Homily for Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Every time I read this interaction between Mary and Elizabeth, I always find myself imagining the joy that each of the women had when they saw each other. Both of them had received incredible gifts from God. Elizabeth – once barren – now bears a son…
Homily for Friday of the Third Week of Advent I have always wondered about this story with St. Joseph, specifically about him being filled with fear at the prospect of taking Mary into his home after he discovers that she is pregnant with a child not his own. My personal interpretation has been that Joseph…
Homily for Thursday of the Third Week of Advent I’ve been reflecting on this particular Gospel passage for a few weeks now. It was the Gospel I picked for the Night of Merciful Love a couple of weeks ago and it made up a large portion of the talks for the Advent morning of reflection…
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.…
Fr. Tom Pringle 