Jesus came to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” This sentence, and today’s readings, are […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – January 8th Lessons on Faith, Humility and Freedom: Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Penyafort (1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149; Jn 3:22-30) ****************************************** Have you ever felt envy at someone else’s success? One response to such a question might well be, “Who hasn’t?” as envy has surely visited all of us […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 07th Three That Testify: Living God’s Testimony: Optional Memorial of St. André Besette (1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147; Lk 5:12-16) ******************************************* 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 […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 6th Faith Expressed Through Love: (1 Jn 4:19-5:4; Ps 72; Lk 4:14-22) ******************************************* The liturgy today invites us to deepen our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, revealing a God who is love, and then express that faith by living his commandment to love. In the first reading, John gives […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 5th Becoming Icons of God’s Love on Earth: (1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72; Mk 6:45-52) ************************************************* “… because as he is, so are we in this world.” For some reason, this sentence stood out for me as a focal point for this homily, emerging as it did from the readings […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 4th A God Who is Love, and Loving Like God (1 Jn 4:7-10; Ps 72; Mk 6:34-44) ******************************************** The readings today challenge us in two ways: how well do we really know God, and are we learning God’s language of love? John in the first reading, and Mark in his […]

HOMILY FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY Let Us Also Follow That Star (Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12) **************************************************************** In the fall of 2009, a couple from the Sageeng First Nations won the largest single lottery prize ever in Canada. They went into seclusion for several days as speculation swirled about how they […]

Mary, Mother of God – New Year’s Day – Years ABC Pray, Bless and Praise (Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21) ************************************************************* Ritual, Theology and Narrative: these three words succinctly describe the three readings for today. In essence, they call us to bless one another; pray like Mary, and worship God like the […]