HOMILY WEEKDAY 26 04 – Year II Discipleship: A Test of Faith (Job 19:21-27; Ps 27; Lk 10:1-12) ***************************************************** A priest, who was addressing his sermon on Jesus especially to the kids in the congregation, started by describing an imaginary special person who was very kind, good, loved all people and helped everybody, etc. As […]

HOMILY WEEK 26 06 – Year I Believing in Angels: Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels (Exodus 23:20-23; Ps 91; Mt 18:1-5, 10) ****************************************** A young boy asked his parents to be alone with his new-born baby sister. The parents listened in and heard him say to his little sister, “Quick, tell me what God […]

HOMILY WEEK 26 02 – Year II Called to Redemptive Suffering: Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Job 3:1-23; Ps 88; Lk 9:51-56) ************************************ One of the most striking teachings of Jesus is to take up our cross and follow him. All the readings today focus on suffering. And all call us into […]

HOMILY WEEK 26 01 – Year II Qualities of a Strong Faith: Memorial of St. Jerome (Job 1:6-22; Ps 17; Lk 9:46-50) *************************************************** “In all of this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.”  That conclusion to the first reading today sets the stage for the readings and the message they convey – […]

HOMILY SUNDAY 26 – B The Kingdom Priorities of Holiness and Justice (Num 11:16-17, 25-29; Psalm 19; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) ************************************************************ “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” These are harsh words spoken by Jesus in today’s gospel. What […]

HOMILY WEEK 25 06 – Year II Radical Discipleship and Redemptive Suffering: Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions (Eccles 11:9-12:8; Ps 90; Lk 9:43-45) ******************************************************* Blending reflections from The Word Among Us and Bishop Robert Barron with today’s readings provides us with a strong invitation to be radical disciples of Jesus following him […]

HOMILY WEEK 25 05 – Year II The Messiah of God: Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul (Ecclesiastes 3; Ps 144; Lk 9:18-22) *********************************************** In today’s gospel, Jesus poses a question about his identity in the peoples’ eyes to his disciples, and then asks them who they think he is. Peter replies with a very […]

HOMILY WEEK 25 04 – Year II Taking up the Cross and Living Calvary in Slow Motion: Feast of Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions (Rev 7:9-17; Ps 124; 2 Cor 4:7-15; Lk 9:23-26) ********************************************************* This day honours the eight martyrs of North America – six Jesuit priests and two assistants – who […]

HOMILY WEEK 25 03 – Year II Sent to Proclaim and to Heal: Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian (Prov 30:5-9; Ps 119; Lk 9:1-6) ****************************************** “Take nothing with you.” What a difference there is between this admonition of Jesus to the apostles he sends out on mission, and the Boy Scouts motto “Be […]

HOMILY WEEK 25 02 – Year II Like a Stream in God’s Hand: Optional Memorial Blessed Émilie Tavernier-Gamelin (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 […]