Homilies

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40

Here we are again, hearing the words of scripture as we imagine the sight of Jesus entering into Jerusalem sitting on a beast of burden, a colt of a donkey.

We have heard in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John scenes
Like this: Matthew-“While some laid their cloaks on the road others cut branches from the trees and put them on the road”. In Mark-“Many people spread their cloaks on the road and others spread leafy branches that they had cur from the fields”. In John-The great crowd that were at the feast in Bethany heard Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him”.

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Gospel Reflection at the Blessing of PalmsRead More »

At the end of the First World War, Woodrow Wilson was an international hero. In Europe, he was greeted by cheering crowds who believed that this was the last war and now everything would be all right. The good will didn’t last long. At home, Wilson did not have the support he needed to carry out his vision for the League of Nations. His health began to decline. A man who had been declared a messiah by many came to the end of his days a broken and defeated man.

Wilson’s story was a sad one, but not all that unusual. The ultimate reward for someone who tries to translate ideals into reality is apt to be defeat. That seemed to be true for Jesus. …

Palm SundayRead More »

You probably don’t realize it but we, as a parish community, are in the midst of one of those good news/bad news scenarios.  The bad news is that the parish this year has no catechumens or candidates entering the Church at Easter Vigil. Truly a sadness and a loss.  The good news is that because we don’t have any catechumens, we dispense with the scrutinies and their readings for the last three weeks of Lent.  What this means is that rather than proclaiming the account of the rising of Lazarus from John’s Gospel, we are proclaiming today from John’s account of the stoning of the adulterous woman.

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5th Sunday of LentRead More »

Scripture:
1st Reading  Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2nd Reading 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21
Gospel  Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32

“He was lost and has been found.” Today’s gospel is the story of a man and his two sons. We hear of the younger son who goes against the law of the land that you receive inheritance after one dies. He demands from his father the share of the family inheritance while his father is still alive.

And if this is not enough, after squandering his share of the family inheritance, makes his way home. Of course the older son acts as one would expect. The elder son who was committed and faithful to his father all this time resented his father’s forgiveness to his younger prodigal son. Prodigal, which means one who is recklessly extravagant or wasteful- as the Webster’s dictionary defines. This definitely fits the younger son.

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4th Sunday of LentRead More »

When my mother died, I was given a book entitled, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi.  One thing I learned from that book is that life is full of consequences. What happens to us can be a consequence of the choices we make and others make. My mother made poor health choices like smoking that led to a fatal heart attack at the young age of 65.

In Biblical times, people blamed tragic deaths on sin but Jesus criticizes this mindset: tragic death, illness or other misfortunes is not the result of sin. Sin, however, is always a choice we make, which result in consequences that we later regret. Thus, Jesus is quick to caution his listeners, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” …

3rd Sunday of LentRead More »