Undoing Slavery, Then and Now (Eph 6:1-9; Ps 145; Lk 13:22-30) *************************************** “Slaves, be obedient to your human masters.”Could Paul be supporting slavery with this comment? May our celebration today help us be more aware of the modern-day slavery still existing in our world, and motivate us to work at overcoming it any way we […]

Living as Children of Light (Eph 4:32-5:8; Ps 1; Lk 13:10-17) ********************************* “… but now in the Lord you are light.” That sentence by St Paul leads right into the message of today’s liturgy – an invitation to live as children of light. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul waxes eloquently on what […]

Faith to Heal and Follow (Jer 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52) *********************************************************** It was mealtime during a flight on a small airline in northern Manitoba. “Would you like dinner?” the flight attendant asked me. “What are my choices?” I asked. “Yes or no,” she replied. Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus? […]

Repent and Believe; Surrender and Grow (Eph 4:7-16; Ps 122; k 13:1-9) ****************************************** “Repent and believe” is the first message Jesus preached. “Surrender and grow” is a message emerging from today’s readings echoing that primary teaching of Jesus. Today’s liturgy invites us to be ready to “repent”, to surrender our will to God and “believe”, […]

Truth, Beauty and Goodness (Eph 4:1-6; Ps 24; Lk 12:54-59) ************************************** “Truth, Beauty and Goodness” – these are three classical pillars of believing in God and living in Christ. The readings today, read within the context of these three pillars, carry powerful messages for us: in the gospel, we can find Truth by reading the […]

Awakening to God’s Power Within Us (Eph 3:13-21; Ps 33; Lk 12:49-53) ******************************************* During a retreat I was conducting for the priests of the Diocese of Corner Brook-Labrador in Cow Head, Newfoundland, I enjoyed walking the beach at low tide. Being a westerner, that phenomenon was new to me. One day as I walked, I […]

Live the Mystery of Faith as Servants of the Gospel – Trust, Thank and Tell Optional Memorial: St. Anthony Mary Claret (Eph 3:1-12; Is 12:2-6; Lk 12:39-48) ***************************************************************** “Life is mystery to be lived, not problem to be solved.” The readings today invite us to live the mystery of faith as servants of the Gospel […]

Temples of a Living God: St John of Capistrano (Eph 2:12-22; Ps 85; Lk 12:35-38) *************************************************** The late Serge LeClerc was a motivational speaker who gave a keynote presentation at a Catholic Health Conference in Saskatoon years ago. He was born in Winnipeg of a single Indigenous addicted mother considered unfit by the Social Services […]

Faithful Grace and Grateful Ministry – St. Pope John Paul II (Eph 2:1-10; Ps 100; Lk 12:13-21) *********************************************** “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” The Word Among Us serves as an initial resource for this reflection. It states that Jesus has just spoken at length to a large crowd about the […]

Called to Give Our Life Away (Isaiah 53:4, 10-11; Ps 33; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:39-45) ************************************************** “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” That statement of Jesus from the gospel captures the essence of the readings today: as his […]