HOMILY EASTER WEEK 02 03 – Year I Living Jesus’ New Way of Life (Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34; John 3:16-21) **************************************** “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.” That command from an angel of the Lord to the imprisoned apostles, and the gospel today, invite us to […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 02 – Year I Resurrection, Pentecost and Community: Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin (Acts 4:32-27; Ps 93; Jn 3:7-15) *********************************************** When Richard Rohr became involved in the Charismatic Renewal in the early sixties he did so in a big way – founding the New Jerusalem Community. Looking back now, […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 01 – Year I Living Our Baptismal Call in the Face of Opposition and Unbelief (Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2; Jn 3:1-8) ********************************************************** “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” These words of Jesus to Nicodemus, the secret, fearful disciple, invite us, I […]

HOMILY EASTER SUNDAY 02 – A Faith to Proclaim “My Lord and My God” (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pt 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31) ******************************************** Two pastors who did not see eye to eye on many things were invited to share the same stage one day. The one who spoke first mentioned that, as all knew, they often […]

HOMILY OCTAVE of EASTER – SATURDAY The Good News of Easter: Faith and Empowerment (Acts 4:13-21; Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15) ********************************************* As we approach the end of the Octave of Easter and all its solemnities, the readings today provide an encapsulating chronology for us to ponder, with a invitation to deepen our faith in Jesus […]

HOMILY EASTER OCTAVE – THURSDAY Participating in the Divine Dance (Acts 4:1-12; Ps 118; Jn 21:1-14) ************************************************ Richard Rohr’s book The Divine Dance, was inspired by Andrei Rüblev’s painting entitled The Trinity or The Hospitality of Abraham. In that painting, the three angels who visited Abraham in the Old Testament are pictured as Father, Son […]

HOMILY THURSDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE Witnessing Through Faith, Forgiveness and Fulfillment (Acts 3:11-26; Ps 8; Lk 24:35-48) ************************************************* On this fourth day of the Octave of Easter, the readings continue to merge together Pentecost and Easter – the giving of the Spirit and its aftermath, and the resurrection of Jesus and the aftermath of […]

HOMILY WEDNESDAY OF EASTER OCTAVE – Year I Faith, Hope and Healing (Acts 3:1-10; Ps 105; Lk 24: 13 -35) ******************************************* “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk!” Those dramatic words, spoken by St. Peter shortly after Pentecost, along with today’s gospel, assure us that faith in the name of […]

HOMILY TUESDAY OF THE EASTER OCTAVE Living Pentecost and Easter Faith (Acts 2:36-41; Ps 32; Jn 20:11-18) *********************************************** A motivational speaker began his talk with the question, “Where to begin? Where to begin?” A participant suggested loudly from the back of the room, “Begin as near to the end as possible!” That sense of too […]

HOMILY MONDAY EASTER OCTAVE – Year I (Acts 2:14-33; Ps 16; Mt 28:8-15) ************************************ When it comes to the readings, Easter Monday is an interesting mix of Pentecost and Easter – of the effects of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Perhaps that is the influence of St. John, whose […]