Believe, Repent and Proclaim (Acts 3:13-15; 17-19; 1 Jn 2:1-5; Lk 24:35-48) *************************************************** A child paging through the bible found a large leave his mother was drying. He ran to his mother and exclaimed, “Look, mom, I found Adam’s underwear!” An elderly lady was mailing a bible and when asked by the clerk if there […]

Balancing Grace and Glory, Prayer and Ministry (Acts 6:1-6; Ps 33; Jn 6:16-21 ************************************************* “After feeding the crowd…” Jesus walks on water. In modern terms, the disciples are experiencing a “double whammy” – two miracles back-to-back. We can try to imagine what they were thinking and feeling, but more important what these two miracles are […]

Faith Transforming Life (Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34; Jn 3:31-36) ********************************** We are invited by today’s readings to allow our faith in the Risen Lord transform our life. One consistent theme running through all the liturgies since Easter is transformation. The disciples were transformed by the resurrection of Jesus and the reception of the Spirit from […]

New Life in Christ – St. Stanislaus Memorial (Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34; Jn 3:16-21) ************************************************** “Tell the people the whole message about this life.” The apostles were imprisoned for teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, and miraculously freed. When brought back to face their jailer, and told not to do that anymore, they […]

Returning To Our Roots (Acts 4:32-37; Ps 93; Jn 3:7-15) ************************************************ The Word Among Us provided a homily for today that I adapted as follows: Isn’t it striking how the first Christians took care of one another? Moved by their love for the Lord and for each other and having been “born from above” at […]

(Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10d; Ps 40; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-28) ********************************************************************* Sr. Connie Piska of Edmonton gave me a gift she made for my priestly ordination in 1974 that still hangs on a wall in the bathroom so that I see it every day. It is a silhouette of Mary kneeling before a dove with rays […]

On Being Missionary Disciples (Acts 4:13-21; Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15) ********************************************** Two themes continue to dominate the readings after Easter: faith in the Risen Lord, and the commission to go and proclaim the Good News. These two themes synchronize precisely with the two dominant themes of Pope Francis: the disciple is one who has had […]

Grace Like a Spider’s Thread (Acts 4:1-12; Ps 118; Jn 21:1-14) ********************************************* Pope Francis states that to be a missionary disciple is to first have a personal encounter with Jesus, and then to share that encounter with others. The Gospel today recounts the third appearance of the Risen Lord to his disciples – truly a […]

On Being Missionary Disciples (Acts 3:11-26; Ps 8; Lk 24:35-48) ********************************************** Pope Francis has repeatedly stated that he wants the church to be missionary disciples. The gospel for today is could serve as a manual for how to be missionary disciples: faith; repentance; forgiveness; redemptive suffering; understanding the bible, and witnessing. First, Jesus shows his […]

The Resurrection: Believe, Experience and Share (Acts 3:1-10; Ps 105; Lk 24:13-35) *********************************************** A participant shared after the Triduum and participating in an addictions awareness workshop she had become aware for the first time that Jesus was truly alive and present in her life. He was now someone she felt she truly knew, and not […]