HOMILY WEEK 11 04 – Year II Redemptive Suffering and the Test (Sir 48:1-14; Ps 97; Mt 6:7-15) ****************************************** Elijah continues to be the focus of the first reading in today’s liturgy. In this passage, we hear about him as an epic hero from the point of view of another Old Testament author – Sirach, […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 11 03 – Year II Three Ascetical Practices (2 Kg 2:1,6-14; Ps 31; Mt 6:1-6; 16-18 ********************************************* Does the word “asceticism” sound attractive to you? The gospel today invites us to practice three ascetical traditions in the Church as a way of humbly living out our faith and the Great Commandment of Jesus, […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 02 – Year II (1 Kg 21:17-29; 51; Mt 5:43-48) *************************************** The readings today are like a two-act play, conveying the message to love others as Jesus has loved us, by being as merciful as the Father is merciful. Elijah and King Ahab in the first reading mirror the events with Nabob […]

HOMILY WEEK 11 01 – Year II Living the Law of Love (1 Kg 21:1-16; Ps 5; Mt 5:38-42) ************************************* “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” Retaliation is one of the world’s oldest and most contagious sins. Did you know that the Old Testament law of “an eye for an […]

HOMILY CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY Living the Eucharist (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16; Psalm 147; 1 Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-59) ***************************************************************** The famous Forest Lawn Memorial Garden in the state of Georgia is a huge marble carving of the Last Supper. Twenty feet long and seven feet high, it is carved out of a 60-ton block of white […]

HOMILY WEEK 10 06 – Year II Trust in God and Live in the Truth: Memorial of St. Anthony (1 Kg 19:16-21; Ps 16; Mt 5:33-37) ************************************* “You are my inheritance, O Lord” Today’s psalm and readings invite us to place our complete trust in God and to live in the truth. In a tense […]

HOMILY WEEK 10 05 – Year II Shining like Bright Stars with the Word of Life (1 Kg 19:9-16; Ps 27; Mt 5:27-32) ******************************************** “Shine on the world like bright stars; you are offering it the word of life.” That gospel acclamation, and the readings today, invite us to deepen our faith in Jesus and […]

HOMILY WEEK 10 04 – Year II Entering the Reign of God: Memorial of St. Barnabas (1 Kg 18:41-46; Ps 65; Mt 5:20-26) ************************************** “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Today’s reading and memorial invite us to live a […]

HOMILY WEEK 10 03 – Year II Living in the Reign with Faith and Love (1 Kg 18:20-39; Ps 16; Mt 5:17-19) **************************************************** Years ago, I was inspired to offer a retreat entitled Living in the Reign.  The readings today invite us to live in the Reign of God with the faith of Elijah and […]

WEEKDAY HOMILY 10 02 – Year II Salt of the Earth; Light of the World: Optional Memorial of St. Ephrem (1 Kgs 17:7-16; Ps 4; Mt 5:13-16) ******************************************* Have you ever heard the expression, “She or he is worth his or her salt?” That saying probably comes from the value of salt as currency in […]