HOMILY WEEK 18 02 – Year I Growing in Faith: Memorial of St. Dominic de Guzman (Num 12:1-13; Ps 51; Mt 15:1-2, 10-14) ************************************** Ron, who hailed from a French-Canadian family, married a Protestant English woman. His staunch French-Canadian aunt in Quebec was shocked and very upset, not because she was Protestant, but because she […]

HOMILY WEEK 18 01 – Year I Faith in Jesus as the Bread of Life Optional Memorial: St. Sixtus II and Companions (Num 11:4-15; Ps 81; Mt 14:13-21) **************************************** “Moses said to the Lord” and “Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” Those two quotes from the readings today encourage us […]

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; Lk 9:28-36) ********************************************** “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” These words in the second reading from St. Peter, a witness to the transfiguration, invite […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 17 05 – Year I The Power of Ritual and Faith – Memorial: St. John Mary Vianney (Lev 23:1-37; Ps 81; Mt 13:54-58) ********************************************** It is common to think love supports marriage. Often, however, it is the other way around – marital commitment will support love, especially in tough times. The readings today […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 04 – Year I Living Tabernacles and Mutual Indwelling (Ex 40:16-38; Ps 84; Mt 13:47-52) ********************************************* The readings invite us to be tabernacles of God’s presence in the world as we dwell with God and God with us in Christ. When our pilgrim group was in the Holy Land, we were able […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 02 – Year I Living in the Kingdom: Memorial of St. Alphonsus Ligouri (Ex 33:7-11; 34;4-9, 28; Ps 103; Mt 13:36-43) ********************************************* After Word Youth Days in Toronto in 2003, Ken Yasinski, a gifted young man from St. Walburg, Sask. was inspired to begin offering a series of youth retreats he called […]

HOMILY WEEK 17 01 – Year I Living In The Reign: Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34; Ps 106; Mt 13:31-35) *********************************************** “Regnum Dei Intra Vos” – “The Kingdom of God is among you.” That is my motto as a bishop. Taken from Luke 17:21, it is the only place in the […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 17 – YEAR A Living In The Kingdom of God (1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52) ************************************************************* Imagine a hockey game without a net; a ball game without a home plate; a bingo game without cards; hunting moose where there are no moose to be found! Everyone needs a goal, […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 06 – Year I Hospitality, Contemplation, and the Transformative Healing Journey: Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus (Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69; Jn 11:17-27) ***************************************** This memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus was just recently added to the liturgical calendar by Pope Francis.  St. Martha was already celebrated on Jan. 29 […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 05 – Year I Hearing and Living the Word (Ex 20:1-17; Ps 19; Mt 13:18-23) ***************************************** Years ago, Fr. Richard Rohr founded the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That prophetic move can be seen as a living out of the message of today’s readings – hearing the Word […]