HOMILY WEEK 01 06 – Year I Following Jesus (Heb 4:12-16; Ps 19; Mk 2:13-17) *********************************** “God accepts us as we are, but believes in whom we can become.” That quote from Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU, underlines the message from today’s readings: we are called to follow Jesus into a new life of mercy, grace […]
Category: Homilies
Faith-St. Hilary
HOMILY WEEK 01 05 – Year I Faith, Forgiveness and Healing: Optional Memorial of St. Hilary (Heb 4:1-11; Ps 78; Mk 2:1-12) ****************************************** Years ago, musician and songwriter Cary Landry came out with the hymn Lay Your Hands. One line in particular stands out: Let them bring your forgiveness and healing. The Gospel today on […]
Faith-St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
HOMILY WEEK 01 04 – Year I Torah and Temple, or Partners of Christ: Memorial of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (Heb 3:7-14; Ps 95; Mk 1:40-45) ************************************************* Have you ever felt guilty for not picking up a hitch-hiker? Or not reaching out to a person seemingly lost in a parking lot? Today’s liturgy invites us to […]
Jesus Christ
HOMILY WEEK 01 03 – Year I Faith in Jesus as One of Us (Heb 2:14-18; Ps 105; Mk 1:29-39) *********************************** Some students of human behaviour strive to follow the paradigm: Who, What, Where, Why, When and How? when writing on a certain topic. These questions pretty well assure that every aspect of a given […]
HOMILY WEEKDAY 01 02 – Year I Jesus: True God and True Man (Heb 2:5-12; Ps 8; Mk 1:21-28) ***************************************** Our Christian faith invites us to worship Jesus as divine, and relate to his humanity as a brother. The author of Hebrews in yesterday’s first reading seemed very intent on establishing the identity of Jesus, […]
Covenant-Baptism of the Lord
BAPTISM OF THE LORD – A Live as a Covenant People (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17) **************************************************** A French-Canadian logger went to confession one day claiming he had a sin for which there was no forgiveness. The priest responded that God was forgiveness and encouraged him to proceed. The logger recounted […]
Magi-Epiphany
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY – YEAR A Living the Gifts of the Magi (Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12) **************************************************************** Lay theologian Gerry Kelly of Ottawa has a theory that the authors of the bible wrote with the intention that each word was important and significant. This was partly because of the […]
Fait-St. André Bessette
HOMILY CHRISTMAS SEASON – JANUARY 7th Strong Faith Expressed Through the Finest Wine of Love: Optional Memorial of St. André Bessette (1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149; Jn 2:1-12) ******************************************* St. John, once again, is unique among the gospel writers with his emphasis on mystery, mysticism, sign and symbolism. Today, both readings invite us to place […]
Grace-John the Baptist
CHRISTMAS WEEKDAYS – FRIDAY, JANUARY 06 Radical Grace – Radical Newness (1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147; Mk 1:4-11) ********************************************** “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness.” That simple, innocent looking statement holds a radical content that is key to appreciating the gospel. It invites us to place our faith in Jesus as Son of God […]
CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY – THURSDAY, JANUARY 05 Living Faith and Loving Action (1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100; Jn 1:43-51) *************************************************** A fellow was hiking in the mountains when he fell over a cliff. Halfway down the face of the mountain, he luckily managed to grab hold of a branch with both hands that stopped his fall. […]
