On Faith and Caring – Memorial: St. Elizabeth of Hungary (3 Jn 5-8; Ps 112; Lk 18:1-8) ***************************************************** St. James would declare faith without works is dead. Today the church honors someone who models expressing faith through charity – St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Also known as Elizabeth of Thuringia, she was born in 1207 to […]

Walking in the Truth – St. Margaret of Scotland (2 Jn 4-9; Ps 119; Lk 17:26-37) ********************************************** “To be close to God, be closer to people.” That quote, found in my father’s bible after he passed away, captures the message of the readings for us today – to have faith in Jesus and to love […]

  Living as Joyful, Just and Suffering Saints in the Kingdom of God (Phil 7-20; Ps 146; Lk 17:20-25) ************************************ What do you think? Can joy and suffering co-exist? The readings today invite us to live as joyful, just, suffering saints in the Kingdom of God. In his letter to Philomon, St. Paul refers to […]

Grateful, Relational Praise as Inheritors of Eternal Life (Titus 3:1-7; Ps 23; Lk 17:11-19) ************************************************ Do you have an inheritance? How do you feel about either having one, or not having one? The readings today invite us to be lives of grateful, relational praise as inheritors of eternal life. Some interesting, significant elements emerge from […]

An Attitude of Faithful Gratitude (1 Kg 17:10-16; Psalm 146; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44) ************************************************************* Gustavo Gutierrez, noted liberation theologian from Latin America, gave a lecture at Newman Theological College in St. Albert, Alberta, some years ago. At one point, he told his listeners that if they wanted to come to Latin America to help […]

An Attitude of Gratitude – Memorial: St. Leo the Great – Pope and Doctor of the Church (Phil 4:10-19; Ps 112; Lk 16:9-15) ******************************************************** “You cannot serve God and wealth.” That cryptic statement by Jesus in the gospel brings to mind the story of a hundred-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill and a Loonie having a […]

Temples of the Holy Spirit – Feast: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (1 Cor 3:9-17; Ps 46; Jn 2:13-22) **************************************** The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism […]

Transformative Faith in Jesus (Phil 3:3-8; Ps 105; Lk 15:1-10) ************************************* When now St. Pope John Paul II returned to Canada in 1987 in fulfillment of his promise to meet with the Indigenous peoples of the North, I was in the line-up of concelebrating priests and bishops who got to meet him and shake his […]

Discipleship as Taking Up and Letting Go (Phil 2:12-18; Ps 27; Lk 14:25-33) *********************************************** While in Newfoundland conducting a retreat for priests in the Diocese of Corner Brook-Labrador, this prairie boy enjoyed observing the tide come in and go out. It was like a relentless mantra – high tide pushing towards the shore and hours […]

Humble Praise and Worship – a Fitting Response (Phil 2:5-11; Ps 22; Lk 14:15-24) ****************************************************** Have you been invited to an important event recently? The liturgy today both extends an invitation to participate more fully in the Kingdom of God, and suggests humble praise and worship as a fitting response to that invitation. One has […]