Homily: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Synoptic Gospel writes all give us the story of the institution of the Eucharist – the story of Jesus gathering his disciples at table: blessing, breaking and giving them bread and asking them to do the same thing over and over again and…to remember him. But some 20 or so years later, when John takes pen to paper, he doesn’t write anything about the Last Supper, rather he gives us this Bread of Life Discourse which we have listened to these past few weeks. So why did John make this substitution of stories?  After all, what could be more important than Eucharist?  Check it out…

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Homily: Trinity Sunday 2024

Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb?  Check it out…

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Homily: 2nd Sunday of Lent

This weekend we heard the famous biblical story of Abraham and his son Isaac, and the angel who stopped Abraham at the last minute from sacrificing his son as God had ordered. While this passage demonstrates Abraham’s unbelievable faith in God – it is a story whose ending is often missed.  An ending which turns this story upside down and changes how that culture – and we – need to see God so differently.  What is this surprise twist? And how does it impact our spiritual journey?  Check it out…

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Homily: The Epiphany of the Lord

 

For the past 12 days we have heard the stories of the birth of Jesus Christ as God incarnate indeed good news of great joy all people.  So, on this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord we celebrate Jesus revealed as the Christ Child to the magi, who arrive by the light of the star. Every year we listen to this well-known Gospel story of the journey of the magi who pay homage to the Christ Child. But today I invite you to just focus on two lines that appear in the Gospel. What are they?  Check it out because…as you will you see, any interaction with this Jesus the Christ, no matter where or how it happens, will change your own journey.

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Homily: Feast of the Holy Family

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family…and tomorrow the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And I like the fact that this Feast comes hours before the Solemnity for it allows us to really look at how this God incarnate, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary…this Christ Child…this God who came into the world in a family that had its heart and its doors open to love – connects to our daily life and our families.  It was Pope Francis who reminded us that, “The family is important, as it is necessary for the survival of humanity. Without the family, the cultural survival of the human race would be at risk. The family. Whether we like it or not, is the foundation.”

In a society where all too often we can easily fall prey to the notion of separating the secular and the sacred, and we close our eyes to what is sacramental, what does it take to build that foundation?

Check it out…

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