HOMILY SUNDAY 21 – C By Fr. Alfred Groleau OMI at the Foyer Lacombe Chapel (Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Lk 13:22-30) ************************************************************* It is good to remember that St. Luke situates Jesus on his journey back to Jerusalem. This journey covers the second half of his Gospel. It tells us that Jesus […]

HOMILY WEEK 20 06 – Year I Called to Unite Heaven and Earth: Feast of St. Bartholomew (Rev 21:9b-14; Ps 145; Jn 1:45-51) ******************************************** A somewhat forgetful preacher at a wedding was an ardent fisherman.  He asked the groom, “Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish this woman?” “I do,” said the groom meekly. […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 20 05 – Year I Going Beyond the Law: Optional Memorial of St. Rose of Lima (Ruth 1:1-22; Ps 146; Mt 22:34-40) ******************************************** Keep it simple, sweetheart! We are probably more accustomed to a less flattering version of that saying, but I prefer this more positive rendering. It also applies to the teaching […]

HOMILY WEEK 20 04 – Year I Stop Sinning and Start Loving: Memorial of the Queenship of Mary (Judges 11:29-39; Ps 40; Mt 22:1-14) ********************************************** The readings for today’s memorial of the Queenship of Mary (there are optional readings from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary) provide us with a challenge: how are we […]

HOMILY WEEK 20 03 – Year I Playing Ball in the Kingdom of God: Memorial of St Pius X (Judges 9:6-15; Ps 21; Mt 20:1-16) ***************************************** Have you ever resented someone else’s good fortune? The gospel today invites us to look at reality from a deeper, broader faith perspective. As a young scholastic, I once […]

HOMILY WEEK 20 02 – Year I Humble Faith and Spiritual Warfare: Memorial of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Judges 6:11-24; Ps 85; Mt 19:23-30) *************************************************** August 21, 2017, was a memorable day for millions of people in North America as they witnessed a solar eclipse – total for some and partial for many more. That […]

HOMILY WEEK 20 01- Year I Our Journey into Deeper Healing: Memorial of St John Eudes (Judges 2:11-19; Ps 106; Mt 19:16-22) ************************************************* Where are we at on our healing journey? The readings today fit the two stages of spiritual growth described by St. John of the Cross – the Dark Night of the Senses, […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 20 – C Treaty Making and Covenant Living (Jeremiah 38:1-2, 4-6, 8-10; Psalm 40; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53) **************************************************************** On the anniversary of Treaty # 10, there was a large gathering in Brochet, Manitoba, to celebrate the occasion. That occasion raises the questions, “What is the greatest treaty of all?” Our celebration today […]

HOMILY WEEK 19 06 – Year I Faith – Beyond Happiness to Joy (Jos 24:14-29; Ps 16; Mt 19:13-15) *************************************** Some time ago I learned of the book The Happiness Trap, a title that intrigued me, as I am contemplating writing a book on the theme of joy as a follow-up to my latest book […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 19 05 – Year I Eunuchs on a Healing Journey for the Kingdom of God – Optional Memorial: St. Stephen of Hungary (Jos 24:1-13; Ps 136; Mt 19:3-12) *********************************************** The first reading today seems to miss a few other groups the Israelis had to face upon entering the promised land: the Gigabytes and […]