HOMILY – OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS – DECEMBER 30th Following the Wisdom of the Elders (1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96; Lk 2:36-40) *********************************************** What role do elders play in your life? Years of Indigenous ministry has taught me to appreciate the role of elders. The readings today present us two elders, St. John and Anna, who […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS OCTAVE DAY 05 – DECEMBER 29th Walking as Jesus Walked: Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket (1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96; Lk 2:22-35) ********************************************** The Word Among Us 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 […]

HOMILY – FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS – Year II Jesus Christ: 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 […]

FEAST OF ST STEPHEN Living Calvary In Slow Motion (Acts 6:8-10; Ps 31; Mt 10:17-22) **************************************** A well-known theologian, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, once said: Grace is free, but not cheap. This statement resonates with a song the International singing group Up With People sang as part of their show: Freedom isn’t Free. These two phrases seem […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS DAY – YEAR B Christmas: Just a Celebration or a Life-changing Experience? (Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18) ********************************************************** Two young brothers, staying overnight at their grandparent’s house, were praying their night prayers. One was praying silently while the other was shouting out loud what he wanted for Christmas. The first […]

CHRISTMAS EVE HOMILY – YEAR B Our Identity in Jesus (Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-16) ********************************************************* One of the reasons for the abiding impact of the animated movie Kung Fu Panda is that it addresses some of the perennial and pertinent themes of human existence, such as good versus evil, and […]

  BAPTISM OF THE LORD – A Called to a Heart-felt Faith (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 28; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17) **************************************************** When Jesus anonymously joined the disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection, he proceeded to explain to them all the prophecies in the scriptures that were about him. The first reading […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON JANUARY 11th Children of God – Wisdom from John and John (1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149; Jn 3:22-30) *********************************************** Welcome to the second last day of the Christmas season, which officially ends tomorrow with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The readings today cover a broad stretch of […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 10th Faith, Eternal Life and Healing (1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147; Lk 5:12-16) ********************************************* Have you ever met a leper? Faith in Jesus can heal our modern leprosy and lead us to experience eternal life here and now. In the gospel, a man covered with leprosy appears before Jesus “in […]

HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 9th Faith Expressed Through Love (1 Jn 4:19-5:4; Ps 71; 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 […]