HOMILY SUNDAY 30 – A The Bible in One Sentence (Exodus 22:21-27; Psalm 18; 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10; Matthew 22:34-40) *************************************************************** How would you summarize the whole Bible in just a few sentences? Jesus does just that in the Gospel today, with his teaching to love God with our whole being, and to love our neighbours […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 06 – Year II Balancing Faith and Repentance: Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret (Eph 4:7-16; Ps 122; k 13:1-9) ****************************************** “Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15) are the first words Jesus preached as he began his public ministry. The readings today continue that double message of faith […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 05 – Year II Truth, Beauty and Goodness: Attributes of God (Eph 4:1-6; Ps 24; Lk 12:54-59) ********************************************** “Truth, Beauty and Goodness” – these are the classical three pillars of believing in God and living in Christ. The readings today, within the context of these three pillars, carry powerful messages for us: […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 04 – Year II Awakening to God’s Power Within Us: Optional Memorial of St. Pope John Paul II (Eph 3:13-21; Ps 33; Lk 12:49-53) ******************************************* During a retreat I was conducting for the priests of the Diocese of Corner Brook-Labrador in Cow Head, Newfoundland in October, 2019, I enjoyed walking the beach […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 03 – Year II Live the Mystery of Faith as Servants of the Gospel – Trust, Thank and Tell (Eph 3:1-12; Is 12:2-6; Lk 12:39-48) ***************************************************************** “Life is mystery to be lived, not problem to be solved.” The readings today invite us to live the mystery of faith as servants of the […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 02 – Year II Temples of a Living God: Optional Memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (Eph 2:12-22; Ps 85; Lk 12:35-38) *************************************************** The late Serge LeClerc was a motivational speaker who gave a keynote presentation at a Catholic Health Conference in Saskatoon years ago. He was born in Winnipeg of a […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 01 – Year II Faithful Grace and Grateful Ministry – Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross (Eph 2:1-10; Ps 100; Lk 12:13-21) *********************************************** “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” The Word Among Us serves as an initial resource for this reflection. It states that Jesus has […]

HOMILY SUN 29-A On Being True to Moses – Mission Sunday (Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21) *************************************************************** Today, the Catholic world celebrates Mission Sunday, which given the recent focus on colonization here in Canada and in other parts of the world, can give us reason to pause for reflection, as […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 06 – Year II Knowing God, Acknowledging Jesus and Experiencing the Holy Spirit Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch (Eph 1:15-23; Ps 8; Lk 12:1-7) ************************************************************** Three men were running to catch a subway. One of them accidently knocked over the fruit stand of a young street vendor. Two of the men […]

HOMILY SUN 29-A Being True to Moses (Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21) *************************************************************** In 2014, I was invited by the Oblates in Kenya to ordain a young seminarian and offer a Christopher Leadership course. As the motto of the leadership course had to do with light, I sent out an […]