HOMILY WEEK 16 03 – Year I Life as a Wilderness Journey of Faith – Optional Memorial: St. Sharbel Makhluf (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 mature […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 02 – Year I Brothers and Sisters of Jesus – Optional Memorial: St. Bridget of Sweden (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 […]

HOMILY FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE (Song of Song 3:1-4; 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 1984, we commissioned Al Gerritsen to carve […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 16 – C Living within a Mystery (Gen 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Col 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42) *************************************************** All three readings today provide rich food for thought and nourishment for our spirit. They do so in a way that interconnects and weaves a strong invitation to us: we are invited to live within the mystery […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 06 – Year I Following Jesus Through Persecution and Suffering Optional Memorial – St. Apollinaris (Ex 12:37-42; Ps 136; Mt 12:14-21) **************************************************** Liturgists involved in choosing the readings for the Eucharist try to establish a connection between especially the first reading and the gospel. It takes a little digging, but there are […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 05 – Year I Living the Law of Love (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 uttered by Jesus in the gospel today, […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 04 – Year I Jesus’ Cross and Yoke (Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105; Mt 11:28-30) *************************************** Fr. Bertrand OMI was a veteran missionary at La Loche First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan. He had been a boxer as a youth, was a barber, ran a dog team and spoke fluent Dené. He was […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 03 – Year I All is Given to the Simple (Ex 3:1-6, 9-12; Ps 103; Mt 11:25-27) **************************************** What do the burning bush of Moses and a retreat have in common? May I suggest that both involve encountering God through fearless, humble faith? A retreat centre can be our mountain and our […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 02 – Year I Repent and Believe in the Good News – Optional Memorial: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Exodus 2:1-15; Psalm 69; Matthew 11:20-24) ********************************************* A dishonest painter cheated by thinning paint with water to paint a church. As long as it didn’t rain right away, he thought, he would be […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 01 – Year I Putting Jesus First (Ex 1:8-22; Ps 124; Mt 10:34-11:1) ************************************** Fr. Mike McCaffery is a beloved, more-or-less retired diocesan priest from Edmonton on whom Edmonton leans to be their voice for special occasions. He presided at the wedding of Wayne Gretzky, and was called on to preside over […]