HOMILY EASTER WEEK 03 01 – YEAR I Faith that Yearns for More: Optional Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen (Acts 6:8-15; Ps 118; Jn 6:22-29) ************************************************** Most people are yearning for intimacy. But many are afraid of precisely that journey into intimacy, fearful of being hurt in their lives once again. The readings today […]

HOMILY EASTER SUNDAY 03 – A Witnesses to the Risen Lord (Acts 2:14, 22b-28; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35) *************************************************************** The readings on this 3rd Sunday of Easter time are like bookends – they stretch from the appearance of Jesus to his disciples on the day of his resurrection, to the Pentecost event […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 06 – Year I Balancing Prayer and Ministry, Contemplation and Action (Acts 6:1-7; Ps 33; Jn 6:16-21) ******************************************************* Noted spiritual writer and speaker, Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, founded a Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, some years ago. That prophetic gesture provides a fitting backdrop to today’s […]

WEEKDAY 02 05 EASTER SEASON – Year I Faith Fully Alive: Optional Memorial of St. Anselm (Acts 5:34-42; Ps 27; Jn 6:1-15)) ******************************************* Years ago, an atheist sociologist, in his analysis of our society and the way it was developing, predicted there would one day be a crisis of the human spirit. Even he could […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 04 – Year I Faith, Transformation and Eternal Life (Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34; Jn 3:31-36) ************************************************ Faith, transformation and eternal life – these three words sum up the message from today’s readings. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus; we experience transformation through forgiveness and healing, and we then live […]

HOMILY EASTER WEEK 02 03 – Year I Living Jesus’ New Way of Life (Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34; John 3:16-21) **************************************** “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.” That command from an angel of the Lord to the imprisoned apostles, and the gospel today, invite us to […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 02 – Year I Resurrection, Pentecost and Community: Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin (Acts 4:32-27; Ps 93; Jn 3:7-15) *********************************************** When Richard Rohr became involved in the Charismatic Renewal in the early sixties he did so in a big way – founding the New Jerusalem Community. Looking back now, […]

HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 02 01 – Year I Living Our Baptismal Call in the Face of Opposition and Unbelief (Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2; Jn 3:1-8) ********************************************************** “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” These words of Jesus to Nicodemus, the secret, fearful disciple, invite us, I […]

HOMILY EASTER SUNDAY 02 – A Faith to Proclaim “My Lord and My God” (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pt 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31) ******************************************** Two pastors who did not see eye to eye on many things were invited to share the same stage one day. The one who spoke first mentioned that, as all knew, they often […]

HOMILY OCTAVE of EASTER – SATURDAY The Good News of Easter: Faith and Empowerment (Acts 4:13-21; Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15) ********************************************* As we approach the end of the Octave of Easter and all its solemnities, the readings today provide an encapsulating chronology for us to ponder, with a invitation to deepen our faith in Jesus […]