Homilies

Per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso: “Through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus.”
St. Therese of Lisieux said; “Without me, you can do nothing. With you, Jesus, I can do all things. Since it is through Jesus that everything must be accomplished, the more I let Him do, the more the work of grace will be beautiful and perfect.”

This is just what we hear in our scripture passages today. Even though we heard that rejection was often found in preaching the Word of God, the ones that got it, the ones who really heard, went on to spread this Good News in obedience and humility, fully giving themselves to God.

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14th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Those of us who are old enough to recall the days before Vatican II changed our liturgies may recall that from time to time we would hear a sermon instead of a homily.  A sermon could be whatever the preacher wanted to talk about while a homily has to be a reflection on the readings or the Mass. All homilies are sermons but not all sermons are homilies.

One sermon I recall from my childhood days in Lakewood was delivered on a hot muggy Sunday morning.  After reading the gospel, the pastor simply said, “If you think it is hot in here, just remember that it is hotter in hell.”  

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13th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Several years ago, I had an extraordinary conversation with our daughter—one of those special times in a father/daughter relationship that I especially recall on this Father’s Day weekend.  She was in the senior year of college majoring in chemistry and I was nearly finished with diaconate formation and in the midst of a masters degree in pastoral studies. We got off on the topic of chaos….and how each of us approached the topic. It was a fascinating discussion and we concluded chaos was the essence of all her study and I had to agree that addressing chaos in its many forms was an integral part of my formation as well.

Today’s readings also remind me of that conversation. In Scripture there are many examples of bringing calm out of chaos. Certainly in the Book of Job we experience chaos in one’s life.  Job’s personal life was beset with a series of storms.  We can surely relate to Job’s situation when we confront the challenges and even dark spaces in our own spiritual journey.  In those times, we, too, turn to God for comfort and courage.

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12th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

About four weeks ago I left the safety of my home, went out to my South 40, that is, 40 feet from the back of my house, battled the elements and planted my vegetable garden. With much anticipation, I was waiting for the first sign of growth; that little bit of green popping out of the earth. Every day I went down to see what was new, what was the first to grow.

I knew that the seed I had planted in the ground would have to go through a change in order start growing, a change that would eventually put fresh produce on my dinner table; as long as the slugs and the rabbits didn’t get it first! It is hard to comprehend how a seed starts to grow but it really is pretty amazing.

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11th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

What goes through your mind when you step up to receive communion and hear the words, “Body of Christ” or “Blood of Christ?” Do you take those words literally or do you think instead that piece of bread is only a symbol of Jesus’ body? 

Today’s feast is meant to help us treasure the wonderful sacrament that Christ left us in the Eucharist as a reminder of the covenant we have entered into. St. John Paul II noted, “The Eucharist is the Church’s most precious possession in her journey through history.”

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Corpus ChristiRead More »