On Being Missionary Disciples (Acts 8:26-40; Ps 66; Jn 6:44-51) ********************************************* Do you see yourself as a missionary disciple? That is what Pope Francis challenges us to be constantly. In today’s first reading, Philip can serve as a model for us. His missionary activity presents four key elements: faith in Jesus Christ; attentiveness to the […]

Fulfilling Our Deepest Yearning (Acts 8:1-8; Ps 66; Jn 6:35-40) ******************************************** Karl Rahner famously stated: “In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable, we finally learn that here in this life all symphonies must remain unfinished.” That raises the question, “What is your unfinished symphony? What is your deepest yearning?” The readings today provide […]

Living Without Blinders – Memorial: St Kateri Tekakwitha (Acts 7:51-8:1a; Ps 31; Jn 6:30-35) ************************************************** Caroline, a friend whom I have known for years, shared something with me recently I did not know and had not noticed about her – she has been living without sight in her left eye since being hit by an […]

Living the New Paradigm of Eternal Life (Acts 6:8-15; Ps 119; Jn 6:22-29) ********************************************* Sister of Charity Elaine Biolo once offered a course on faith and culture at Newman Theological College in which she explained how the sociological term “new paradigm” applies to our faith. She recounted how the Swedish watchmakers lost seventy percent of […]

Believe, Repent and Proclaim (Acts 3:13-15; 17-19; 1 Jn 2:1-5; Lk 24:35-48) *************************************************** A child paging through the bible found a large leave his mother was drying. He ran to his mother and exclaimed, “Look, mom, I found Adam’s underwear!” An elderly lady was mailing a bible and when asked by the clerk if there […]

Balancing Grace and Glory, Prayer and Ministry (Acts 6:1-6; Ps 33; Jn 6:16-21 ************************************************* “After feeding the crowd…” Jesus walks on water. In modern terms, the disciples are experiencing a “double whammy” – two miracles back-to-back. We can try to imagine what they were thinking and feeling, but more important what these two miracles are […]

Faith Transforming Life (Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34; Jn 3:31-36) ********************************** We are invited by today’s readings to allow our faith in the Risen Lord transform our life. One consistent theme running through all the liturgies since Easter is transformation. The disciples were transformed by the resurrection of Jesus and the reception of the Spirit from […]

New Life in Christ – St. Stanislaus Memorial (Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34; Jn 3:16-21) ************************************************** “Tell the people the whole message about this life.” The apostles were imprisoned for teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, and miraculously freed. When brought back to face their jailer, and told not to do that anymore, they […]

Returning To Our Roots (Acts 4:32-37; Ps 93; Jn 3:7-15) ************************************************ The Word Among Us provided a homily for today that I adapted as follows: Isn’t it striking how the first Christians took care of one another? Moved by their love for the Lord and for each other and having been “born from above” at […]

(Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10d; Ps 40; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-28) ********************************************************************* Sr. Connie Piska of Edmonton gave me a gift she made for my priestly ordination in 1974 that still hangs on a wall in the bathroom so that I see it every day. It is a silhouette of Mary kneeling before a dove with rays […]