WEEKDAY HOMILY WEEK 23 05 – Year I Living The Great Commandment through Self-awareness (1 Tim 1:1-14; Ps 16; Lk 6:39-42) *************************************************** The readings today remind me of one of the most basic teachings of the bible: the Great Commandment given to us by Jesus. That is, to love God with our whole being, then […]

HOMILY WEEK 23 04 – Year I God’s Chosen Ones – Mandate and Methodology: Optional Memorial of St. Peter Claver (Col 3:12-17; Ps 150; Lk 6:27-38) *************************************************** Do you belong to an organization, business or club? If you do, chances are your organization has a mission statement articulating its “raison-d’être”, its purpose, along with a […]

FEAST of the NATIVITY OF MARY – WEEK 23 03 – Year I Trust and Transformation (Rm 8:28-30/Micah 5:2-5; Ps 13; Mt 1:1-23) ********************************************* Have you had to make a difficult decision lately and felt very alone? Have you ever wondered where was God in a particular painful situation? The readings on this feast of […]

HOMILY WEEK 23 02 – Year I Staying Rooted in Jesus Christ (Col 2:6-16; Ps 145; Lk 6:12-19) ************************************************************ One of the many scenes of destruction portrayed on television during the wrath of Hurricane Irma was that of a homeowner watching and videoing the uprooting of a huge tree in her backyard. As the tree […]

HOMILY WEEK 23 01 – Year I Mining the Great Mystery – Christ in Us: (Col 1:24-2:3; Ps 62; Lk 6:6-11) ***************************************** As a 25th anniversary of priesthood initiative in 1994, I wrote a booklet on Indigenous ministry called “Northern Nuggets” that eventually morphed into the book Drumming From Within published by Novalis. That original […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 23 – B Genuine Faith Expressed through Unconditional Love (Isaiah 35:4-7; Psalm 146; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-17) ********************************************************** A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.” […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 06 – Year I Secure in Faith, Reaching Out in Love: Optional Memorial of Blessed Dina Bélanger (Col 1:21-23; Ps 54; Lk 6:1-5) ********************************************** Have you seen the movie, March of the Penguins? If not, I would encourage you to do so. That movie, along with the readings today, encourage us to […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 05 – Year I New Wine, Fresh Skins; Old Wine, Mature Christianity: Memorial of St. Gregory the Great (Col 1:15-20; Ps 100; Lk 5:33-39) ************************************************** Did you notice a puzzling dichotomy in the gospel? In one breath, Jesus seems to say he is like new wine needing fresh skins of faith, then […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 04 – Year I Our Life in Christ: Optional Memorial of Blessed André Grasset (Col 1:9-14; Ps 98; Lk 5:1-11) ***************************************** “Since we heard of your life in Christ.” Has anyone ever said that to you? Those words of St. Paul to the Colossians in the first reading today are a strong […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 03 – Year I Faithful Servant Ministers of Christ: (Col 1:1-8; Ps 52; Lk 4:38-44) ********************************************** Have you ever thought of taking Epaphras as your model for a life of faith? In the first reading, St. Paul holds him up as a beloved fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ. That means […]