HOMILY WEEK 21 04 – Year I Rooted in Faith; Living in Hope and Growing in Love (1 Thes 3:7-13; Ps 90; Mt 24:42-51) ********************************************* “Participate, don’t anticipate” is what we used to tell youth who were beginning either a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) or a Search weekend in the north years ago. That […]
Category: Ordinary Time
HOMILY WEEK 21 03 – Year I Holy Lives or Whitewashed Tombs? (1 Thess 2:9-13; Ps 139; Mt 23:27-32) ******************************************* As it was a few days ago, the readings today are a study of contrasts. That being said, the gospel acclamation and St. Paul in the first reading come together to provide a clear message: […]
HOMILY WEEK 21 02 – Year I The Passion of John the Baptist: Prophetic Consolation and Desolation (Jer 1:17-19; Ps 71; Mk 6:17-29) *********************************************** The late Fr. Andrew Britz OSB, former editor of the Prairie Messenger newspaper, was noted for his courageous editorials that addressed rather fearlessly and directly the key and often controversial issues […]
St. Augustine
HOMILY WEEK 21 01 – Year I Living Faith: Memorial of St. Augustine (1 Thes 1:1-10; Ps 149; Mt 23:13-22) *************************************** The problem of addicts is not that they think they are worms, nor that they think they are special. Their problem is that they think they are very special worms! This cute saying actually fits […]
Who is Jesus?
HOMILY SUNDAY 21 – A Who Do You Say I Am? (Isaiah 22:15, 19-23; Psalm 138; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20) ************************************************************* Do you remember the answer to the old catechism question “Why were we created?” The answer, of course, is to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy with him […]
Humble Faith
HOMILY WEEK 20 06 – Year I Walking the Talk with Humility (Ruth 2:1-17; Ps 128; Mt 23:1-12) ************************************* “Do what they teach you, but not what they do, because they do not practice what they teach.” The gospel today is inviting us to be humble, and to be persons of integrity living our faith […]
St. Joseph Calasanz
HOMILY WEEKDAY 20 05 – Year I Going Beyond the Law: Memorial of St. Joseph Calasanz (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 of Jesus […]
St. Bartholomew
HOMILY WEEK 21 03 – 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. […]
St. Rose of Lima
HOMILY WEEK 20 03 – Year I Playing Ball in the Kingdom of God: Optional Memorial of St. Rose of Lima (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, […]
Queenship of Mary
HOMILY WEEK 20 02 – Year I Humble Faith and Spiritual Warfare: Memorial: the Queenship of Mary (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 experience […]
