Homilies
Sunday’s Readings: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Psalms 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19; Romans 8:31b-34; Mark 9:2-10
…from your Pastor’s Desk – “10 Things to Remember for Lent” – 1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: 10 Commandments, 7 sacraments, 3 persons in the Trinity. For Lent, the Church gives us almost a slogan—Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving—as the three things we need to work on during the season. …
Sunday’s Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
…from your Pastor’s Desk – Realigning Our Priorities – All of us have, at one time or another, named certain things as our “priorities”. From time to time, when we become aware of our not doing something that is really important, we say, “I have to make that a priority.” Lent is an important time to do a top-to-bottom review of what we value and what we actually do in our everyday lives. …
Sunday’s Readings: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46; Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1; Mark 1:40-45
…from your Pastor’s Desk – This Wednesday we have a fascinating conflation of days. Wednesday is both Valentine’s Day, a special day of special recognition of our loved one[s] and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent – the time we change our lives for the better in preparation for the Most Holy of days – Easter Sunday. I remember that this has happened several times in the not too distant past. But let us not have one preclude the other – for both celebrate love. One at a human level – the other at human and Divine. “What greater love can one have than to lay down one’s life for a friend?” …
Sunday’s Readings: Job 7:1-4, 6-7; Psalms 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39
…from your Pastor’s Desk – As I re-read this bulletin – I see a lot of reminders of the rules…let us not forget why we follow them. Let our motivations be pure. It’s not sufficient to know the rules, let us live them — understanding the spirit in which these rules were fashioned. Let us allow God’s spirit to penetrate our being so deeply… that our actions and God’s desires become one. …
Sunday’s Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28
…from your Pastor’s Desk – How to Overcome the Darkness of Anxiety – -Speak with the authority and humility of a Child of God. -Have a place where you belong and can pray. …
Sunday’s Readings: 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19; Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42
…from your Pastor’s Desk – John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr.. To some reading this, these names bring back memories of personal experiences during the turbulent times of the sixties and seventies; the start of the Civil Rights Movement, the Catholic Worker Houses and the beginning of the changes that are still in process today to make this country one of equality for all people. Note: Still in Process. To those that weren’t born yet these names might as well be Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman. Great historical figures all. …
Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
…from your Pastor’s Desk – Three Magi, Three Gifts for the Child-King – If I asked you to think of the three worst things you ever did in your life, even if you didn’t want to admit them, you could come up with them pretty quickly – certainly one of them – instantly. Now – If I asked you to think of the three best things you have ever done in your life (other than marriage and children) it would take a great deal more time. …
…from your Pastor’s Desk – We are on the verge of another year. Hard to believe that Monday will be 2024! It also means that we have another Holy Day to celebrate! A very special feast day. Monday was Christmas, today is the feast of The Holy Family. This coming Monday, we celebrate: ‘Mary, The Holy Mother Of God’ – the most ancient of Marian Feasts and one of extreme importance in defining who we are as Roman Catholics. …
Sunday’s Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38
…from your Pastor’s Desk – For unto us this day is born a Savior – Christ is born for us! That is the clear message of our celebration today. Christ is born— He didn’t just ‘appear’ but was born, just as we were all born. We believe that Christ, although Divine, is truly human like us in all things except sin. …