Homily for Memorial of Saint Ambrose Readings for the Day “Without cost you have received. Without cost you are to give.” These words come to us in a season of gift-receiving and gift-giving, with Christmas just two and a half weeks away now. It might be helpful, therefore, to reflect on THE GREATEST gift-giver the world has ever known: Mary,…
Homily for Thanksgiving Day Readings for the day Did the others even realize they were healed? That is the question the Lord laid on my heart as I meditated on this gospel: The nine other lepers who failed to return and give thanks to Jesus…Did they even realize what had happened to them? Did they even bother to notice the…
Are our lives so on fire with God’s love that they demand explanation? Readings for the day Are we living lives that provoke questions? True Christian witness is a very odd thing. Holiness inevitably causes a stir — It makes people curious, perhaps angry, annoyed. And we know it when we see it. In a word: it’s almost impossible to…
Homily for Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time Readings of the Day Our gospel passage today — the story of the persistent widow — is obviously meant to teach us a fundamental Christian truth: “Pray always, without becoming weary.” But this essential lesson takes on a fascinating layer of meaning when we hold it up with our first…
Homily for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings of the Day Seminarians are always asked to give their “vocation stories.” People love to hear why anyone would want to become a priest in this day and age. But here’s the deal y’all: “my” vocation story really isn’t “mine” at all. Why do I say that? Well, because of the simple…
Mass Readings for the Day Where does the radical boldness and the freedom of the martyrs come from? How do people like the North American Martyrs find the insane courage to acknowledge Christ before rulers and authorities who are absolutely intent, not only on eliminating their lives, but also stamping out the Gospel entirely? When it comes right down to…
Daily Mass Homily for the Memorial of St. Faustina, apostle of Divine Mercy. Let your heart be filled with enduring JOY!
Homily for Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Readings of the Day Our Gospel passage is short today, so it would be helpful to provide the context in Luke’s gospel. This passage comes immediately after the Transfiguration. As Jesus, Peter, James and John are coming back down the mountain, Jesus performs an exorcism on a young boy, and…
Our Gospel today is beautiful — and yet so frustratingly simple. Jesus says to Matthew the Tax-Collector, “Follow me.” And Matthew gets right up… and follows the Lord immediately. End of story. No other details are provided. For all we know, there was no struggle in Matthew’s heart. No anxious hesitation or battle of the will. He simply gets up……
Every time we look at the Cross of Jesus Christ, we look upon our own death. This is the boast of the Christian soul, right? That in the Lord Jesus, we have already died. And so looking to the Cross is to look at our own dying and rising in Him. Yes, we look upon our own death, so as…