Homily: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Needless to say, it seems these past few weeks have been a challenge for many.  For example, just days ago our country basically ended the humanitarian aid provided through USAID. And when I hear that, and so many other things, I wonder have we forgotten who we are and as disciples of Christ, what we are supposed to be doing? As baptized Christians, we are priests. We are prophets. We are royalty. The call as baptized disciples is to live these attributes and to live them well. But are we?  Check it out…

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Homily: Christ the King

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: to some degree I think the title of today’s feast day could miss the mark of its original purpose and design. For did you ever notice, nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus say to worship him, much less as a king – he simply said to follow him and to do as he does. The best description of all of this, across all the Gospels, appears in today’s reading of Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ last discourse which indicates kinship seems to be more important that kingship. What does that look like?  Check it out…

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Homily: Ash Wednesday

"Ash Wednesday Cross"
(c) Jan Richardson | janrichardsonimages.com

 

Most, if not all, of us have likely been spending some time choosing some form of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that we will exercise this Lent. But maybe – just maybe – this might be the year we stretch ourselves so to choose to live, to see and to act differently in such a way that these 40 days of Lent may move us in a different direction than years past.  A direction that has us living the marrow of the Gospel. But to do so, just may require us to revisit our image of God – the true image that we are created in.  To really open our eyes as to who is this God that we so much believe in? So what does that all look like?  Check it out…

 

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Homily: Christ the King

This evening we bring our Liturgical Year to a close as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.  But this feast day is really more about kinship than it is about kingship. Just look at the Gospels we have been given this past year. For Jesus was always eating with wrong people, at the wrong time, on the wrong day with non-Jews, and sinners, and ignoring all the purity codes that his religion required at that time. So if we are to follow Christ the King how do we practice kinship over kingship?  Perhaps actor Mandy Patinkin sharing his favorite line from his 1987 classic movie, The Princess Bride, can shed some light on how we can best be like Christ the King.  Check it out….

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

Advent quickly comes to a close tonight, but do not allow the Christmas celebration to overshadow the message given to us in this Sunday’s Gospel.  For it is Mary’s ‘yes’ which allows the incarnation to take place...but how should that change the way we live?  Perhaps a story from Fr. Greg Boyle about a former gang member coming back from visiting the White House just may open our eyes to how kinship is more important than kingship.  A message that just may allow your soul to feel its worth! 

 

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Homily: Feast of Christ the King

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  That is some title for the Feast Day which we celebrate on this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year.  But was Christ all about kingship and ruling and thrones and laws?

Or was it really something else?

Is this really what the Franciscans had in mind, in the early 20^th century, when they asked Rome for a Feast day to honor the Cosmic Christ?

So what is this Feast Day all about?  And what does the Gospel tell us about how we will be judged?

More importantly what direction does it give us to live a better life? 

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of the day