HOMILY WEEK 16 06 – Year II Our Sin Never Confessed: Optional Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden (Jer 7:1-11; Ps 84; Mt 13:24-30) ******************************************** What sins do you think are never or rarely confessed? Pray we might be aware of our complicity in social structural sin. On Saturday, June 17, 2022, the Aurora Living […]

  FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE From Stuck in Grief to Good Grieving (Song of Song 3:1-4; Ps 63; Jn 20:1-18) ************************************** The first mission to which I was assigned as a young Oblate priest was St. Mary Magdalene in Beauval, on the picturesque banks of the Beaver River. When we built a new church in […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 04 – Year II Humble Faith – Secret to the Kingdom: Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Jer 2:1-13; Ps 36; Mt 13:10-17) ******************************************** Are you trying to get to heaven, or already living in the kingdom of God? The readings today invite us to have a humble faith in Jesus […]

WEEK 16 03 – Year II The Parable of the Sower: Optional Memorial of St. Appollinaris (Jer 1:1-10; Ps 71; Mat 13:1-9) *********************************** Each year, when presiding at the Lac St Anne pilgrimage, I would ask the pilgrims in the shrine how many had brought a bible with them. And each year the response is […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 02 – Year II Doing the Will of God: (Micah 7:14-20; Ps 85; Mt 12:46-50) *********************************************** “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” The message for us today could not be clearer: to be close to Jesus, we must do the will […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 01 – Year II Pilgrims of the Heart: (Micah 6:1-4; 6-8; Ps 50; Ps 50; Mt 12:38-42) *********************************************** There are two foci in the readings today: the infidelity of Israel, and the unconditional love of God calling them back. The infidelity is expressed in interesting ways: they have created a controversy with […]

SUNDAY 16 – C Living within Mystery (Gen 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Col 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42) *************************************************** All three readings today provide rich food for thought and nourishment for our spirit. They do so in a way that interconnects and weaves a strong invitation to us: we are invited to live within the mystery of Christ […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 06 – Year II Relational, Transformative Justice (Micah 2:1-5; Ps 10; Mt 12:14-21) ****************************************** “He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles, and bring justice to victory.” This promise in the gospel of Matthew today puts our focus on justice as central to following Jesus and our faith life. That should not be […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 05 – Year II Love over Law; Compassion over Compunction: Memorial of St. Bonaventure (Is 38:1-22:8; Is 38; Mt 12:1-8) ****************************************************** “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” That simple statement of Jesus in the gospel today invites us into deeper faith in him as God among us, and into a deeper understanding of […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 04 – Year II An Invitation Like None Other: Optional Memorial of St Camillus de Lellis (Is 26:7-19; Ps 102; Mt 11:28-30) ************************************************* “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Some years ago, I received a similar invitation from my […]