WEEK 13 05 HOMILY – Year II Forgiven, Healed, Merciful: Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria (Amos 8:4-6, 9-12; Ps 119; Mt 9:9-13) ********************************************** “No one lives by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” and “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” These two sentences from the readings today frame […]

HOMILY WEEK 13 04 – Year II Faith, Forgiveness and Deeper Healing: Optional Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Amos 7:10-17; Ps 19; Mt 9:1-18) ************************************************* Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be paralyzed? The gospel today invites us to place our faith in Jesus and come to him for forgiveness […]

HOMILY – FEAST OF ST. THOMAS, WEEK 13 03 – Year II Faith, Identity, Transformation and Mission (Eph 2:19-22; Ps 117; Jn 20:24-29) *********************************************************** A trip to Chenai, India, would not be complete without a visit to the tomb where tradition tells us St. Thomas is buried, after evangelizing and laying the foundations of the […]

HOMILY WEEK 13 02 – Year II Weathering Life’s Storms with Faith: (Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12; Ps 5; Mt 8:23-27) *************************************** Have you ever been caught in a storm while boating? Today’s readings invite us to trust that Jesus can help us weather any storm in our lives. I remember one incident years ago on Lac […]

CANADA DAY HOMILY Be a Beatitude People (Is 56:1,6-7; Ps 84; Mt 5:1-12a) *************************************  Years ago, former sister Marge Denis, who ministered in the Northwest Territories, produced a slide series entitled the Beatitude People, which I purchased and used extensively in my own ministry. The readings on this Canada Day, invite us to be a […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 13 – B The Healing Power of Love (Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43) **************************************************** Have you ever seen the movie “Elephant Man?” That movie is a vignette of the gospel story we heard today, and carries a powerful message. Believe in the healing power of love and loving […]

HOMILY – SOLEMNITY of SAINTS 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 […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 05 – Year II Faith in Jesus as Son of God and Experiencing Jesus as the Messiah: Memorial of St. Irenaeus (2 Kg 25:1-12; Ps 137; Mt 8:1-4) ********************************************************* Does the statement, “Jesus worked miracles, but he was not a miracle worker,” make sense to you? The gospel today invites us to […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 04 – Year II Building a Solid House of Discipleship: Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria (2 Kg 24:8-17; Ps 79; Mt 7:21-19) ******************************************************** How many of us have construction experience? Today, Jesus once again speaks in metaphors to get his point across. He asks us to build a house. The […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 04 – Year II Covenantal Love (2 Kg 22.8-13; 23:1-3; Ps119; Mt 7:15-20) ***************************************** A couple reminded me I had married them 36 years earlier and shared all was going well with their marriage covenant. This stirred up in me pleasant memories of the emotions connected with that event. There is something […]