HOMILY WEEK 29 03 – Year I Instruments of Righteousness: Optional Memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (Rm 6:12-18; Ps 124; Lk 12:39-48) ********************************************* “Present yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness.” That sentence from the first reading to the Romans, the reading itself and the gospel combine to offer us a clear two-pronged message: […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 02 – Year I On Being Good and Ready: Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross (Rm 5:12-21; Ps 40; Lk 12:35-38) *************************************** In the words of Bishop Robert Barron, in today’s Gospel Jesus urges us to be ready for his second coming, similar to John the Baptist preparing us: “Make […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 03 – Year I Disciples of Mercy: Feast of St Luke (2 Tim 4:9-17; Ps 145; Lk 10:1-9) **************************************** “From among his disciples Jesus appointed seventy and sent them on ahead of him in pairs.” The feast of St. Luke, and the readings we hear, invite us to be missionary disciples, building […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 29 – B Give Your Life Away (Isaiah 53:4, 10-11; Ps 33; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:39-45) ************************************************** “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” That statement of Jesus from the gospel captures the essence of the readings […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 06 – Year I The Flow of Trinitarian Faith:  Memorial of St. Marguerite d’Youville (Rm 4:13-18; Ps 105; Lk 12:8-12) ************************************* A rather vain, somewhat narcissistic woman confessed she was guilty of the sin of vanity. The priest popped out of the confessional, opened her door to look at her, came back […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 05 – YEAR I Repent, Return, Rejoice: Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus (Rm 4:1-8; Ps 32; Lk 12:1-7) ********************************************** A dishonest painter took a contract to paint a church, but cheated by thinning the paint. As long as it didn’t rain, he thought he would be okay. That night there was […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 04 – Year I Justified by Faith or Works? Optional Memorial of St. Callistus I (Rm 3:21-30; Ps 130; Lk 11:47-54) *********************************************** Someone once said that if Christians wanted others to believe in their redeemer, they needed to act more redeemed. The readings today invite us to live the fullness of our […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 03 – Year I Love, Do Not Judge, and Work for Justice: (Rm 2:1-11; Ps 62; Lk 11:42-46) *********************************************** “…tithes of mint and or rue and of every garden herb” (Luke 11:42). So begins the commentary of this Sunday’s readings in The Word Among Us, which will provide the framework for most […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 02 – Year I Genuine Religion – an Inner Healing Journey of Faith: (Rm 1:16-25; Ps 19; Lk 11:37-41) **************************************************** One of the best compliments I have ever received came from the late Verna Vandale, former director of Guadalupe House in Saskatoon. She once shared with me how, although Indigenous, she grew […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 01 – Year I Set Apart for the Gospel: Thanksgiving Day (Rm 1:1-7; Ps 98; LK 11:29-32) ************************************** In 1976, while heading home after an old-timer’s hockey game, I came across a fatal accident. A head-on collision had occurred between a drunk driver and a pickup truck of local youth. The drunk […]