HOMILY WEEK 30 02 – Year I Groaning with Transformative Hope     (Rm 8:18-25; Ps 126; Lk 13:18-21) ************************************ A woman, who had lost her wedding ring while gardening, found it decades later encircling a carrot that she pulled up. Apparently, the tiny carrot seed that she planted grew through the ring that fit snugly around […]

SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE Our Identity and Life in Christ: Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude (Eph 2:19-22; Ps 19; Lk 6:12-19) ***************************************** A bartender told two strings who went into a bar for a drink the bar did not serve strings and kicked them out. One of the strings asked the other string […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 30 – C The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Sirach 35:15-17, 20-22; Ps 34; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14) *********************************************************** A member of the Mafia approached a priest one day with a request to do a funeral for his brother who was a known crook. He offered a huge sum of money […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 06 – Year I Repent, and Live in the Spirit (Rm 8:1-11; Ps 24; Lk 13:1-9) ************************************ A dishonest painter thinned the paint with water and painted a church. As long as it didn’t rain right away he thought he would be okay. That night there was a big storm. He ran […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 05 – Year I Gratitude for Salvation and the Eyes of Faith (Rm 7:18-25a; Ps 119; Lk 12:54-59) ********************************** Have you ever wished you were further along your spiritual path than you are, still struggling with some sin and sinfulness in your life? If so, you are in good company. St. Paul […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 04 – Year I Word on Fire: Optional Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (Rm 6:19-23; Ps 1; Lk 12:49-53) ********************************************* Word on Fire is what Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, calls his social media ministry. That title was probably inspired by the gospel of today, in […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 02 – Year I On Being Good and Ready! (Rm 5:12-21; Ps 40; Lk 12:35-38) *************************************** In the words of Bishop Robert Barron, in today’s Gospel Jesus urges us to be ready for his second coming, similar to John the Baptist preparing us: “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 01 – Year I On Being Rich Towards God (Rm 4:20-25; Lk 1:69-75; Lk 12:13-21) ************************************* A hundred-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill and a Looney were having a serious conversation about live one day. The hundred-dollar bill boasted he had a very good life, as he had been on some ocean cruises. […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 29 – C Becoming the Answer to Our Own Prayer (Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Lk 18:1-8) ******************************************************** Three strong, interrelated themes emerge from the readings today: faith, prayer and justice. The message is clear: we must express our faith not just through prayer, but also by working for justice, and […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 06 – Year I The Flow of Trinitarian Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross (Rm 4:13-18; Ps 105; Lk 12:8-12) ************************************* A rather vain, somewhat narcissistic woman confessed she was guilty of the sin of vanity. The priest popped out of the confessional, opened her door to look at […]