HOMILY WEEK 13 05 – Year I Following Jesus More Closely (Gen 23:1-24:62-67; Ps 106; Mt 9:9-13) ************************************** “Follow me” – two cryptic words spoken by Jesus that changed a troubled person’s life, and can change ours as well. Today’s liturgy invites us to follow Jesus into a more compassionate way of living. The next […]

HOMILY WEEK 13 04 – Year I Living in the Presence of the Lord – Canada Day (Gen 22:1-19; Ps 116; Mt 9:1-8) ************************************************* Today’s psalm response extends to us an important invitation to “Walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.” That raises the question – how does one […]

HOMILY WEEK 13 03 – Year I Be the First Fruits of God’s Creation: Optional Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Gen 21:5-20; Ps 34; Mt 8:28-34) ********************************************************* “That we might be as the first fruits of God’s creation.” That interesting quote from the gospel acclamation today becomes for us both […]

HOMILY – SOLEMNITY of SAINTS PETER AND PAUL Apostles of Forgiveness and Evangelization (Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34; 2 Tim 4:6-8;17-18; Mt 16:13-19) *************************************************** Today’s solemnity invites us to reflect on two foundational figures of the early Church, to be inspired by them and to learn from them. St. Peter and St. Paul met only a […]

HOMILY WEEK 13 01 – Year I The Cost of Following Jesus: Memorial of St. Irenaeus (Gen 18:16-33; Ps 103; Mt 8:18-22) **************************************** “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” Could this be a first century version of our modern “Awoke” movement? This seemingly harsh and unfeeling sentence spoken by Jesus in today’s […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 13 – B Faith That Makes a Difference (Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43) **************************************************** A man was walking along a beach and throwing any starfish he saw lying on the sand back into the water. A bystander questioned why he was bothering to do that, as there were […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 06 – Year I Faith, Hospitality and Service (Gen 18:1-15; Lk 4:46-55; Mt 8:5-17) ***************************************** Do you remember a time when you were received with gracious hospitality, and how wonderful that felt? Today’s liturgy encourages us to express our faith through hospitality and service. The first reading is a delicate interplay of […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 05 – Year I Walking in the Way of the Lord (Gen 17:5-22; Ps 128; Mt 8:1-14) ************************************* The late Gerald May, a Catholic psychiatrist, is author of the book Will and Grace on addictions awareness. In it he highlights free will as one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It is […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 12 – C (Homily 01) Solemnity of The Birth of John the Baptist (Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66; 80) ************************************************************ Have you answered the call of God in your life? Today’s solemnity of the birth of John the Baptist invites us to respond to God’s call by being a disciple, […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 03 – Year I Fruitfully Participating in an Intimate Covenant (Gen 15:1-18; Ps 105; Mt 7:15-20) **************************************************** Have you ever found yourself yearning for intimacy? Know that God yearns for an intimate covenant relationship with us that is best fostered through contemplative prayer and expressed by acts of love. We are a […]