HOMILY WEEK 13 01 – Year I The Cost of Following Jesus: Memorial of St. Irenaeus (Gen 18:16-33; Ps 103; Mt 8:18-22) **************************************** “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” Could this be a first century version of our modern “Awoke” movement? This seemingly harsh and unfeeling sentence spoken by Jesus in today’s […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 13 – B Faith That Makes a Difference (Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43) **************************************************** A man was walking along a beach and throwing any starfish he saw lying on the sand back into the water. A bystander questioned why he was bothering to do that, as there were […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 06 – Year I Faith, Hospitality and Service (Gen 18:1-15; Lk 4:46-55; Mt 8:5-17) ***************************************** Do you remember a time when you were received with gracious hospitality, and how wonderful that felt? Today’s liturgy encourages us to express our faith through hospitality and service. The first reading is a delicate interplay of […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 05 – Year I Walking in the Way of the Lord (Gen 17:5-22; Ps 128; Mt 8:1-14) ************************************* The late Gerald May, a Catholic psychiatrist, is author of the book Will and Grace on addictions awareness. In it he highlights free will as one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It is […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 12 – C (Homily 01) Solemnity of The Birth of John the Baptist (Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66; 80) ************************************************************ Have you answered the call of God in your life? Today’s solemnity of the birth of John the Baptist invites us to respond to God’s call by being a disciple, […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 03 – Year I Fruitfully Participating in an Intimate Covenant (Gen 15:1-18; Ps 105; Mt 7:15-20) **************************************************** Have you ever found yourself yearning for intimacy? Know that God yearns for an intimate covenant relationship with us that is best fostered through contemplative prayer and expressed by acts of love. We are a […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 02 – Year I The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate: Optional Memorial of St. Thomas More (Gen 13:2-18; Ps 15; Mt 7:6-14) ************************************************* Two phrases from today’s gospel, “Golden Rule” and “Narrow Gate” call us to humble faith and sincere love. The Golden Rule is common to all the major religions […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 01 – Year I Faith: the Longest Journey to the Heart Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Gen 12:1-9; Ps 33; Mt 7:1-5) ****************************************** “The longest journey of life is from the head to the heart.” This familiar saying provides the context for today’s liturgy and the readings inviting us not to judge […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 12 – B Calming the Storm (Job 38:1-4, 8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41) ************************************************** “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” As a young priest, I mixed up that statement one Sunday in my homily, saying “Life is a problem to be solved, not a mystery […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 06 – Year I Seeking the Kingdom and Righteousness of God: Optional Memorial of St. Romuald (2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34; Mt 6:24-34) ************************************************* “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This one sentence from today’s gospel […]