Holy Family, year B
Although their are so many blessings and much goodness in our families, no one has a perfect family. The Holy Family also struggled and suffered. We learn from the Holy Family that our own families - as imperfect as they are - can be schools in which we grow in love of God and neighbour.
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Christmas, year B
On Christmas Day, the shepherds received an unexpected gift. When they visited Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Bethlehem, they encountered a Saviour who defied all expectations: Immanuel, God with us. We rejoice in having such a Saviour, who is always close to us, whatever we are going through, saving us.
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4th Sunday of Advent, year B
Today's readings are all about houses. In the first reading (2 Sam 7), David wants to build God a house, a Temple. Instead of David building God a Temple, God promises He will build David a dynastic house. Jesus, son of David and son of God, fulfills this promise when He is born at Bethlehem, the "house of bread".
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3 Sunday of Advent, year B | John 1
John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 1). Jesus came to bring salvation and joy. Just as some recognized His light for what it was while some failed to see it, so we must choose to see the goodness Jesus brings into our daily lives. The light always shines in the darkness. Seeing the light and embracing joy is a choice.
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Second Sunday of Advent, year B | Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8
The wilderness or desert is a rich image in the Bible. At different times, God's people found themselves in a literal or figurative desert. These were times of suffering, confusion and disruption. At the same time, the desert is also a place of hope. God cares for his people in the desert and send help and salvation. On this second Sunday of Advent, the readings call us to rekindle our hope. Whatever desert we find ourselves in, God will come to rescue us through Christ!
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1 Sunday of Advent, year B | Mark, 13:33-37
Waiting for God to act in our lives can be difficult, especially when God seems distant. In the parable from today's Gospel, we learn that although Jesus will always enter our lives, the timing of his arrival and means by which He works is often unexpected.
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Christ the King, year A
Although the Solemnity of Christ the King is relatively new (established in 1925), the theme of kingship is an important one in the Old Testament. After exile, expectation grew that God would send an ultimate King would would establish the Kingdom of God in a definitive way. As we hear in the Gospel today (Matthew 25), Jesus fulfills this expectation in an unexpected way.
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33 Sunday Ordinary Time (Matthew 25:14-30)
The parable of the talents from today's Gospel (Matt 25:14-30) can almost sound like a clique. However, when we know more about the value of a talent at Jesus time, we learn that each of us has been incredible blessed by God with gifts we are called to use at service of other.
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32 Sunday of Ordinary time
Waiting is a difficult thing to do, it can create tension, anxiety and anticipation. Christians are people who live in a constant state of waiting until the return of Christ. In today's Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13), Jesus teaches us how to wait well, by waiting with hope and by keeping our lamps full of the oil of charity and service.
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31 Sunday OT, year A
At times, those in leadership - whether inside or outside the Church - can use their authority for their own gain. In the Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12), Jesus shows us that true leadership involves service and practicing what we preach.
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30 Sunday Ordinary Time, year A
When asked, "what is the greatest commandment?" it is significant that Jesus answers with more than one commandment (Mt 22:34-40). We need to love God... but... we can't really love God unless we love our neighbour... but... we can't really love our neighbour unless we love ourselves. To love God, then, we need to love others (especially the difficult ones) in a way that shows we actually like them.
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29 Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A
In today's Gospel (Matthew 22:15-21), Jesus deftly avoids a trap sprung with the question: "Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Not only does Jesus expose the hypocrisy of those trying to trap Him, He also teaches a profound lesson about who has true authority over us and the world, and the inalienable dignity of each person.
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28 Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A
Matthew 22:1-14
What do we make of the extreme language we hear from Jesus in the Gospel today (Matthew 22:1-14)? Jesus seems to be raising an alarm in the passage, compelling us to take action so that we do not loose the great goodness offered to us now and for eternity.
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27 Sunday of Ordinary Time, C
On this Thanksgiving weekend, we express our gratitude to God for our many gifts, particularly being called to be followers of Jesus. The parable of the vineyard in the Gospel today (Matthew 21:33-43) reminds us that these gifts come with the responsibility to use them for the benefit of others. The Synod is an opportunity for all in the Church to pray about how we can live up to this responsibility, bearing the most fruit in our world.
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26 Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
We have all experienced losses. In the second reading today from Phil 2, Paul teaches his audience how to live in peace when things are taken away from them. By following Jesus' example of kenosis (= self-emptying), naming our losses, and serving other in the midst of our struggles, we can find healing and life.
