HOMILY WEEK 22 02 – Year I Living with Christ as Children of the Light (1 Thess 5:1-11; Ps 27; Lk 4:31-37) *********************************************** Are you familiar with the term “paradigm shift”? It refers to an idea or event that radically affects the way we see and deal with reality – almost forcing us to refocus […]

HOMILY WEEK 22 01 – Year I Genuine Faith and Hope versus Unbelief and Religious Rage (1 Thes 4:13-18; Ps 96; Lk 4:16-30) ************************************************************* One of the more negative traits of our modern society is road rage that often becomes violent and at times even deadly. In the gospel today, Jesus runs into religious rage […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 22-B Compassion Trumps Law (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15; James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) ************************************************************* After I was ordained a priest in 1974, I did a pastoral year out of Edmonton. Towards the end of that year, while I was waiting for my obedience from Rome, I applied to go […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 06 – Year I Just Love: Memorial of St. Augustine (1 Th 4:9-11; Ps 98; Mt 25:14-30) ************************************* A customer placed an exquisite greeting card on the store counter and reached for his wallet. Pushing the keys on the cash register, the clerk said, “That will be $4 please.”  “$4,” the man […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 05 – Year I Living with Lamps Lit: Memorial of St. Monica (1 Thess 4:1-8; Ps 97; Mt 25:1-13) ************************************* Recently, after years of burning messy candles, we noticed an oil lamp sitting on a side table in our chapel. We filled it with oil, held a match to it and voila! […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 04 – Year I Rooted in Faith; Living in Hope and Growing in Love (1 Thes 3:7-13; Ps 90; Rm 11; Mt 24:42-51) ********************************************* “Participate, don’t anticipate” is what we used to tell youth who were beginning either a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) or a Search weekend in the north years ago. […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 03 – Year I Worthy Lives or Whitewashed Tombs? Optional Memorial of St. Joseph Calasanz (1 Thess 2:9-13; Ps 139; Mt 23:27-32) ******************************************* As it was a few days ago, the readings today are a study of contrasts. That being said, the gospel acclamation and St. Paul in the first reading come […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 02 – Year I Called to Unite Heaven and Earth: Feast of St. Bartholomew (Rev 21:9b-14; Ps 145; Jn 1:45-51) ******************************************** A somewhat forgetful preacher at a wedding was an ardent fisherman.  He asked the groom, “Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish this woman?” “I do,” said the groom meekly. […]

HOMILY WEEK 21 01 – Year I Living Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Rose of Lima (1 Thes 1:1-10; Ps 149; Mt 23:13-22) *************************************** The problem of addicts is not that they think they are worms, nor that they think they are special. Their problem is that they think they are very special worms! This […]

SUNDAY 21-B Experiencing Eternal Life through Faith and Love (Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ps 34; Eph 4:32-5:2, 21-32; Jn 6:53, 60-69) ************************************************************* There is a Portugese saying: “What is important for us we find time and money for.” To enjoy eternal life now, we need only believe in Jesus as the Bread of Life, and […]