Jesus Does Not Ration the Spirit

Homily for Thursday of the Second Week of Easter As I was praying with this morning’s readings, I found myself drawn to the drastic change that we have seen in the Apostles in the very short time since the death of Jesus until this particular time recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. These men…

The Road to Emmaus

Homily for Wednesday in the Octave of Easter This morning our Gospel story is one of my favorites – the two disciples encountering the Lord while on their way to Emmaus. As they are walking along the road, the disciples are heartbroken. The hope that they once had in Jesus had been lost when He…

Called by Name

Homily for Tuesday in the Octave of Easter Every time I hear this passage from the Gospel of John, I always find myself intrigued by Mary Magdalene thinking that Jesus was the gardener. It makes me think about the ways in which I often times fail to recognize Jesus standing in front of me or,…

Meeting Jesus in Our Fear

Homily for Monday in the Octave of Easter Fear is a pretty powerful emotion for us as humans, an emotion that can have a strong effect on our minds and bodies. And whether we like it or not, all of us struggle to some degree in our response to fear when it comes into our…

Betrayal

Homily for Tuesday of Holy Week In our Gospel this morning, we get a glimpse at what is to come on Holy Thursday, when Jesus will gather with His apostles in the Upper Room for their final meal together. The story, which we are all familiar with, is about betrayal. Jesus is not only betrayed…

Friday of Sorrows

Homily for Friday of the 5th Week of Lent In many Latin American countries, it is a tradition in the Church to remember the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows in a particular way on this Friday before Palm Sunday. In those countries, today is known as the Friday of Sorrows.…

Uncomfortable with Jesus’ Message

Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent Many times throughout His preaching, Jesus made those who were hearing His message uncomfortable. Speaking the Truth will often cause that reaction in others. But Jesus’ words were not meant to be condemnatory. In fact, they were meant to be the exact opposite. He simply wanted…

Turning Away From Sin

Homily for Friday of the 1st Week of Lent The readings that we hear this morning are pretty stark. They warn us of what will become of us if we fail to acknowledge our sins and convert from them. If we were to die in that state, the consequences of that would be eternal. Jesus…

Petitions of the Our Father

Homily for Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent In our Gospel that we’ve just heard, Jesus introduces the disciples to a new way of prayer that leads to a deeper and more intimate relationship with God as Father. Some of the Church Fathers, Origen being one of them, believed that the Our Father marked…

We Have a Choice to Make

Homily for Monday of the 1st Week of Lent In this reading that we have just heard from the Book of Leviticus, Moses is instructing the people of Israel on how they are called to live. It’s sort of an expansion of the Ten Commandments. Think about the teachings of the Church today and how…