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25 Sunday Ordinary Time, year A
The parable of the vineyard owner and the workers that Jesus tells in the Gospel today (Matthew 20:1-16) is unsettling because it seems so unfair. Like all parables, this one is supposed to provoke and unsettle us so that we can see some deeper spiritual truths. The parable teaches us that God's grace is something we could never earn, it's pure gift. It also shows us that in God's eyes we all have the same dignity since God is equally generous with us. Finally, the Gospel challenges us to be generous like God, especially with those we don't believe deserve our generosity.
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24 Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A
Forgiving others can be extremely difficult. In today's Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus tells us how important it is to forgive. We must forgive not 7 times but 77 times! In addition, by means of a parable, Jesus gives us a tip or method for how to make forgiveness easier: the more we remind ourselves of the mercy and forgiveness God and others have shown us, the easier it becomes to forgive.
(23 Sunday of Ordinary Time, A)
When someone harms us or those we care about, our natural reaction can be to seek to hurt them in return. In the Gospel today (Matthew 18:15-20), Jesus points out an alternative (and challenging!) way of responding, which leads to true reconciliation.
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22 Sunday Ordinary Time, year A
Suffering is an unavoidable human experience. It is a problem which various religions and philosophies have grappled with. In the Gospel (Mt 16:21-27) Jesus teaches us that when suffering is combined with love it can lead to life.
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21 Sunday Ordinary Time, A
"Who do people believe the son of Man is?" Peter answered, "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God". In order to better appreciate the incredible interaction between Jesus and Peter in the Gospel (Matthew 16:13-20), it can be helpful to consider the importance of three locations: Caesarea Philippi, Calvary and the Vatican hill in Rome.
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We can be quite good at creating barriers that separate people. The readings today show us that God seeks to remove these wall, giving His grace to all.
20 Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A
Matthew 15:21-28
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Transfiguration, year A
The readings for the feast of the Transfiguration fill us with the hope that, in the end, God will conquer all that oppresses us: evil, sin, and death. This gives us confidence as we follow Jesus each day.
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In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as being a treasure or a pearl of great price that people acquire by selling all that they have (Matthew 13:44-46). Jesus reminds us that although following Him can be difficult at times - it requires selling or leaving behind certain things or ways of thinking and acting - what we gain by being His disciple is truly worth it!
(17 Sunday Ordinary Time, year A)
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16th Sunday Ordinary Time, year A
In the Gospel today (Mt 13:24-43) Jesus uses parables to help us better understand different mysteries about the Kingdom of God.
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Each of us hears many voices in our life (friends, co-workers, social media) which speak various words to us. Some voices bring us peace and lead us closer to God and neighbour and others do not. God's word always brings life. Can we hear His voice?
15 Sunday of OT (Mt 13:1-9)
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Work can be a burden for many of us. When we find a deeper purpose in our work, it can become an easier burden and a lighter yoke.
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13 Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16; Rom 6:3-4; 8-11; Mt 10:37-42
The readings this Sunday teach us about the importance of hospitality. When we welcome the stranger we show love to Christ.
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12 Sunday OT, year A
Fear is a helpful thing. At times, however, it can overwhelm us. The Gospel today (Matthew 10:26-33) gives us helpful advice for keeping fear in check with faith.
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11 Sunday Ordinary Time | Exodus 19:2-6; Matthew 9:36-10:8
What would change if we truly believed we are precious to God? What would change if we truly believed that other people, especially those who we might not care for, are precious to God?
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Corpus Christi
Pope Leo the Great wrote: "Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ has no other purpose than to transform us into that which we receive". Today, we give thanks to God for the great gift of the Eucharist.
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Holy Trinity
We are made in the image of God, who a Three Persons in One. This reminds us that we find our fulfillment when we prioritize relationships and work to build unity.
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At Pentecost we celebrate that the Holy Spirit makes us one family, united in diversity, which is sent on a common mission. In this family, everyone is important and has gifts to offer in service of our common mission from Jesus.
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Ascension 2023
At His Ascension, Jesus does not abandon us. Rather, He gives us the strength to flourish as mature disciples. This Sunday as we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, we are inspired by Jesus' commission to “make disciples of all nations” and are comforted by His words “I am with you always, to the end of the age”.
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Happy Mother's Day!
Today's Gospel (Jn 14:15-21) comes from Jesus' farewell discourse, His last will and testament to his followers. In this, He gives his disciples hope, summarizes the core of His teaching and speaks of His success, the Holy Spirit. In a special way, Jesus entrusts us with the mission of loving others as Jesus loved us. This sacrificial love is epitomized for so many of us by the love of our mothers. As Rudyard Kipling wrote "God could not be everywhere, so he gave us mothers".
