Trust, Fidelity and Praise (Jer 30:1-22; Ps 102; Mt 14:22-36) ****************************************** Three words – trust, fidelity and praise – capture the essence of today’s liturgy. In the first reading, God comes across as a rejected lover who uses Semitic hyperbole to communicate the depth of his hurt and disappointment in God’s beloved, unfaithful Israel. God […]
Category: Homilies
HOMILY – FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD
Being Attentive to the Mystery (Dan 7:9-10/2 Pt 1:16-19, 13-14; Ps 97; Mt 17:1-9) ********************************************** “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” Those words from St. Peter, a witness to the transfiguration, invite us to ponder this mystery and let this feast strengthen our […]
HOMILY SUNDAY 18 – B
Change, Conversion and Transformation (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, 31a; Psalm 78; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35) ************************************************************* A saying attributed to Cardinal John Henry Newman fits the readings today: “To live is to change; to live well is to have changed much.” St. Paul, in the second reading to the Ephesians, puts it this way: “Put […]
HOMILY WEEK 17 05 – Yr II
Called to do Metanoia – Memorial: St. Jean Vianney (Jer 26:11-16, 24; Ps 69; Mt 14:1-12) ********************************************* “Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God…” Today’s liturgy invites us be prophetic – to speak the truth of repentance, to do metanoia and call others to conversion. […]
HOMILY WEEK 17 05 – Yr II
Our Struggle with Unconditional Love (Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69;Mt 13:54-58) ***************************************** One of the traditional “seven sayings of Jesus” on the Cross is, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Renowned theologian Karl Rahner offers the following intriguing reflection on that saying: “Actually, they did know what they were doing. They were killing […]
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 problem of obesity among youth […]
WEDDING HOMILY – HOOD & TIPEWAN
Commitment, Communication and Compassion (Proverbs 31:10-31; Ps 145:8-18; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 17:20-23) ******************************************************** The summer for me has been a joyful focus on marriage: celebrating the 40thanniversary of Stan and Pauline Hood in Beauval at whose wedding I presided; celebrating the 50thanniversary of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement in Lombard, Illinois with 650 couples, […]
HOMILY SUN 16-B
On Shepherding and Being Shepherded (Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34) ************************************************************* Did you know that if a lamb falls on its back, it cannot even right itself? That lamb needs a shepherd even for that. The liturgy today invites us to let Jesus be our shepherd, to minister to us, and in […]
HOMILY WEEK 15 06 – Yr II
Relational, Transformative Justice (Micah 2:1-5; Ps 10; Mt 12:14-21) ************************************* “He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles, and bring justice to victory.” This promise in the gospel of Matthew today puts our focus on justice as central to following Jesus and our faith life. That should not be surprising, as social justice was a main […]
HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 – 05 – Yr II
Love, Mercy and Compassion over Law, Sacrifice and Compunction (Is 38:1-22:8; Is 38; Mt 12:1-8) ****************************************************** “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” That simple statement of Jesus in the gospel today invites us into deeper faith in him as God among us, and into a deeper understanding of what it means to believe in him and […]
