In 1263, a German priest, Peter of Prague, was traveling throughout Italy on a personal pilgrimage to Rome. Tradition tells us that Peter was a good and pious priest who was constantly striving for holiness in his life. In his ministry, however, he became quite troubled by the indifference of many of the faithful in…
Look at the Pharisees and the Herodians in this Gospel…how devious! They first try to flatter Jesus by saying He is a truthful man. But Jesus knows they mean that in a sarcastic way and that they’re trying to trap Him. They pose a false dilemma to Him. It's “either/or.” Either Jesus must accept Caesar…
We live in a world that is hard to sometimes really difficult to understand and, I think, we have let the frustration and uncertainty that have emerged in our own hearts to determine how we respond to various situations that we experience. Just look at all that we have endured over the last couple of…
Homily for Thursday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time In this morning’s Gospel, we see kind of the turning point in Mark’s account of Jesus’ public ministry. Throughout the Gospel thus far, we have seen that many have thought of Jesus as a miracle worker or as a prophet. Even some of those who…
Homily for Tuesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Over the last couple of days, our first readings have been from the Creation narrative of the Book of Genesis. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Church reminds us of the story of creation as we approach the beginning of the Lenten season,…
Homily for Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Over the last week, our Gospels during our weekday Masses have been focusing on some pretty similar themes. The Church has been inviting us to consider our faith in Jesus. We have heard about the miracles that He had been performing in His public ministry.…
Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time INTRODUCTION – What can I do? How am I being called to serve? Lord, how am I being called to point others to You? These are all questions that many of us often find ourselves asking, especially whenever we hear these particular readings proclaimed at Mass. Each…
Homily for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time When we think of the word humility, what is the first thought that comes to mind? We probably think it is something self-deprecating. Often times, we think in order to be humble that we have to hold not only a low opinion of ourselves, but usually a…
Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time As I was preparing for Mass this morning, I was really struck by this line from our first reading: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” Doing the will of God is not easy. In fact, throughout…
Homily for 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Throughout Scripture, this juxtaposition of light and darkness is a theme that often emerges; it serves as a symbol representing the struggle between good and evil. The contrast between the two helps us to better understand the gift of God’s Light and the grace that Jesus brings to…
Fr. Tom Pringle 