HOMILY WEEK 17 03 – Year I The Kingdom of Heaven: Priceless Transformation and Radical Choice (Exodus 34:29-35; Ps 99; Mt 13:44-46) ************************************************************* The pearl is a very interesting analogy for life in the kingdom. Fred Sherrer, in his comment on this gospel, explains: “Unlike other precious stones, the pearl originates in a living thing, […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 02 – Year I Living in the Kingdom (Ex 33:7-11; 34;4-9, 28; Ps 103; Mt 13:36-43) ********************************************* After Word Youth Days in Toronto in 2003, Ken Yasinski, a gifted young man from St. Walburg, Sask. was inspired to begin offering a series of youth retreats he called Face to Face. These retreats, […]

HOMILY – FEAST of ST JOACHIM AND ANNE The First Holy Family (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 – not even offering […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 17 – B Hungering for Justice; Thirsting for Love (2 Kg 4:42-44; Ps 145; Eph 4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15) ************************************************** One night on television, a news item featured the reality of children starving in Zimbabwe. Pictures of children with extended stomachs troubled the viewers; a few minutes later, another news item dwelt on the […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 06 – Year I People of a New Covenant: Praise, Gratitude and Forgiveness: Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlūf (Ex 24:3-8; Ps 50; Mt 13:24-30) ******************************************************** Are you married? Committed to a life-long friendship? You are in a covenant relationship. The readings today designate us as a people of a new covenant […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 05 – Year I Hearing and Living the Word: Optional Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden (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 […]

FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE Great Faith and Great Love (Song of Songs 3:1-4a (or) 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1-18) ****************************************************** There is an interesting convergence around this liturgical feast: recently, Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU offered a virtual retreat from Saskatoon hosted by our Star of the North Retreat Centre in St. Albert entitled […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 03 – Year I Life as a Wilderness Journey of Faith – Optional Memorial: St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Ex 16:1-15; Ps 78; Mt 13:1-9) ******************************************* The longest journey in the world is often from our heads to our hearts. Today’s readings lead us into a wilderness journey to deeper faith and more […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 02 – Year I Brothers and Sisters of Jesus Optional Memorial: St. Apollinarius (Ex 14:21-15:1; Ex 15:7-17; Mt 12:46-50) ********************************************** Do you see yourself as a brother or sister of Jesus? The liturgy today invites us to appreciate our baptism which joins us to Jesus and makes us his family, his brothers […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 01 – Year I Pilgrimage as an Exodus Journey and Paschal Mystery Experience (2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1, 11-18) *********************************************************** A pilgrimage involves leaving the comforts of home and the familiar, and setting out to a place where two realities meet – either land and sky, like at Kehiwin, or […]