HOMILY – FEAST of ST JOACHIM AND ANNE The Family as an Icon of the Trinity (Sir 44:1, 8, 10-15; Ps 132; Mt 13:16-17) ********************************************** Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of our mother Mary, and the grandparents of Jesus. The gospels are bereft of details regarding them […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 05 – Year I Feast of St. James: Life of Christ Within – Loving Service Without (2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 126; Mt 20:20-28) ****************************************** “We make living by what we get; we make a life by what we give away.” Those words by Sir Winston Churchill accompany the message of the readings […]

HOMILY WEEK 16 01 – Year I Trusting Contemplative Faith: Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel  Maklūf (Ex 14:5-18; Ex 15; Mt 12:38-42) ************************************** “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to keep still.” Those striking words from Moses open up a vista of transformative, contemplative faith and prayer. Pharoah in this first reading […]

HOMILY – SUNDAY 16 A Living In The Reign (Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86; Romans 8:24-27; Matthew 13:24-43) ************************************************************ Years ago, musician Carey Landry wrote a hymn called Seek Ye First. The hymn tells us that if we seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and his righteousness, then all the other things that […]

FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE Becoming a New Creation (Song of Songs 3:1-4a (or) 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63; Jn 20:1-18) ****************************************************** The first mission to which I was assigned as a young Oblate priest was St. Mary Magdalene in Beauval, on the picturesque banks of the Beaver River. When we built a new church in […]

HOMILY WEEKDAY 15 05 – Year I Living the Law of Love: Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi (Ex 11:10-12:14; Ps 116; Mt 12:1-8) ***************************************************** A nervous priest was performing a wedding ceremony, and accidently began the nuptial blessing with the words, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!” The critical words […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 04 – Year I Jesus’ Cross and Yoke: Memorial of St. Apollinaris (Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105; Mt 11:28-30) *************************************** Fr. Bertrand OMI was a veteran missionary at La Loche First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan. He had been a boxer as a youth, was a barber, ran a dog team and spoke […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 03 – Year I All is Given to the Simple: (Ex 3:1-6, 9-12; Ps 103; Mt 11:25-27) ********************************************* What do the burning bush of Moses and a retreat have in common? May I suggest that both involve encountering God through fearless, humble faith? A retreat centre can be our mountain and our […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 02 – Year I Repent and Believe in the Good News (Exodus 2:1-15; Psalm 69; Matthew 11:20-24) ********************************************* A dishonest painter cheated by thinning paint with water to paint a church. As long as it didn’t rain right away, he thought, he would be okay. That night there was a big rainstorm. […]

HOMILY WEEK 15 01 – Year I Putting Jesus First (Ex 1:8-22; Ps 124; Mt 10:34-11:1) ************************************** The late Fr. Mike McCaffery was a beloved diocesan priest from Edmonton on whom Edmonton leaned to be their voice for special occasions. He presided at the wedding of Wayne Gretzky, and was called on to preside over […]