Homily

The Steadfast Love of God

Everything in nature, culture, and the cosmos is passing away. Nothing here below finally lasts. Though certainly sobering, this is not, ultimately, bad news, for it orients us toward the one power that does last: the steadfast love of God. In the Gospel for today, the Word of God comes not to the mighty and powerful of the world, but to John who is living a life of renunciation and prayer in the desert. How...

Whom Will You Trust?

Our life takes shape in relation to that which we are willing to trust. What then is worthy of our trust? Worldly powers can disappoint and will all ultimately fail us. The Scriptures insist that we trust in the Lord’s promises, promises that are proved to be true through the Resurrection of Jesus from dead.

All Is Loss

In our second reading for this Sunday, St. Paul lays out his resumé. In terms of the Judaism of his time, Paul was about as accomplished as one could hope to be: he was a defender of the tradition, steeped in the wisdom of his people, and blameless under the law. But after seeing Jesus risen from the dead, Paul said that he counted all of those achievements as loss and refuse. So we, he...

Have You Found Joy?

Friends, on this Gaudete Sunday, we are called to rejoice! Detach yourself from the anxieties of the world and live in the peace and joy of Christ.

Give Up the Ego-Drama!

Friends, most of us are stuck in the boring and narrow confines of the ego-drama. Mary is not playing an ego-dramatic game; she is playing a theo-dramatic game. We hear of how she sets out “with haste”—the sign of the saints—and it’s because she knows her mission and her purpose in God’s story.

To What Does Your Heart Belong?

Friends, when our heart belongs to anything in this world, we live in an empty and lifeless spiritual space. But when our heart belongs to the Lord, the rest of our life falls into right order around that center. Our readings this week raise a crucial question: To whom—or to what—does your heart belong?

It Is Written

On this first Sunday of Lent, the readings give us a handy two-edged sword to help us have a Lent that leads us closer to God.

Offer It Up

When I was a kid I often heard my Mother, Grandmother and Aunts say something like “Offer it up to God” if something went wrong or I was having a problem. I am not sure they knew what it meant. It was more of one of those Catholic “throw-away” lines that people used because it sounded like a good thing to say to someone who was having difficulties.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“But what about Eli?” my sassy, then-4-year-old used to ask me when it was time to stop playing on electronics or when it was time to set the table. My daughter, Evey, even asked this when she received a special treat. Everything was a comparison to her brother.

Ash Wednesday

God, who is unseen, speaks through the prophets and says to the people, repent, come back to me who am your merciful, compassionate God. Remember and repent!

He is alive

Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church. It can only be described as the core of the Church’s life.

Finding Joy Through it All

My son loves sports. Right now, it is baseball season and this kid eats, breathes and lives baseball. A month ago it was basketball. And so I love to use sports as a means to teach – not so much about the game – but about life because there are so many parallels. Every moment is a teaching moment. Hard work pays off.

Get Ready to Purge

So this is my garage right now. It is super-cluttered with stuff. All kinds of stuff. Old stuff, materials for various projects, things that just need to be put away. Some things we’re hanging onto for whatever reason, other things that just have no place right now. We don’t have a basement and we lack in attic space, and so the garage is just a dumping ground for numerous things. And unfortunately, this spills into...

Remember the Lord’s Goodness

Moses gives some interesting advice in our first reading. He tells the people: when you finally claim the land that God has promised you and have begun to harvest the first fruits of its soil bring these first fruits to the altar and offer them up to God as a gift. And as you do so, testify. Testify before the priest and the people. Begin by reminding yourself where you came from; then, remind yourself...

They Have Had Their Reward

“They have had their reward !”(Mt. 6: 2) To whom is Jesus referring when he addresses these words? It’s an interesting question. Undoubtedly, he had in his sights the Pharisees, whom he referred to several times in Matthew’s gospel as ‘hypocrites’ ( 23; 25-29) ) – but was it only these upholders of the Jewish law who had attracted Jesus’ wrath? Probably not, I suspect.

No One Shall Snatch Them Out My Hand

In the liturgy for the fourth Sunday of Eastertide the Church presents us with the powerful and appealing image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. A common and very ancient way in which Christ as the Good Shepherd is depicted in Christian art is that of Christ carrying a sheep on His shoulders, holding its legs firmly with His hands. It is an image full of reassurance; one that promises safety and security; one that...

Fitness for Life

Putting on weight not only means that we can’t get into our favourite clothes but also that we don’t feel as well as we would like and don’t function as efficiently. So we try to get rid of it by eating sensibly. Many of us approach Lent in the same way. Since Easter of last year we have slipped back into bad habits that result in the carrying of the excess immoral weight that impedes...