HOMILY WEEK 12 02 – Year I The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate: Optional Memorial of St. Thomas More (Gen 13:2-18; Ps 15; Mt 7:6-14) ************************************************* Two phrases from today’s gospel, “Golden Rule” and “Narrow Gate” call us to humble faith and sincere love. The Golden Rule is common to all the major religions […]

HOMILY WEEK 12 01 – Year I Faith: the Longest Journey to the Heart Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Gen 12:1-9; Ps 33; Mt 7:1-5) ****************************************** “The longest journey of life is from the head to the heart.” This familiar saying provides the context for today’s liturgy and the readings inviting us not to judge […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 12 – B Calming the Storm (Job 38:1-4, 8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41) ************************************************** “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” As a young priest, I mixed up that statement one Sunday in my homily, saying “Life is a problem to be solved, not a mystery […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 06 – Year I Seeking the Kingdom and Righteousness of God: Optional Memorial of St. Romuald (2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34; Mt 6:24-34) ************************************************* “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This one sentence from today’s gospel […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 05 – Year I    Priorities, Perception and Perseverance       (2 Cor 11:18-30; Ps 34: Mt 6:19-23) ****************************************************** Three words capture the essence of the readings for today’s liturgy: priorities, perception and perseverance. We are invited to make the kingdom of God the number one priority in our lives, to become more aware […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 04 – Year I Doing the Will of God (2 Cor 11:1-11; Ps 111; Mt 6:7-15) ***************************************** “To do the right thing for the wrong reason is the greatest kind of treason.” Those words by Alfred Lord Tennyson can actually apply to our life of faith. We are called by today’s readings […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 03 – Year I The Biblical Faith Triad (2 Cor 9:6-11; Ps 112; Mt 6:1-18) ********************************************************* Today’s readings actually bring to mind a humble biblical faith triad. This triad invites us to express our faith in Jesus by generous almsgiving, sincere prayer and humble self-care. Jesus in the gospel instructs his disciples […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 02 – Year I Excelling in Faith: Forgiveness, Compassion and Generosity (2 Cor 8:1-9; Ps 146; Mt 5:43-48) ******************************************************* “You have heard it said, but I say to you …” With that simple statement, Jesus opens up a whole new way of being in this world for us – to make both […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 01 – Year I Going the Extra Mile (2 Cor 6:1-10; Ps 98; Mt 5:38-42) *********************************** What do the readings today and the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous have in common? The answer in one word is “service” although expressed differently. For Jesus in the gospel, it is “going a second […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 11 – B Living in the Reign (Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34) ****************************************************** Wanting a creative title for a retreat I was to conduct, and wanting something on the Kingdom of God, I came up with Living in the Reign. Actually, that title fits the readings for today, the […]