homiletics
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What Must One Do to Get to Heaven?
What is the job of a prophet? Is he or she a fortune teller? Do we hear from a prophet what the economy is going to do next year? No. A prophet is not someone with supernatural forecasting talents. A prophet is one who speaks the word that God wants spoken at the time God… Continue reading
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Thou Givest Them Their Meat in Due Season
In today’s readings, we have two similar stories of miraculous feeding. And the Psalm refrain today is, “the hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” The Psalm and St. Paul both speak about hope, and all of this speaks to how we might try to live our lives as Christian disciples.… Continue reading
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God Has a Plan and It’s a Good Plan
Father Neil preached last week on suffering and gratitude, and I would like to continue to look at those today. Both suffering and gratitude are at the heart of the crucifix. We call it a crucifix because it is a cross with the body of Jesus attached to it. The crucifix is supposed to be… Continue reading
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There is a God and You’re Not Him
Preaching on the Trinity is tricky because the doctrine of the Trinity issimply beyond human understanding. Look at how the Church hasdecided to address the doctrine in the readings today. The Old Testamentreading is all about God the Father; the Epistle is all about the HolySpirit; the Gospel is all about the Son. One might… Continue reading
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Mason and Josephine
I have known Josephine since she was about three years old, and so I know, Mason, how lucky you are to be able to take her as your wife. Even among the Winbornes, who are all awesome in their own right, Josephine is a particularly beautiful person. It doesn’t take one very long, Josephine, to… Continue reading
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Remain in the Sabbath
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them. – 3 John 3:24 What does it mean to remain in him? It’s not an action in our common use today. We tend to use the word “remain” to indicate something left over after an action. So we have to unpack what Jesus… Continue reading
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The Seventh Word from the Cross 2024
Into your hands I commend my spirit. Lk 23:46 Jesus has completed his mission. He has redeemed humanity from its Original Sin. His redemption is not limited to the children of Israel but is offered to all who will accept his invitation. Jesus has established the New Passover, the new exodus from enslavement to death… Continue reading
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Apostolic Mission
A clean heart create for me, O God,and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Psalm 51:10 The readings today bring to mind cleanliness and renewal. We are all born with the stain of original sin. It is the sacrament of baptism that cleans us and prepares us for a life in Christ. And when we… Continue reading
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Transfiguration and Satisfaction
On the second Sunday of Lent, the gospel is always about the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, where the three leading apostles are shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that this Jesus they have been following is more than a Rabbi or even the Messiah anointed by God. The Transfiguration manifests the reality… Continue reading
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Something’s Coming
In the 1950s musical West Side Story, the lead character Tony sings a song called “Something’s Coming” which shares the sense of excited expectation we should have on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Tony sings, “Something’s coming, something good. Something’s coming, I don’t know what it is but it’s going to be great.” Here in… Continue reading
Bound in Love 