Faith and Healing: Optional Memorial of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr (Heb 11:32-40; Ps 31; Mk 5:1-20) *************************************** Linda’s son consistently got his clothes dirty every time he went out to play, no matter how often she admonished him. One time, he came back with green grass stains on the knees of his jeans, and […]
HOMILY WEEK 03 06 – Year I
With Jesus in Our Boats (Heb 11:1-19; Lk 1; Mk 4:35-41) ********************************** The readings today challenge us with the question of how strong is our faith? We are subsequently invited to pray for a faith like that of Abraham, famously known as our ancestral father in faith, and one that surpasses that of the apostles, […]
HOMILY WEEK 03 05 – Year I
Planting Small Seeds of Faith: Memorial of St. John Bosco (Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37; Mk 4:26-34) *************************************** The late Brother Anton Zisper OMI had a unique sense of humor. His comment about a set of identical twins was, “They really look alike, one more so than the other!” The readings today present us with two […]
HOMILY WEEKDAY 03 04 – Year I
A Provocative New Way (Heb 10:19-25; Ps 24; Mk 4:21-25) ********************************************** Are you considered a provocative person? Today’s readings invite us to be provocative – to provoke one another to humble honesty, love and good works as part of a new and living way. This new and living way hinges on a great shift that […]
HOMILY WEEK 03 03 – Year I
Soul Gardening: Living Word and Covenant Relationship (Heb 10:11-18; Ps 110; Mk 4:1-20) ******************************************************** Gardening can, and should be, a spiritual experience. The liturgy today invites us to attend to the garden of our soul, where the living Word of God can bear the fruit of an intimate covenant relationship with God. For years now, […]
HOMILY WEEK 03 02 – Year I
Doing the Will of God: Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Hebrews 10:1-10; Ps 40; Mk 3:31-35) *************************************** A well-to-do lawyer was visiting St. Mother Teresa’s clinic in Calcutta. Observing her ministering to rejected and dying patients, some of them smelling awful and covered with sores, he made this comment, “Sister, I wouldn’t do that for […]
HOMILY WEEK 03 01 – Year I
Holy Spirit – Agent of Forgiveness: Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici (Heb 9:15-28; Ps 98; Mk 3:22-30) ******************************************** There is a saying, “The stronger the sun; the sharper our shadow.” That saying fits the readings today, readings that contrast the sun of faith and belief, with the dark shadows of unbelief. The author of […]
Homily Feast of St. Paul Week 02 06 – Year I
FEAST – THE TRANSFORMATION OF ST PAUL (Acts 22:3-16/Acts 9:1-22; Psalm 117; Mark 16:15-18) ********************************************************** The readings for today’s feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, including both versions from Acts, focus on his encounter with Jesus and the Great Commission Jesus gave to his disciples. The message for us is to encounter Jesus as […]
Homily Week 02 05 – Year I
Religion of the Heart: Memorial of St. Francis de Sales (Heb 8:6-13; Ps 85; Mk 3:13-19) ************************************************** “I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” That sentence, and the readings today, invite us to move from sacrificial […]
HOMILY WEEK 02 04 – Year I
Living in an Intimate Covenant Relationship with God (Heb 7:25-8:6; Ps40; Mk 3:7-12) ****************************************************** A young man shared a dilemma with a friend. He was in love with two young women. One was a wonderful baker, and the other a wonderful poet, and he did not know which to marry. His friend commiserated with him, […]
