HOMILY SUNDAY 17 – YEAR A Living In The Kingdom of God (1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52) ************************************************************* Imagine a hockey game without a net; a ball game without a home plate; a bingo game without cards; hunting moose where there are no moose to be found! Everyone needs a goal, […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 06 – Year I Hospitality, Contemplation, and the Transformative Healing Journey: Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus (Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69; Jn 11:17-27) ***************************************** This memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus was just recently added to the liturgical calendar by Pope Francis.  St. Martha was already celebrated on Jan. 29 […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 05 – Year I Hearing and Living the Word (Ex 20:1-17; Ps 19; Mt 13:18-23) ***************************************** Years ago, Fr. Richard Rohr founded the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That prophetic move can be seen as a living out of the message of today’s readings – hearing the Word […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 04 – Year I Missing the Mystery (Ex 19:1-20; Dan 3; Mt 13:10-17) ********************************** “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” Today’s gospel invites us to stop missing the mystery; to connect faith with our lives, and to deepen our understanding of the gift of faith […]

HOMILY – FEAST of ST JOACHIM AND ANNE The Family as an Icon of the Trinity (Sir 44:1, 8, 10-15; Ps 132; Mt 13:16-17) ********************************************** Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of our mother Mary, and the grandparents of Jesus. The gospels are bereft of details regarding them […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 05 – Year I Feast of St. James: Life of Christ Within – Loving Service Without (2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 126; Mt 20:20-28) ****************************************** “We make living by what we get; we make a life by what we give away.” Those words by Sir Winston Churchill accompany the message of the readings […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 01 – Year I Trusting Contemplative Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel  Maklūf (Ex 14:5-18; Ex 15; Mt 12:38-42) ************************************** “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to keep still.” Those striking words from Moses open up a vista of transformative, contemplative faith and prayer. Pharoah in this first reading […]

HOMILY – SUNDAY 16 A Living In The Reign (Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86; Romans 8:24-27; Matthew 13:24-43) ************************************************************ Years ago, musician Carey Landry wrote a hymn called Seek Ye First. The hymn tells us that if we seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and his righteousness, then all the other things that […]

FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE Becoming a New Creation (Song of Songs 3:1-4a (or) 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1-18) ****************************************************** The first mission to which I was assigned as a young Oblate priest was St. Mary Magdalene in Beauval, on the picturesque banks of the Beaver River. When we built a new church in […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 05 – Year I Living the Law of Love: Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Ex 11:10-12:14; Ps 116; Mt 12:1-8) ***************************************************** A nervous priest was performing a wedding ceremony, and accidently began the nuptial blessing with the words, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!” The critical words […]