FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD Being Attentive to the Mystery (Dan 7:9-10/2 Pt 1:16-19, 13-14; Ps 97; Lk 9:28-36) ********************************************** “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” These words in the second reading from St. Peter, a witness to the transfiguration, invite […]

HOMILY WEEK 18 01 – Year II Multiplication of the Loaves: Memorial of Blessed Frédéric Janssoone (Jer 28:1-17; Psalm 119; Mat 14:13-21) *************************************** Give them some food yourselves (Mt 14:16) Forty-two years ago, the Holy Spirit brought these words alive for Joe Difato and his colleagues, who founded the magazine The Word Among Us. This […]

SUNDAY 18 – B Change, Conversion and Transformation (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, 31a; Psalm 78; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35) ************************************************************* A saying attributed to Cardinal John Henry Newman fits the readings today: “To live is to change; to live well is to have changed much.” St. Paul, in the second reading to the Ephesians, puts […]

WEEK 17 05 – Year II Our Struggle with Unconditional Love: Optional Memorial of St. Peter Julian Eymard (Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69; Mt 13:54-58) ***************************************** One of the traditional “seven sayings of Jesus” on the Cross is, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Renowned theologian Karl Rahner offers the following intriguing reflection […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 04 – Year II Choosing Light and Life: Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori (Jer 18:1-6; Ps 146; Mt 13:47-52) ******************************************** “He tried again, making of the clay another object.” Israel had wandered from the Lord – not once, but multiple times, over many years. The people were worshipping false gods of money, […]

WEEKDAY 17 03 – Year II The Pearl of Great Price: Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Jer 15:10,16-21; Ps 59; Mt 13:44-46) ******************************** Friends, today Jesus offers two parables about the kingdom of heaven. Let’s focus on the first one: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 02 – Year II On Being Good Seed in the Kingdom of God: Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus (Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79; Mt 13:36-43) ************************************************ The gospel today and the parable of the weeds of the field suggest that Jesus was not a gardener who would have known no one has […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 01 – Year II Intimate Apparel and the Kingdom of God: Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus (Jer 13:1-11; Dt 32; Mt 13:31-35) ********************************************* How do you feel about associating intimate apparel with the kingdom of God? The readings today invite us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with God lived […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 17 – B Jesus is the Answer to Our Deepest Needs (2 Kg 4:42-44; Ps 145; Eph 4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15) ************************************************** What are you hungering for? Are you dissatisfied with life? Put your faith in Jesus, who is the answer to all our needs. According to author Peter Herbeck, there are 315 men […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 06 – Year II Our Sin Never Confessed (Jer 7:1-11; Ps 84; Mt 13:24-30) ******************************************** What sins do you think are never or rarely confessed? Pray we might be aware of our complicity in social structural sin. On Saturday, June 17, 2022, the Aurora Living program wrapped up its first year at […]