Palm Sunday Homily
PALM SUNDAY 9 April 2017 Homily Several years ago, weeks before Christmas, a friend brought over two packages for me. She said, “These two go together. Be careful with them.” Dutifully I put them aside until Christmas. Christmas Day evening, I sat by myself and suddenly remembered the two packages. I went and found them and opened them up. The first was a crude antique wooden sculpture of Jesus. I studied it and decided, I didn’t like it. Jesus was ugly at the worst, at the best, he was so plain-faced– without character, or whatever it is we look for in great people. I want my Jesus to look...
Read MoreFifth Sunday of Lent Homily
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT 2 April 2017 Homily In the gospel we hear Jesus say a very curious thing. “Jesus said clearly, Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” It sounds so cold-hearted. We should live through something painful, saddening, hard, just to come to belief? Is this the picture of a God we could love? I think the deeper truth here is this: That everyone of us here will live through difficult days and long nights. Everyone of us here will have some trauma, some tragedy, some despair which we will face, and the question will always be: “Will...
Read MoreFourth Sunday of Lent Homily
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT 26 March 2017 I have been very fortunate in my life. Other than the usual childhood ailments I’ve come this far pretty well intact. I say all this because by and large I’ve known very little personally, of what can be called “structural evil”–that is evil where choices are not made. Things or situations that from the very root are “wrong.” In other words, I don’t know what it is like to be born blind. to watch the death of my child, to be caught in a vicious circle of poverty, to lose someone I love in an earthquake or...
Read MoreThird Sunday of Lent Homily
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 19 March 2017 Homily It’s a short but curious line which has remained the same in this story of the Samaritan Woman across several translations, and which has always stuck in my mind: “Come and see a man who told me everything I have done.” Now another story. Once there was a very pious husband and wife. When they gave birth to their first, and only child, they hoped more than anything this child would grow up to be a lover of God. When he reached the age of reason, and just able to read and write, they gave him a blank book and told him, every time you sin, write your...
Read MoreFirst Sunday of Lent Homily
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 5 March 2017 Homily We don’t know really what really happened there in the desert when Jesus was tempted. Matthew and Luke expand the story. In Mark’s it only takes two verses. The tricky thing about temptation–it’s very personal, it strikes in the deepest recesses, the secret thoughts and desires we all have. Temptation is the great leveler–none of us are better than anyone else. Even Jesus–just like us–had the secret recesses which could be tempted. Temptation is not the same as sin. Temptation is part of being human. But doing what is right and just and good in the...
Read MoreEighth Sunday of the Year Homily
EIGHTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 26 February 2017 Homily In many ways I think Jesus has already given the homily for today. This is not some story about him where we can analyze the data, or a story told by him from which we can glean some point, it is a homily and to tell you the truth I have never liked this little homily of Jesus’– this lilies of the field and birds of the air homily. Why? On a nice day, this is a nice homily. When Jupiter connects with Mars and the sun is shining, when you can enjoy the flowers and the birds and laugh about tomorrow, it’s a nice homily. When...
Read MoreSixth Sunday of the Year Homily
SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 12 February 2017 Homily One of my classmates in Catholic Elementary School stuck a cigarette into the hands of the life-size statue of Mary that stood in the school hallway. When the sisters finally figured out who had done this abomination, They reprimanded him in front of the whole school. When she was through the principal asked him if he had anything to say. Of course she expected an apology. What he said was: “Sister, if God can see everything, and we know God can see everything, why do we do the bad things we do?” Sister was quick on her feet. She...
Read MoreThird Sunday of Advent Homily
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 11 December 2016 Homily My teacher in first grade at St. Florian’s School was Sr. Primosa–a wonderful woman. About this time of year Sr. Primosa told us the story of St. Nicholas. And, how to this day good little boys and girls were rewarded by Saint Nicholas on 6 December. As a child it sounded like another Christmas to me. Wow! The morning of 6 December I woke up and my mother could not figure out why in the heck I was racing all over the house looking. I found nothing. No promised stocking full of goodies. I began to cry. I was too embarrassed to tell my...
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