Tag: Homily
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The Invitation to Dare: Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31 The gospel according to John has been called the gospel of encounters. Each follows the same basic pattern: Jesus encounters someone, they test him, there is an exchange, and the encounter ends with those who tested Jesus finding that in reality they are the ones being tested: Will […]
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The Slave of the Slaves: Memorial of St. Peter Claver
Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. 1 Corinthians 9:19 Imagine being dragged aboard a ship, naked and chained in the darkness below deck, lying helpless for several weeks, through rough seas and stifling heat. There are […]
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The Standard of Love: Tuesday of Holy Week
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas (John 13:26). Judas was chosen by Christ; he accompanied Him throughout his ministry. Like every disciple, he was fed spiritually and physically. Empowered by our Lord, Judas healed, expelled demons, preached the coming of the kingdom, and shook the dust of unbelieving towns […]
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Mother and Baby: The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Psalm 40:7-11; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 Everyone knows the bond between a mother and her baby is special and that there is nothing in the world quite like it. But recently I came across some research that taught me things about it I didn’t know and that gave me new perspectives on […]
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The Choice to Forgive: The 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48 As a young married woman, Edith Eger emigrated to the United States just after World War II and settled in Texas with her husband and first child. If she didn’t carry much material baggage, she carried a lot inside. A Jew, she and her family had been […]
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The Outsiders: Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21 We may as well answer the question Jesus asked the disciples at the end of the gospel passage: Do you still not understand (Mark 8:21)? No, they do not understand at all. The question is, why? So far in Mark’s gospel they have heard him teach, seen him heal, witness him […]
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Holy and Immaculate: Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
Isaiah 66:10-14c; John 2:1-11 Between 1830 and 1858 the Blessed Mother made three separate visits to France. First in Paris to Sr. Catherine Laboure, whence came the Miraculous Medal and the prayer, “Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Next she appeared to two shepherd children near La Salette in […]
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Heart Speaks to Heart: Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
1 John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28 The first reading begins, Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. John seems to be thinking of someone in particular who had strayed from the truth about Christ. This was not uncommon; the early Church was plagued with heretics whose theories about Jesus ran the […]
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The Song of the Dove: Feast of Saint Stephen
Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Matthew 10:17-22 Of all the customs that have ever arisen during the celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas, perhaps the strangest occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beginning on the Feast of Stephen, young boys in Southern France, Great Britain, and Ireland would hunt and kill a bird; specifically a […]
Mark 10:45 