HOMILY EASTER SUNDAY – C Experience Easter through Forgiveness and Healing (Acts 10:34, 36-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-18) ********************************************** Four dominant symbols draw our attention over the Easter season: The Cross, the Empty Tomb, the Garden and the Upper Room. These symbols are metaphors that help us experience the new life of Easter through forgiveness […]
Easter-Resurrection-André Bessette
EASTER VIGIL – YEAR C Easter is Not a Spectator Sport (Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 118; Luke 24:1-12) ******************************************* Truly, tonight we have feasted on God’s Holy Word. Each year during the Easter vigil we are invited to listen attentively to the same seven readings from the Old Testament. These readings never change, nor does the […]
Good Friday-the Cross-New Life
GOOD FRIDAY HOMILY Choose Jesus’ New Way of Life (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Ps 31; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42) ********************************************************** In the movie The Passion of Christ, Jesus, beaten, bloodied and half dead, meets his mother and tells her simply, “Behold, I am making all things new.” This is the shocking reality of faith – it […]
Holy Thursday-Priesthood-Eucharist-Service
HOLY THURSDAY HOMILY Freedom to Serve (Ex 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15) ******************************************* This celebration tonight begins the three great liturgical days of the year – what we call the Easter Triduum. This feast tonight, Holy Thursday, and indeed every Eucharist, has one message – love one another as Jesus has loved us. […]
Trust-Following Jesus-Forgiveness
HOMILY WEDNESDAY of HOLY WEEK Trust the Father and Follow Jesus (Is 50:4-9; Ps 69; Mt 26:14-26) ***************************************** “Lord, in your great love answer me.” This psalm response and the readings today invite us to trust in God the Father as Jesus did, and emulate him who was without sin. Both Isaiah and the psalm […]
Holy Week-Redemptive suffering and brokenness
HOMILY TUESDAY of HOLY WEEK Redemptive Suffering and Brokenness (Is 49:1-6; Ps 71; Jn 13:21-33. 36-38) ****************************************** As a young seminarian, my spiritual director was Fr. Adam Exner, who eventually became an archbishop. After hearing my story (the first one to ever do so), Exner observed that I needed to work on my relationship with […]
Holy Week-Mary of Bethany-Anointing-Helen Préjean
HOMILY MONDAY of HOLY WEEK Mary of Bethany – Model of Genuine Caring (Isaiah 42:1-7; Ps 27; Jn 12:1-11) ******************************************** Many years ago, well-known spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote a book entitled Out of Solitude.It contains three sermons he gave to health-care professionals outlining what it means to really care. One of the points he […]
Palm Sunday C-Compassion-Forgiveness
HOMILY PALM SUNDAY YEAR C Palm Sunday – Feast of Compassion and Forgiveness (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14-23:56) ************************************************** Did you notice the transition in the passion story today – from Jesus the Celebrity, to Jesus the Crucified? Palm Sunday is an invitation to see the Cross as a blessing, as a […]
Lent-Faith-Prayer-Presence-Lectio Divina
HOMILY LENT WEEK 05 05 Faith, Prayer and Presence (Jer 20:7-13; Ps 18; Jn 10:31-42) ************************************* Faith, prayer and presence sum up the readings for today. We are invited to place our total trust in Jesus as Son of God, pray to God from the heart out of our need, and live in an intimate […]
Lent-Faith-Hope-Jesus- Messiah
HOMILY LENT WEEK 05 06 A Covenant of Peace (Jer 37:21-28; Jer 31:10-13; Jn 11:45-57) ************************************ Have you ever had an experience of being in exile? of feeling alienated and lost? out of sorts? One day on Facebook Danny from north central Saskatchewan posted: “Pray for me today – I don’t feel so good.” Perhaps […]
