homiletics
-
Prayer in Lent
Prayer is one of the three things that we are encouraged by the Church to do during the season of Lent. Along with fasting and almsgiving, we are encouraged to spend more time in prayer. Prayer is recollected quiet time, talking and listening to our Lord. I think the readings today can help us think Continue reading
-
Blessed are the Meek
The eight Beatitudes from the sermon on the Mount that we receive today in the Gospel according to St. Matthew are eight paradoxes about our faith. A paradox is a thing that is true even though we have trouble believing it because it seems to go against common sense. The heart of the life of Continue reading
-
Radical Claims
About two weeks ago the US Congress passed a law that codifies the modern understanding of marriage as being between any two people that want to declare themselves married. In the Congress there are about 140 publicly declared Catholic Congressman. Of those 140, only about 40 voted against this bill. So, something less than one-third Continue reading
-
Preparation for Justice
Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of God. In a couple of weeks, the readings will focus on the coming of God in the flesh to dwell among us in the Nativity of our Lord. But the readings today focus on preparing for when that same person comes in glory and justice Continue reading
-
Three Necessary Things
“Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: –St. Thomas Aquinas Continue reading
-
Lay hold of eternal life
Let’s unpack today’s readings by starting with St. Paul’s letter to Timothy. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Tm 6:12 Timothy was called to sacred ministry as a bishop following St. Paul, but this short instruction applies to Continue reading
-
Fancy Dinners
Last Sunday, we read how Jesus was asked if only a few people would be saved, and Fr. Neil used that Scripture to remind us that hell is real, and it is a real possibility for everyone. This week we move forward a chapter in the gospel of Luke, and we get a parable on Continue reading
-
Lord Teach Us to Pray
In the gospel that we read today from Luke, we are given the scene where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, and he gives them the Our Father. This is one of the first prayers we learn as Christians. And we recite it daily and even many times in the course Continue reading
-
Our Bodies are Not Our Own
Today is the 13th Sunday in Ordinary time, and this year it is also about the halfway point between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of the Assumption. Both of those events involve a body going to Heaven. Today, I would like us to think about the importance of our bodies in God’s Continue reading
-
A Bride adorned for her Bridegroom
Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud Continue reading
Bound in Love 