HOMILY WEEK 32 01 – Year I Called to Repent and to Forgive: (Wis 1:1-17; Ps 139; Lk 17:1-6) ************************************************** “If there is repentance, you must forgive.” Does this statement by Jesus in the gospel mean we don’t need to forgive a person if they don’t come to apologize? Today readings are an invitation to […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 32-A Be Ready – Live in the Kingdom (Wisdom 6:12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13) ************************************************************* A priest was about to preside at the funeral of a notorious mafia criminal. His brother, a mafia boss, demanded the priest say only positive things about the dead man or their contribution to the […]

HOMILY WEEK 31 05 – Year I Joyfully Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ: Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great (Rm 15:14-21; Ps 98; Lk 16:1-8) **************************************************** Have you ever wondered what your life would be like without faith in Jesus Christ? Honest and open encounters with a Muslim woman and a Hindu […]

FEAST – DEDICATION OF ST JOHN LATERAN Temples of the Holy Spirit and Life-giving Water  (Ezk 47:1-12; Ps 46; Jn 2:13-22) ***************************************************** “Wherever this river flows, the waters shall be made fresh.” The readings today, and this feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran, invite us to drink of the living waters of God’s […]

HOMILY WEEK 31 03 -Year I The Commandments of Jesus (Rm 13:8-10; Ps 112; Lk 14:25-33) ******************************************* Isn’t it interesting how love and hate both figure in today’s readings? First, we are to love one another, and then in the gospel we are to hate our families! In the end, the message is simple: we […]

HOMILY WEEK 31 01 – YEAR I God’s Great Gift of Mercy: (Rm 11:29-36; Ps 69; Lk 14:12-14) *************************************** Have you ever received an unexpected gift that touched you deeply, and even had an effect on your life? The liturgy today invites us to reflect on gift-giving – God’s gifts to us, especially mercy, and […]

HOMILY WEEK 31 01 – YEAR I God’s Great Gift of Mercy: (Rm 11:29-36; Ps 69; Lk 14:12-14) *************************************** Have you ever received an unexpected gift that touched you deeply, and even had an effect on your life? The liturgy today invites us to reflect on gift-giving – God’s gifts to us, especially mercy, and […]

            HOMILY WEEK 30 06 – Year I Participating in God’s Mysterious Plan: Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo  (Rm 11:1-2,11-12,25-29; Ps 94; Lk 14:1,7-11) ********************************************* “Has God rejected God’s people?” The Word Among Us commentary for today begins with that rhetorical question by St. Paul, who is asking whether God has given up on God’s […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 05 – Year I Jesus – Messiah and Healer: Optional Memorial of St. Martin de Porres (Rm 9:1-5; Ps 147; Lk 14:1-6) ********************************************** Have you seen the movie “Messiah?” That movie about what it might be like if Jesus had come into our modern cellular and connected world relates to the readings […]

HOMILY – ALL SOUL’S DAY Living the Paschal Mystery (Job 19:1, 23-27; Ps 103; 1Cor 15:20-23; Jn 12:23-26) ***************************************************** “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” Both the readings and today’s commemoration of All Soul’s Day invite us to follow Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery. Jesus, in the […]