HOMILY CHRISTMAS DAY YEAR A You Change the World (Isaiah 5:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18) ******************************************************* The theme song for the Christopher Leadership Course Instructors’ Seminar in The Pas years ago was Today I’m Gonna Try to Change the World by Johnny Reid. He sang it in Ottawa on Canada Day where it […]
Faith-Ordinary-Poverty-Christmas
HOMILY CHRISTMAS EVE YEAR A Christmas as Nothing Out of the Ordinary (Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-16) ************************************************************ What words best describe Christmas? Humble faith? Immense hope? Great joy? Endless Peace? Perhaps all of these? We could add two other perhaps shocking words: Ordinariness and Poverty. These two words convey, at […]
Faith-Forgiveness-Healing
HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 23 An Infinite Horizon of Faith, Forgiveness and Healing (Mal 3:1-4; 4:5-6; Ps 25; Lk 1:57-66) ************************************************** Bishop Olivier Tremblay, an Oblate who previously worked with university students in Eastern Canada, spoke at an Oblate symposium once. He noted that youth today lack hope, because they don’t have an infinite horizon of […]
Faith-Openness-Identity-St. Joseph’s dream
HOMILY SUNDAY ADVENT 4 A Opening up to Newness and Our True Identity (Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24) ************************************************************** Are you afraid of the unknown? Today, the Word of God invites us to have faith of St. Joseph, let go of sin and open ourselves to the newness of life with God. […]
Faith-Forgiveness-Healing-Joy-St Peter Canisius
HOMILY ADVENT DECEMBER 21 Faith, Forgiveness, Healing and Joy: Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius (Zeph 3:14-18; Ps 33; Lk 1:39-45) ******************************************* “The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies.” Those words, a repeat of the first reading from the third Sunday of Advent, along with the gospel […]
Faith-Prophecy-Mary
ADVENT HOMILY DECEMBER 20 Prophecy Fulfilled – Mary’s Fiat – God is With Us (Is 7:10-8:10; Ps 24; Lk 1:26-38) ************************************************ How accurate do you think you would be in predicting events seven hundred years into the future? The readings today, about prophecy fulfilled in Mary, encourage us to be like her and let the […]
Faith-Barrenness-Healing-Justice
ADVENT HOMILY DECEMBER 19th Humble Faith, Barrenness, Hope and Relational Justice (Jdgs 13:2-25; Ps 71; Lk 1:5-25) *********************************************** Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were powerless, came up empty, felt like your hands were tied behind your back? The readings today give us hope that God can work marvels of […]
Faith-Prophecy-Joseph’s dream
HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 03 – Year II Prophecy Fulfilled: God is With Us (Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72; Mt 1:18-24) *********************************************** Do you have a friend whose word you can trust totally? Today’s readings can be a reminder of the rock-solid foundation of our faith, based on the realization of all the Old Testament prophecies […]
Faith-Blessing-Mercy of God
HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 02 The Blessing of Our Geneologies (Gen 49:8-10; Ps 72; Mt 1:1-17) *********************************** Are there any skeletons in your families’ closets? Today’s readings can help us relax and trust that God can work marvels even with a less than holy family tree. Today we read the opening lines of Matthew’s Gospel—the […]
Faith-Prophecy-Authority
HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 03 01 – Year II Responding to Prophecy with Authority (Num 24:2-27; Ps 25; Mt 21:23-27) ********************************************* How much authority do you exercise? Today’s readings invite us to speak out with faith and exercise our authority as baptized believers in Jesus. In the first reading from Numbers, the prophet Balaam twice asserts […]