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4th Sunday of Easter - Good Shepherd Sunday - John 10:1-10
This Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, we celebrate the sacrificial love that Christ has for us. The image of Christ as the gate (Jn 10:1-10) shows us that we are called to participate in this gift of salvation. On this Day of Prayer for Vocations, we remember that we do this by responding generously to our own vocation.
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On the Road to Emmaus (Lk 24), two disciples had their sorrow transformed into joy when they finally recognized the Risen Jesus who was in their midst the whole time. This story not only tells us about a past encounter. It also teaches us who live long after the Ascension how we can recognize the Risen Christ who is present to us in the scripture, the Eucharist, community, and charity.
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We can learn a lot from the example of "doubting Thomas" we read about in the Gospel (Jn 20:19-31). Like him, we should be open with God about what we need so that Divine Mercy can transform our lives.
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Easter fills us with hope. Just as the rising sun at dawn bring the promise of a new day, so the Resurrection ensures that the Light of Christ will conquer all the darkness of sin and death. When we renew our baptismal creed at Easter, we recommit ourselves to being people of the dawn, bringing the light of Christ to those around us.
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During the Easter Vigil, we have the opportunity to hear the highlights of the story of God's interaction with humanity. In the Gospel, we hear the end of the story, the triumph of love and life over sin and death. At our baptism, we enter into this story. Knowing that our story ends in life transforms us here and now. As the candles that we light as the Vigil from the Pasqual Candle light up the Church, so we spread the light of and love of Christ around us.
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Good Friday, 2023
Good Friday reveals to us that we received mercy from a God who loves us rather than strict justice. This mercy cannot end on the Cross. We receive this mercy as a gift we share with others.
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Holy Thursday, 2023
The theme of remembering runs through the readings for Holy Thursday. The Passover is a remembrance of the Exodus. The Lord's Supper or Eucharist is in remembrance of the Last Supper. The remembrance that the Jesus speaks about at the Last Supper is meant to transform us to become servant like Him, treating all with dignity and love.
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The two Gospel we hear on Palm or Passion Sunday show diverse reactions to Jesus. While there are some who stand by Jesus through His Passion, many abandon Him. Why? The answer can be found in the palms they waved. Jesus was an unexpected Messiah.
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The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45), speaks to us of three tombs, the tombs of Lazarus, Jesus, and our own. This story shows up the compassion Jesus has for those who mourn and the life Jesus gives us, now and for eternity.
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Homily for 4 Sunday Lent, year A
The Gospel this Sunday (Jn 9:1-41) tells the story of Jesus giving sight to the blind man. It is rich in symbolism. The Gospel teaches us how Jesus is the light of the world. Just as the pillar of fire led the people of Israel through the wilderness, so Jesus is the light that guides us. Further, the Gospel challenges us to consider how we respond to Jesus, the light of the world. Do we reject Jesus as his opponents did? Are we hesitant in our faith like the parents of the blind man? Or, do we allow Jesus to deepen our faith as the blind man did?
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2 Sunday Lent, year A (Matthew 17:1-9)
Just before His journey to Calvary, the Transfiguration of Jesus gave hope to his followers by giving them a preview to the end of Christ's story: the Resurrection (Mt 17:1-9). In our lives, God gives us mini-transfiguration moments which give us hope in the midst of our challenges
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1 Sunday Lent, Matthew 4:1-11
Similar to how the song of Orpheus conquered the Siren's song, so Christ points us towards our true good and away from temptations which can never fulfil us.
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7 Sunday of Ordinary Time
When we think of someone who we may consider an enemy, Jesus teaching to love that person can seem impossible (Mt 5:38-48). Part of the problem can be that we misunderstand what Jesus means by "love". Ultimately Jesus teaches us that non-violent resistance and forgiveness is the path that brings lasting peace.
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In the Gospel this Sunday (Matthew 5:17-37), Jesus tells us that He came to fulfill and not abolish the Law or the prophets. What does this mean? From the examples Jesus gives, we learn that He emphasizes our interior motivations for following the commandments. Jesus wants us to follow the commandments of course, but our living relationship with God is what is most important. As Benedict XVI wrote in Deus Caritas Est,
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”
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In the Gospel today Jesus (Mt 5:13-16), Jesus teaches us a lesson we all probably learned in Kindergarten: we are called to transform those around us by being salt and light. We do this by letting the light of Christ, which we received at our baptism, shine through us to those around us.
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