WEEK 05 04 – Year I A Covenant Relationship of Intimate Love (Gen 17:3-9; Ps 105; Jn 8:51-59) *********************************** Robert was a very popular but alcoholic priest. Unfortunately, he ended up in the hospital after having an alcohol-related accident. There he confided with a friend who had come to visit him that alcohol wasn’t his […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 05 03 – Year I Glory and Praise; Worship and Blessing (Dan 3:13-95; Dan 3; Jn 8:31-42) ******************************************** Many parishes are familiar with the hymnbook Glory and Praise that came out many years ago. That title, the psalm response and readings today combine to provide us with a clear message centred on […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 05 02 – Year I Finding New Life in Jesus (Nm 21:4-9; Ps 102; Jn 8:21-30) **************************************** Ordinarily, liturgists try to find a first reading that connects with the gospel for the day. That connection today is very clear and invites us to put our total faith in Jesus, to turn to […]

HOMILY WEEK 05 01 – Year I The Mystery of Forgiveness and Non-violent Love (Dan 13:1-64; Ps 23; Jn 8:1-11) ****************************************** When we act like God, we get to feel like God. To forgive from the heart is to act like God, and to get to share in God’s serenity, inner freedom and even joy. […]

  HOMILY LENT SUNDAY 5-A Rising With Lazarus (Ezekiel 37:12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45) ********************************************************* The prophecy of Ezekiel in the first reading is very striking and significant, for it is this prophecy that is fulfilled by Jesus in a way known only to him and to God the Father. Ezekiel prophesies that […]

SOLEMNITY 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 05 – Week I Faith Sees the Bigger Picture (Wis 2:1-22; Ps 34; Jn 7:1-30) ************************************* The two sides of a beautiful tapestry can serve as a metaphor for our lives of faith in God’s presence and power working in our lives. God turns everything to the good for those who […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 04 04 Year I Living Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo (Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106; Jn 5:18-47) ****************************************************************** Nikos Kazantzakis, the great Greek writer, tells a story of an elderly monk he once met on Mount Athos. Kazantsakis, still young and full of curiosity, was questioning this monk and asked him:  […]

HOMILY WEEK 04 03 – Year I Trust in God; Believe in Jesus (Is 49:8-15; Ps 145; Jn 5:16-30) ************************************** “I will never forget you, my people. I have carved you on the palm of my hand… I will never leave you orphaned; I will never forget my own.” This familiar hymn by Carey Landry, […]

HOMILY WEEK 04 02 – Year I On Being Open to the Newness of Faith (Ezk 47:1-12; Ps 46; Jn 5:1-16) **************************************** In the busyness of preparing for giving presentations at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress one year, I neglected to water the plants before leaving. Upon my return, I was shocked to see […]