HOMILY WEEK 29 06 – Year I Repent, and Live in the Spirit (Rm 8:1-11; Ps 24; Lk 13:1-9) ************************************ A dishonest painter thinned the paint with water and painted a church. As long as it didn’t rain right away he thought he would be okay. That night there was a big storm. He ran […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 05 – Year I Gratitude for Salvation and the Eyes of Faith (Rm 7:18-25a; Ps 119; Lk 12:54-59) ********************************** Have you ever wished you were further along your spiritual path than you are, still struggling with some sin and sinfulness in your life? If so, you are in good company. St. Paul […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 04 – Year I Word on Fire: Optional Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (Rm 6:19-23; Ps 1; Lk 12:49-53) ********************************************* Word on Fire is what Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, calls his social media ministry. That title was probably inspired by the gospel of today, in […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 02 – Year I On Being Good and Ready! (Rm 5:12-21; Ps 40; Lk 12:35-38) *************************************** In the words of Bishop Robert Barron, in today’s Gospel Jesus urges us to be ready for his second coming, similar to John the Baptist preparing us: “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him […]

HOMILY WEEK 29 01 – Year I On Being Rich Towards God (Rm 4:20-25; Lk 1:69-75; Lk 12:13-21) ************************************* A hundred-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill and a Looney were having a serious conversation about live one day. The hundred-dollar bill boasted he had a very good life, as he had been on some ocean cruises. […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 29 – C Becoming the Answer to Our Own Prayer (Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Lk 18:1-8) ******************************************************** Three strong, interrelated themes emerge from the readings today: faith, prayer and justice. The message is clear: we must express our faith not just through prayer, but also by working for justice, and […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 06 – Year I The Flow of Trinitarian Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross (Rm 4:13-18; Ps 105; Lk 12:8-12) ************************************* A rather vain, somewhat narcissistic woman confessed she was guilty of the sin of vanity. The priest popped out of the confessional, opened her door to look at […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 03 – Year I Disciples of Mercy: Feast of St Luke (2 Tim 4:9-17; Ps 145; Lk 10:1-9) **************************************** “From among his disciples Jesus appointed seventy and sent them on ahead of him in pairs.” The feast of St. Luke, and the readings we hear, invite us to be missionary disciples, building […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 04 – Year I Justified by Faith or Works? (Rm 3:21-30; Ps 130; Lk 11:47-54) *********************************************** A perennial question is “Are we justified by faith, or by works?” The scriptures in the end offer us the solution – we are justified by faith expressing itself through works of love. Jesus in the […]

HOMILY WEEK 28 03 – Year I Love, Do Not Judge, and Work for Justice: Memorial of St. Marguerite d’Youville (Rm 2:1-11; Ps 62; Lk 11:42-46) *********************************************** “…tithes of mint and or rue and of every garden herb” (Luke 11:42). So begins the commentary of this Sunday’s readings in The Word Among Us, which will […]