HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 18th Prophecy Fulfilled: God is With Us (Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72; Mt 1:18-24) *********************************************** Do you have a friend whose word you can trust totally? Today’s readings can be a reminder of the rock-solid foundation of our faith, based on the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. In […]

HOMILY ADVENT DEC 17th The Blessing of Our Genealogies (Gen 49:8-10; Ps 72; Mt 1:1-17) *************************************** Are there any skeletons in your family’s closet? Today’s readings can help us relax and trust that God can work marvels even with a less than holy family tree. Today we read the opening lines of Matthew’s Gospel—the first […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 04 – Year II Greater than John the Baptist (Is 54:1-10; Ps 30; Lk 7:24-30) ************************************* Today’s readings invite us to place our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, and to strive to be even the least in the Kingdom of God. The first reading from Isaiah is a poetic reminder […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 03 – Year II Jesus the Messiah – the One Who Was to Come (Is 45:6-25; Ps 85; Lk 7:19-23) *********************************************** In the movie The Priest, a young priest learns of incest in a girl’s family but can’t break the seal of confession and can’t get her to talk to anyone […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 02 – Year II Living in God as Divine Dance: Memorial of St. John of the Cross (Zeph 3:1-13; Ps 34; Mt 21:28-32) **************************************** The Trappist monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton taught that some people live “for” God; some people live “with” God, and some live “in” God. The readings […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 01 – Year II Responding to Prophecy with Authority: Memorial of St. Lucy (Num 24:2-27; Ps 25; Mt 21:23-27) ********************************************* How much authority do you exercise? Today’s readings invite us to speak out with faith and exercise our authority as baptized believers in Jesus. In the first reading from Numbers, the […]

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Joyful, Transformative Love: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Zephaniah 3:14-18; Isaiah 12; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18) Note: Blended with Archbishop Don Bolen’s Advent Homily in preparation for the delegation to visit Pope Francis. *********************************************************************************************** In Canada, since 2002 at the initiative of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council, the Catholic Church in Canada […]

HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 02 06 – Year II Being Elijah for Others: Optional Memorial of St. Damasus I (Sirach 48:1-11; Ps 80; Mt 17:10-13) ************************************** Do you see yourself as a prophet? The readings today invite us to be both Elijah and John the Baptist for others. Both the first reading from Sirach and the […]

HOMILY WEEK 02 05 – Year II Following the Lord with Faith and Fidelity: Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loretto (Is 48:17-19; Ps 1; Mt 11:16-19) ************************************************** “Oh, that you had paid attention to my commandments!” Today’s readings and memorial of Our Lady of Loretto invite us to respond to God’s unconditional covenant love […]

HOMILY WEEK 02 04 – Year II From Exile to a New Creation: Optional Memorial of St. Juan Deigo (Is 41:13-20; Ps 145; Mt 11:11-15) **************************************** “The hand of the Lord has done this.” This sentence, from the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading, can be taken in two ways. Ultimately, it’s deepest meaning […]