HOMILY LENT WEEK 02 05 – Year I A Choice of Two Tracks (Gen 37:3-28; Ps 105; Mt 21:33-46) ***************************************** Joe Walsh, former member of the Eagles, sings in his signature song “One Day at a Time,” of his life at one time being like riding on a “runaway train heading for the end of […]

HOMILY WEEK 02 04 – Year I Pray for Peace; Work for Justice: Optional Memorial of St. Frances of Rome (Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1; Lk 16:19-31) ********************************** Have you ever seen the bumper sticker “If you want peace, work for justice?” The readings today present us with a tweaked version: “If you want to live […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 02 03 Lessons from the Word: Optional Memorial of St. John of God (Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31; Mt 20:17-28) ************************************** The Word of God today offers us four lessons for life, two from the Old Testament, and two from the Gospel: Forgive, trust, accept suffering like Jesus, and serve. In the first […]

HOMILY WEEK 02 02 – Year I Just Theatre: Optional Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity (Is 1:10-31; Ps 50; Mt 23:1-12) ****************************************** Brother Tom Novak OMI of Winnipeg, makes social justice a main thrust of his ministry and was involved with a drama group called Just Theatre. They centered all their performances on an […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 02 01- Year I Seeing the Light (Dan 9:3-10; Ps 79; Lk 6:36-38) **************************************** We do not see light – we see by light. The closest we come to actually seeing light is through a prism or a rainbow that displays the beauty of light. Today, I can’t resist looking at the […]

HOMILY LENT SUNDAY 2 A The Transfiguration – To Glory Through the Cross (Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9) *********************************************************** The Glory of God is man and woman fully alive!  That statement by St. Irenaeus, and today’s liturgy, invite us to follow Jesus through the Cross to Glory and Transformation Our modern […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 01 06 – Year I Following the Way of the Lord: Optional Memorial of St. Casimir (Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119; Mt 5:43-48) ******************************************* A tourist stopped by a roadside café as he was travelling through an Indigenous community. He asked an elder sitting outside, smoking a pipe, “Where does this road go?” […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 01 05 – Year I Looking at our Faith Through the Prism of AA (Ezk 18:21-28; Ps 130; Mt 5:20-26) ******************************************* We can gain an interesting perspective by looking at today’s readings through the lens of the 12 Step program. The message that appears is clear: repent, receive God’s forgiveness, be open […]

HOMILY WEEK 01 04 – Year I Balancing Prayer and Work (Esther 14:1-14; Ps 138; Mt 7:7-12) *************************************** Many years ago, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr was inspired to open a Centre for Action and Contemplation. While he has been prophetic throughout his long career beginning with the charismatic renewal (he founded the New Jerusalem Community […]

HOMILY LENT WEEK 01 03 – Year I A Pattern for Transformation (Jonah 3:1-10; Ps 51; Luke 11:29-32) *************************************** “No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah.” These are the enigmatic words of Jesus in the gospel today. What are we to make of them? What is this sign of […]