HOMILY WEEK 23 01 – Year I Mining the Great Mystery – Christ in Us: (Col 1:24-2:3; Ps 62; Lk 6:6-11) ***************************************** As a 25th anniversary of priesthood initiative in 1994, I wrote a booklet on Indigenous ministry called “Northern Nuggets” that eventually morphed into the book Drumming From Within published by Novalis. That original […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 23 – B Genuine Faith Expressed through Unconditional Love (Isaiah 35:4-7; Psalm 146; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-17) ********************************************************** A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.” […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 06 – Year I Secure in Faith, Reaching Out in Love: Optional Memorial of Blessed Dina Bélanger (Col 1:21-23; Ps 54; Lk 6:1-5) ********************************************** Have you seen the movie, March of the Penguins? If not, I would encourage you to do so. That movie, along with the readings today, encourage us to […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 05 – Year I New Wine, Fresh Skins; Old Wine, Mature Christianity: Memorial of St. Gregory the Great (Col 1:15-20; Ps 100; Lk 5:33-39) ************************************************** Did you notice a puzzling dichotomy in the gospel? In one breath, Jesus seems to say he is like new wine needing fresh skins of faith, then […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 04 – Year I Our Life in Christ: Optional Memorial of Blessed André Grasset (Col 1:9-14; Ps 98; Lk 5:1-11) ***************************************** “Since we heard of your life in Christ.” Has anyone ever said that to you? Those words of St. Paul to the Colossians in the first reading today are a strong […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 03 – Year I Faithful Servant Ministers of Christ: (Col 1:1-8; Ps 52; Lk 4:38-44) ********************************************** Have you ever thought of taking Epaphras as your model for a life of faith? In the first reading, St. Paul holds him up as a beloved fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ. That means […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 02 – Year I Living with Christ as Children of the Light (1 Thess 5:1-11; Ps 27; Lk 4:31-37) *********************************************** Are you familiar with the term “paradigm shift”? It refers to an idea or event that radically affects the way we see and deal with reality – almost forcing us to refocus […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 01 – Year I Genuine Faith and Hope versus Unbelief and Religious Rage (1 Thes 4:13-18; Ps 96; Lk 4:16-30) ************************************************************* One of the more negative traits of our modern society is road rage that often becomes violent and at times even deadly. In the gospel today, Jesus runs into religious rage […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 22-B Compassion Trumps Law (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15; James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) ************************************************************* After I was ordained a priest in 1974, I did a pastoral year out of Edmonton. Towards the end of that year, while I was waiting for my obedience from Rome, I applied to go […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 06 – Year I Just Love: Memorial of St. Augustine (1 Th 4:9-11; Ps 98; Mt 25:14-30) ************************************* A customer placed an exquisite greeting card on the store counter and reached for his wallet. Pushing the keys on the cash register, the clerk said, “That will be $4 please.”  “$4,” the man […]