The Messiah of God (Ecclesiastes 3; Lk 9:18-22) ****************************************** At one of our seminary liturgies, after Fr. Kedl, a professor and historian, had delivered one of his erudite homilies, Fr. Hubert, a simple, down-to-earth country priest, blurted out in a voice everyone could hear, “Vell den, vat does it all mean?” In today’s gospel, Jesus […]

(1 Cor 1:26-31; Ps 111; Mt 9:35-37) ******************************************** Today the Church honors St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians) and co-founder of the Daughters of Charity. Born in France in 1580, the son of a peasant farmer, Vincent attended university and was ordained at 20. His first inclination was to […]

Taking up the Cross and Living Calvary in Slow Motion (Rev 7:9-17; Ps 124; 2 Cor 4:7-15; Lk 9:23-26) ********************************************************* The feast we celebrate today is a significant feast for the Canadian Church, evidenced by two readings plus the Gospel. We are honoring the eight martyrs of North America who died between 1642 and 1649. […]

Like a Stream in God’s Hand (Prov 21:1-6, 10-13; Ps 119; Lk 8:19-21) **************************************** The Grand Canyon is two hundred, seventy-seven miles long, up to eighteen miles wide, and over a mile deep. Water flowing there, over millions of years, has left its mark in layer after layer of rock. How awesome, then, that the […]

Living as Blessed – Who You are Meant to Be (Prov 3:27-34; Ps 15; Lk 8:16-18) ********************************************** When he turned fifty, folk-music legend Bob Dylan was asked by Rolling Stone magazine if he was happy. He replied, “These are Yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness; its either blessed or unblessed. As the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the […]

Humble Suffering Joyful Service (Wisdom 2:12, 17-20; Psalm 54; James 3:16 – 4:3; Mk 9:30-37) *********************************************************** In the movie “Forest Gump”, Forest reacts to his childhood sweetheart’s rejection by running across America. He draws media attention and followers who think he has some cause, some wisdom, for them. Some run with him, looking for the […]

On Being Rich Soil for the Word of God (1 Cor 15:35-50; Ps 56; Lk 8:4-15) ******************************************* “Regnum Dei Intra Vos” is Latin for the kingdom of heaven is among you. That is my episcopal motto as an archbishop, taken from Luke 17:21, and the only place in the new Testament where Jesus not only […]

Unity, Community and a Spirituality of Letting Go (Eph 4:1-7, 11-13; Ps 19; Mt 9:9-13) ***************************************** How have you responded to the words of Jesus, “Come, follow me,” addressed to you? The readings today, on this feast of St. Matthew, offers us three interrelated suggestions on how to follow Jesus: work for unity, build community […]

Forgiveness Vindicated – Memorial: Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions (Heb 5:7-9; Ps 31; Lk 7:36-50/Jn 19:25-27) ******************************************************************** A lady priding herself on her beauty confessed to a priest she was guilty of the sin of vanity and narcissism. The priest hopped out of the confession box, opened her door, had a […]

The Cross as Redemptive Suffering (Isaiah 50:5-9; James 2:114-18; Mark 8:27-35) *************************************************** A woman back from shopping was showing her husband the expensive dress she had purchased. When he asked her why she bought a dress she did not really need, she replied that she couldn’t resist the temptation. Her husband countered with the comment […]