New Wine, New Wineskins (! Cor 4:1-5; Ps 37; Lk 5:33-39) ************************************** “The new wine will burst the skins.” In ancient Israel, the juice from pressed grapes immediately went into a container to ferment into wine. If the wine was going to be transported a long distance, the container was often a goatskin sewn into […]
Category: Homilies
HOMILY WEEK 22 03 – Yr II
Co-workers Building the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 3:1-9; Ps 33; Lk 4:38-44) ******************************************* A key feature of my first year of ministry in northern Saskatchewan was introducing the Christopher Leadership Course to the north, which in turn convinced me of the importance of team ministry. As instrumental as that course was in the personal […]
HOMILY WEEK 22 02 – Yr II
Living Our Trinitarian Faith – Optional Memorial Dina Bélanger (1 Cor 2:10-16; Ps 145; Lk 4:31-37) ******************************************************* Step 3 of the A.A. program reads, “Made a decision to surrender our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.” This step, and today’s readings, invite us to celebrate and live […]
HOMILY WEEK 22 01 – Yr II
The Dark Side of Belief – Memorial: St. Gregory the Great (1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119; Lk 4:16-30) ********************************************************* Today’s gospel ends in a brutal, shocking manner, as the religious townsfolk of Nazareth are suddenly enraged and want to kill Jesus! What are we to make of this? The readings today challenge us to look […]
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 to the Holy […]
HOMILY WEEK 21 06 – Yr II
Striking a Balance Between Prayer and Action (1 Cor 1:26-31; Ps 33; Mt 25:14-30) ******************************************** Is contemplation incompatible with action? The readings today invite us to find a way to balance these two important and essential elements of Christian life. On the surface, the gospel parable of talents seems to be a call to action, […]
HOMILY WEEK 21 05 – Yr II
Faith expressed through Love (1 Cor 1:17-25; Ps 53; Mt 25:1-13) ********************************************* For St. Paul, in the first reading, what is more important than even baptism? The answer is proclaiming the Gospel. He says he was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel, to entice everyone to believe in Jesus as the wisdom […]
HOMILY – MEMORIAL: THE PASSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Prophetic Consolation and Desolation (Jer 1:17-19; Ps 71; Mk 6:17-29) *********************************************** The late Fr. Andrew Britz OSB, former editor of the Prairie Messenger newspaper, was noted for his courageous editorials that addressed rather fearlessly and directly the key and often controversial issues of the day. After his death, a selection of his editorials was compiled […]
HOMILY WEEK 21 02 – Yr II
Holding Fast and Standing Firm to Justice, Mercy and Faith Memorial: St Augustine (2 Thes 2:1-3,14-17; Ps 96; Mt 23:23-26) **************************************** “Heavens glad, earth rejoices, fields exult for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.” How can this joy over being judged make sense? The answer lies in the other readings: Those who practice […]
HOMILY WEEK 21 01 – Yr II
Love to Affirm; Courage to Correct; Faith to Praise – Memorial: St Monica (2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12; Ps 96; Mt 23:13-22) ************************************************************** As worshippers leave Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, CA, they are artistically reminded to be Be Doers of the Wordby a mural done in tiles above the entrance to the church. In […]
