HOMILY WEEK 31 04 – Year II Transformative Faith in Jesus: Optional Memorial of St. Martin de Porres (Phil 3:3-8; Ps 105; Lk 15:1-10) ************************************* When now St. Pope John Paul II returned to Canada in 1987 in fulfillment of his promise to meet with the Indigenous peoples of the North, I was in the […]

HOMILY – ALL SOUL’S DAY Living the Paschal Mystery (Job 19:1, 23-27; Ps 103; 1Cor 15:20-23; Jn 12:23-26) ***************************************************** “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” Both the readings and today’s commemoration of All Soul’s Day invite us to follow Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery. Jesus, in the […]

SOLEMNITY: ALL SAINTS DAY 2022 Living In the Reign as Saintly Servants and Children of God (Rev 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12) ******************************************************** “It is heaven all the way to heaven.” This statement from St. Catherine of Sienna, and the All Saints Liturgy today, invite us to live in the reign […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 31-C Repentance and Justice (Wisdom 11:23-12:2; Psalm 145; 2 Thes 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10) ********************************************************* Would you climb a tree to see a famous person? That famous person, Jesus himself, asks us in today’s liturgy to climb down from our tree of sin and self-righteousness, to repent and work for greater justice. That Zacchaeus […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 06 – Year II Humble Faith and Joyful Fulfillment (Phil 1:18-26; Ps 42; Lk 14:1-11) ******************************************** Has the Word of God ever brought you to tears? The readings today invite us to humbly place our faith in an intimate relationship with Jesus leading us to experience deep joy and the fullness of […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 04 – Year II Our Identity and Life in Christ: Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude (Eph 2:19-22; Ps 19; Lk 6:12-19) ***************************************** Today’s readings, and this feast, firmly establish our identity in Christ, and what it means to live in Christ. The late motivational speaker Serge LeClerc claimed throughout his […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 04 – Year II Putting on the Armor of God (Eph 6:10-20; Ps 144; Lk 13:31-35) ************************************ “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you!” According to the New Interpreter’s Bible, these are fateful words. Even though Luke here puzzlingly paints a more positive picture of the Pharisees than the […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 03 – Year II Humble Faith and Love – Keys to the Kingdom (Eph 6:1-9; Ps 145; Lk 13:22-30) ************************************* Strive to enter through the narrow gate. (Luke 13:24) Today’s liturgy reminds us that faith in Jesus, love for others, and humble self-awareness are critical keys to the kingdom of God. The […]

HOMILY WEEK 30 02 – Year II Marriage and the Kingdom of God (Eph 5:21-33; Ps 128; Lk 13:18-21) ******************************************* It has been said that the marriage bed is comparable to an altar for a married couple. That statement, and the readings today, present us with the message that marital commitment and achieving intimacy are […]