HOMILY – SOLEMNITY: PETER AND PAUL Apostles of Forgiveness and Evangelization (Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34; 2 Tim 4:6-8;17-18; Mt 16:13-19) *************************************************** Today’s solemnity invites us to reflect on two foundational figures of the early Church, to be inspired by them and to learn from them. St. Peter and St. Paul met only a few times. […]

HOMILY – THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS Week 12 05 – Year I (Ezk 34:11-16; Ps 23; Rm 5:5-11; Lk 15:3-7) *************************************************** Do you recall the first words Jesus preached, in the Gospel of Mark? Those words are “believe” and “repent” and they relate well to the readings today, inviting us to both believe […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 04 The Worst Kind of Treason Optional Memorial: St. Cyril of Alexandria (Gen 16:1-16; Ps 106; Mt 7:21-29) ********************************************** “The last act is the greatest treason. To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” That quote, by T.S. Eliot in Murder in the Cathedral, invites us to evaluate our actions more closely […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 03 Fruitfully Participating in an Intimate Covenant (Gen 15; Ps 105;  Mt 7:15-20) **************************************************** Have you ever found yourself yearning for intimacy? Know that God yearns for an intimate covenant relationship with us that is best fostered through contemplative prayer and expressed by acts of love. We are a covenant people, called […]

WEEK 12 02 The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate (Gen 13:2-18; Ps 15; Mt 7:6-14) ************************************************* Two phrases from today’s gospel, “Golden Rule” and “Narrow Gate” call us to humble faith and sincere love. The Golden Rule is common to all the major religions of the world – so much so that a poster […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 12 – C The Birth of John the Baptist (Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66; 80) ************************************************************ Have you answered the call of God in your life? Be a disciple: Take up your cross and follow Jesus. In the first reading today, Isaiah is called to a mission, a vocation. His […]

THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST – C (Gen 14:18-20; Ps 110; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11-17) **************************************************** Noted spiritual theologian Ron Rolheiser OMI recounts how a distraught young man accosted him in the sacristy after mass one Sunday. He had preached on the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan; how the Father had blessed […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 04 – Yr I Doing the Will of God (2 Cor 11:1-11; Ps 111; Mt 6:7-15) ***************************************** “To do the right thing for the wrong reason is the greatest kind of treason.” Those words by Alfred Lord Tennyson can actually apply to our life of faith. We are called by today’s readings […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 03 – Yr I The Biblical Faith Triad – Optional Memorial: St. Romuald (2 Cor 9:6-11; Ps 112; Mt 6:1-18) ********************************************************* Today’s readings actually bring to mind a humble biblical faith triad. This triad invites us to express our faith in Jesus by generous almsgiving, sincere prayer and humble self-care. Jesus in […]

WEEK 11 02 Excelling in Faith: Forgiveness, Compassion and Generosity (2 Cor 8:1-9; Ps 146; Mt 5:43-48) ******************************************************* “You have heard it said, but I say to you …” With that simple statement, Jesus opens up a whole new way of being in this world for us – to make both forgiveness and compassion our […]