(Dan 2:3, 9-30, 31-45; Dan 3; Lk 21:5-11) ******************************************* Did you know that Meghan Markle was the most googled woman in the world as of her engagement to Prince Harry? And that it seems there is worldwide interest in the prospect of a royal wedding in the spring? Yet all that pales in comparison to […]
Category: Homilies
HOMILY WEEK 34 01 – Yr I
Glory and Praise (Dan 1:1-20; Dn 3:52-56; Lk 21:1-4) **************************************** When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a book written by Rabbi Kuschner, appropriate for the readings today that invite us to trust God totally in good times and bad. The psalm response from the Book of Daniel puts it succinctly: Glorify and praise […]
HOMILY SUNDAY 34 – YEAR A
Christ the King (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46) ****************************************************************** Marie-Louise Ternier-Gommers, soon to be ordained, once wrote a reflection on today’s gospel in the Living With Christ. In it she asked an interesting question: “What would our communities look like if we let the ones most in need determine […]
HOMILY WEEK 33 – 05 – Yr I
Living Temples of the Word (1 Macc 4:36-37; 52-59; Ps29; Luke 19:45-48) ******************************************** When was the last time you were spellbound by someone’s words? Today’s liturgy extends a double invitation to us: not just to be “spellbound” by the words of Jesus, but to actually be a temple of the Word. Both readings focus on […]
HOMILY WEEK 33 04 – Yr I
The Many Visitations of Jesus (1 Macc 2:15-29; Ps 50; Lk 19:41-44) ************************************* When I was a young Oblate in my first mission of Beauval, Fr. Jim Fiori OMI and Sr. René Buliard SMS, drove down from Île-à-la-Crosse for a visit one evening. The two Grey Nuns Sr. Simard and Sr. Gamache, and I shared […]
HOMILY WEEK 33 03 – Yr I
Faith, Hope and Love: Memorial – St Cecilia (2 Macc 7:1-31; Ps 17; Lk 19:11-28) ***************************************** Some years ago, the St. Albert parish celebrated their 150th anniversary with a year-long series of speakers and events. I was invited to conduct a parish mission as part of that series, and was impressed by their theme: Rooted […]
HOMILY WEEK 33 02 – Yr I
Memorial: Presentation of Mary (2 Macc 6:18-31; Ps 3; Lk 19:1-10) ******************************************** Fr. Cantalemessa, the papal preacher, once said that imitation of Mary is just as important as devotion to her. Along with trying to imitate Mary, today’s liturgy invites us to pray to receive the fullness of grace, as did Mary, and to be […]
HOMILY WEEK 33 -01 – Yr I
Being Faithful to a Covenant Relationship (Mac 1:1-64; Ps 119; Lk 18:35-43) ************************************************ We have probably all heard the saying, “There is more to this than meets the eye.” That statement applies to today’s readings with a touch of divine irony – a blind man is able to see what the Israelites could not. That […]
HOMILY SUNDAY 33 – A
Just Discipleship (Proverbs 3110-13, 16-18, 20, 26, 28-32; Psalm 128; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 24:36; 25:14-30) ********************************************************** Oblate Brother Tom Novak is part of Just Theatre, a theatre group in Winnipeg that puts on plays that expose injustices toward especially the poor and immigrants, and seeks to build a more just society. Seen from a […]
HOMILY WEEK 32 05 – Yr I
Faith and Readiness; Believe and Love Memorial – St Elizabeth of Hungary (Wis 13:1-9; Ps 19; Lk 17:26-37) **************************************** A nervous lector at the Sunday Eucharist ended her reading one day with the words, “This is the end of the world.” To which the congregation dutifully responded. “Thanks be to God!” The readings for this […]
