In today’s Gospel we encounter two followers of Jesus who are leaving the city of Jerusalem, three days after they watched from a distance as Jesus died a criminal’s death on the cross. Imagine their pain and dejection. They had heard Jesus, come to believe He was the long-awaited Messiah, and left everything… Continue reading 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A
Category: Homily
Divine Mercy Sunday 2020
Because I know that I am a sinner and I want to spend as little time in purgatory is possible, 3 days a week, I teach a theology course to seniors at a local high school. In the fall semester, those lucky seniors get me for biomedical ethics, which I thoroughly enjoy, but… Continue reading Divine Mercy Sunday 2020
Easter 2020
Today, as we gather to encounter Christ we hear the angel announce to us “He is not here … He has risen.”[1] My friends, what more do we need to hear? Jesus who was killed, placed in a tomb guarded by Roman soldiers and then when all hope seemed lost, He kept His… Continue reading Easter 2020
Good Friday
Today, we are brought face to face with the crucifix. As we stare at Jesus hanging on the cross, we recall that as disciples, as followers of Jesus, each of us must also take up our cross and follow Him.[1] In telling His followers to take up their cross and follow Him, Jesus… Continue reading Good Friday
Holy Thursday
Just over 2,000 years ago, the apostles gathered one last time with Jesus to celebrate the Passover meal, the annual Jewish celebration that recalls the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Every year the Jewish people gather together to tell the saving story we heard in our first reading, to memorialize… Continue reading Holy Thursday
Palm Sunday Year A
Today we hear the longest Gospel of the year, but in her wisdom, the Church leaves explicit instructions to the preacher that he should only give a brief homily.[1] How then is a priest supposed to summarize the whole story of Holy Week briefly? Well of course that’s not possible and fortunately it’s not… Continue reading Palm Sunday Year A
5th Sunday of Lent Year A
Perhaps you are starting to feel a little like Lazarus. With all of these social distancing requirements the walls of our home can seem to be closing in on us and we can easily feel like we have been locked away in a tomb. Just as death bound Lazarus, the coronavirus can lead… Continue reading 5th Sunday of Lent Year A
4th Sunday of Lent Year A
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how to preach today, but when you are not sure you go back to the fundamentals and so my friends, “this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”[1] Perhaps you are wondering how these words of the psalmists could… Continue reading 4th Sunday of Lent Year A
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
The last time I was in Jerusalem, a few years ago, I did one of those things that as I look back on it now, I’m grateful I did it, but I can see how potentially stupid and dangerous it was. I had gotten to know this Armenian Christian, Lavonne, on a previous trip.… Continue reading 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
A few years back, at another parish, I asked our 8th grade students right before Confirmation why they were Catholic and I just got a blank stare in response. I pressed them a little further by reminding them that they were about to be confirmed and thus they need to know why they are… Continue reading 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
