HOMILY WEEK 04 05 – Year II The Threat of the Other (Wis 2:1-11; Ps 34; Jn 7:1-30) ****************************************** “Something there is that does not love a wall; that sends the groundswell under it.” The readings today invite us to resist evil, believe in Jesus, and get to know him better through prayer. Those words […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 04 04 – Year II Faith in Jesus and his Gift of Life (Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106; Jn 5:18, 31-47) ******************************************* How strong is your faith? Is the Word of God dwelling in you? Are you enjoying eternal life, here and now? The invitation that comes to us from the readings today […]

FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION Birthing Jesus into the World in Imitation of Mary (Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10d; Ps 40; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-28) ************************************************* Sr. Connie Piska UJ 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 […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 04 02 – Year II Plunge into the Healing Waters of God’s Grace (Ezk 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46; Jn 5:1-6) *********************************************** Four times a week, I am in a swimming pool for a half-hour aquacize session. That practice not only provides health benefits for me, but also deepens my appreciation for the […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 04 01 – Year II New Creation through Faith and Love (Isaiah 65:17-21; Ps 30; Jn 4:43-54) ******************************************** How strong is your faith? How deep is your love? Important questions, these, because today’s liturgy invites us to be part of God’s new creation through faith in Jesus, and love for one another […]

HOMILY LENT SUNDAY 04 – Year A Living as Children of the Light (1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Psalm 23; Eph 5:8-14; John 9:1-41) *********************************************************** “You are who you are who you are – what are you afraid of?” Richard Rohr, noted Franciscan priest, spiritual writer and speaker, uttered these words as he started a […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 03 06 – Year II Letting Go of Living in Illusion (Hosea 6:1-6; Ps 51; Lk 18:9-14) ******************************************** Did you know that disillusionment is not necessarily a negative reality? It just means one was living an illusion, and has now become aware of it. Today’s readings invite us to let go of […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 03 05 – Year II Speaking of Hymns to God’s Mercy (Ho 14:1-9; Ps 81; Mk 12:28-34) ***************************************** “Only he who has been touched and caressed by the tenderness of God’s mercy really knows the Lord.” That comment by Pope Francis invites us to see today’s readings as hymns to God’s mercy, […]

HOMILY – SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH Ushering in the Realm of Faith and Loving Grace (2 Sam 7:4-16; Ps 89; Rm 4:13-22; Mt 1:16-24/Lk 2:41-51)) ********************************************************** Have you ever been embarrassed by taking something totally of out context? The readings today, as well as the solemnity of St. Joseph, are best understood within the context […]

HOMILY WEEK 03 03 – Year II Loving Intimacy and Fulfilling the Law of Love: Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps 147; Mt 5:17-19) ********************************************* Two sentences sum up the message from today’s readings: “I have come, not to abolish but to fulfill” by Jesus in the gospel, and “What […]