FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE Great Faith and Great Love (Song of Songs 3:1-4a (or) 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1-18) ****************************************************** There is an interesting convergence around this liturgical feast: recently, Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU offered a virtual retreat from Saskatoon hosted by our Star of the North Retreat Centre in St. Albert entitled […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 03 – Year I Life as a Wilderness Journey of Faith – Optional Memorial: St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Ex 16:1-15; Ps 78; Mt 13:1-9) ******************************************* The longest journey in the world is often from our heads to our hearts. Today’s readings lead us into a wilderness journey to deeper faith and more […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 02 – Year I Brothers and Sisters of Jesus Optional Memorial: St. Apollinarius (Ex 14:21-15:1; Ex 15:7-17; Mt 12:46-50) ********************************************** Do you see yourself as a brother or sister of Jesus? The liturgy today invites us to appreciate our baptism which joins us to Jesus and makes us his family, his brothers […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 01 – Year I Pilgrimage as an Exodus Journey and Paschal Mystery Experience (2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1, 11-18) *********************************************************** A pilgrimage involves leaving the comforts of home and the familiar, and setting out to a place where two realities meet – either land and sky, like at Kehiwin, or […]

HOMILY SUN 16 – B Balancing Action and Contemplation (Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34) ************************************************************* Anne Louise Mahoney, in a commentary in the Living With Christ one year, made this claim: “All we have to do is listen to Jesus and follow him.” That is the message of the readings today: Listen […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 06 – Year I Following Jesus Through Persecution and Suffering (Ex 12:37-42; Ps 136; Mt 12:14-21) **************************************************** Liturgists involved in choosing the readings for the Eucharist try to establish a connection between especially the first reading and the gospel. It takes a little digging, but there are many mini-themes connecting today’s readings. […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 05 – Year I Living the Law of Love (Ex 11:10-12:14; Ps 116; Mt 12:1-8) ***************************************************** A nervous priest was performing a wedding ceremony, and accidently began the nuptial blessing with the words, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!” The critical words uttered by Jesus in the gospel today, […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 04 – Year I Jesus’ Cross and Yoke: Memorial of St. Bonaventure (Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105; Mt 11:28-30) *************************************** Fr. Bertrand OMI was a veteran missionary at La Loche First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan. He had been a boxer as a youth, was a barber, ran a dog team and spoke […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 03 – Year I All is Given to the Simple: Optional Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis (Ex 3:1-6, 9-12; Ps 103; Mt 11:25-27) **************************************** What do the burning bush of Moses and a retreat have in common? May I suggest that both involve encountering God through fearless, humble faith? A retreat […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 02 – Year I Repent and Believe in the Good News – Optional Memorial: St. Henry (Exodus 2:1-15; Psalm 69; Matthew 11:20-24) *********************************************************** A dishonest painter cheated by thinning paint with water to paint a church. As long as it didn’t rain right away, he thought, he would be okay. That night […]