Homily for Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Last night, I was talking to a priest friend of mine about the readings for today and he said something to me that has just really had me thinking. He was talking about how he was really intrigued by this interaction between Jesus and the Scribes…
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again I say, rejoice! Today, the Church celebrates the 3rd Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. The word “Gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice.” In the Church, every liturgical celebration typically begins with what is called an entrance antiphon. It…
Homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a day when we remember how the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531 in Mexico. The story of her appearance resulted in the conversion of over 9 million people to Catholicism. So,…
Homily for Friday of the Second Week of Advent You know, sometimes I really think the Lord just wants His Word to sink in and resonate with us. I kind of feel like that is the case this morning. In our first reading, the Lord speaks to the people of Israel and to us through…
Homily for Thursday of the Second Week of Advent There is a line in today’s Gospel that has really just had me thinking and reflecting. Jesus says this: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven…
Homily for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception, the solemnity that we celebrate today, also happens to be the patronal feast day of the United States. So, happy feast day. Why do we celebrate this feast? In 1854, in his Apostolic Constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX clarified without uncertainty the long-held…
Homily for the Memorial of St. Ambrose Over the last few days now, I’ve really been reflecting on this idea of friendship – but not just any type friendship, I’m talking about holy friendships. We all have those people in our lives who care so deeply for us that we almost become family to them.…
Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent Earlier this week, I was putting up some Christmas decorations at the rectory and I had a memory come to mind from when I was a kid. Every year my mother would setup our Nativity scene on December 8th but she would always leave baby Jesus in the…
Homily for the Night of Merciful Love, December 2020 at Holy Name of Jesus. Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel. As I mentioned at the beginning of Mass, tonight I have chosen to celebrate a Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel. It is one of…
Homily for the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier I really truly believe that today’s Gospel is a perfect one to reflect on at the beginning of the Advent season. It challenges us with the question: what (or rather, who) is at the foundation of our faith? Is Jesus the rock whom we have built our…
Fr. Tom Pringle 