Revised from 2019

Deut. 26:4–10; Rom. 10:8–13; Luke 4:1–13

There’s a song by Rascal Flatts that Gina and I have always considered our song, mostly because of what transpired in our early lives and how we came together.

Isaiah 6:1–2a,3–8; 1 Cor. 15:1–11; Luke 5:1–11

I think many of us have had the experience of being called to do something we weren’t sure we were ready for. Maybe it was the first time you had to speak in public.

Isaiah 42:1–4, 6–7; Acts 10:34–38;  Luke 3:15–16, 21–22

Reprised from 2021 with some revisions

Last week, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. The scriptural context of our celebration was the visit of the Magi to the house of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sometime after Jesus was born.

Reprised from 2021

Zephaniah 3:14–18a; Philippians 4:4–7; Luke 3:10–18

Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, which is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin translation of Philippians 4. "Rejoice in the Lord always." Always rejoice.

Isaiah 50:5–9a; James 2:14–18; Mark 8:27–35

Our epistle reading comes from James and is one of the well-known statements in scripture on faith and works.

This is a letter I wrote to one of my favorite teachers of all time, Rutha Mims. I have made numerous attempts to find an address for her or a contact through one of her children over the last few years, but to no avail.

Reprised from 2018

1 Kings 18:44; Ephesians 4:30–5:2; John 6:41–51

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I do not treat the Eucharist as seriously as I should.

Reprised from 2021

Amos 7:12–15; Eph. 1:3–14; Mark 6:7–13

You are a prophet. Note that I didn’t say, “Imagine that you are a prophet,” or “What if you were a prophet?” You are a prophet. Your baptism and confirmation join you to Christ—who is priest, prophet, and king.

Genesis 3:9–15; 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1; Mark 3:20–35

It’s been a long week, with my return from school, my work, and yesterday’s ordinations, so my homily will be brief today—unless, of course, the Holy Spirit takes hold of me. Then we could be here late into the evening. Or not.

Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16: 15–20

If you have read the four gospels, and I hope you have read them, you have probably noticed that each of the gospel writers has a unique perspective and remembers some details differently than the others.

Acts 3:13–15, 17–19; 1 John 2:1–5a; Luke 24:35–48

Who is Jesus Christ? Who is Jesus? This is a question that everyone who encounters Christianity in whatever form must contend with. This was the question that the people of His time had to grapple with.

1 Sam. 16:1b, 6–7, 10–13a; Eph. 5:8–14; John 9:1–41

I have two themes I want to discuss regarding today’s readings: light and truth. And these are related, especially regarding the readings we have today during this second scrutiny on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Leviticus 13:1–2, 44–46; 1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1; Mark 1:40–45

I returned to the Catholic faith when I was in my late 30s. For those of you who have practiced your faith steadily for your entire life, you will never know what it is like to make a twenty-year confession.

1 Samuel 3:3–10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6:13b–15, 17–20; John 1:35–42

What does it mean to be Catholic? Is it like a special club where we do calisthenics during the Eucharistic prayer—stand, kneel, sit, and stand and kneel again? Or a pep club where we sit-down, stand-up fight fight fight for Jesus? Is

1 Kings 19:9a, 10–13a; Romans 9:1–5; Matthew 14:22–33

I will confess to not always being the best listener. I’m easily distracted, and when my focus is on something, people really need to get my attention if they’re going to talk to me.

The last three months have given me probably one of the best lessons of my life in terms of my own dependence on others. This time has revealed to me not only my own personal limitations, but also the grace of friendship, and the kindness of strangers.

Revised 9 July 2023

Zechariah 9:9–10; Romans 8:9, 11–13; Matthew 11:25–30

One of my granddaughters used to have a real sense for or awareness of the mystical. When she was around 4, Gina was reading to her for the first time from a book of saints for girls.

Exodus 19:2–6a; Romans 5:6–11; Matthew 9:36–10:8

About 19 years ago, I was offered a contract position at HP working on a program that really fit right into my niche. And the manager who brought me on gave me better terms than what I had asked for or expected.

Acts 2:14, 22–33; 1 Peter 1:17–21; Luke 24:13–35

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but apparently Jesus never really existed—or if He did, He’s just a copy of some other pagan god who already existed before Him.

Exodus 17:3–7; Romans 5:1–2, 5–8; John 4:5–42

What would we do without water? Maybe a better question to ask is what would we do without easy access to water? For us here in the US, water is an afterthought.

Sirach 15:15–20; 1 Cor. 2:6–10; Matt. 5:17–37

I’ll start today with a simple proposition of Catholic doctrine and go from there. There are four final realities, which the Church calls the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

Our first reading from Isaiah follows several chapters of Isaiah’s promises of deliverance to King Hezekiah and the words that the Lord has spoken about the Assyrian invaders.

Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10; James 5:7–10; Matthew 11:2–11

This third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin Introit for today's Mass from Philippians 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always." We rejoice because we anticipate the coming of our Savior. Advent is about anticipation.

2 Kings 5:14–17; 2 Timothy 2:8–13; Luke 17:11–19

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” You might’ve heard that adage before, but you might be surprised who said it first. It’s not from scripture, and it’s not a particularly Catholic sentiment.

Exodus 32:7–11, 13–14; 1 Timothy 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–32

I had a rosary that was given to me by a friend who took up making rosaries after he came into the Church. When I came back and was confirmed, he made this one for me.

Deut. 30:10–14; Col. 1:15–20; Luke 10:25–37

What does God expect from us? What puts us in right relationship with God? When we talk about being right with God, ultimately, that’s what we mean.

Proverbs 8:22–31; Romans 5:1–1; John 16:12–15

While we are now back in Ordinary Time, we have several solemnities that we celebrate on the next two Sundays.

Today's gospel reading reminded me of the day of my ordination. If you haven't read that story, you can find it here. I will just retell one part of that story related to that day and to this gospel reading.

Isaiah 43:16–21; Philippians 3:8–14; John 8:1–11

Have you ever experienced despair—that sense that you have failed so badly that nothing can redeem you? That the circumstances in which you find yourself, maybe through no fault of your own, are inescapable? Despair is not like fear.

The current context of global pandemic has raised many considerations around civil liberties, protections for individual conscience, and the common good.

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Isaiah 40: 1–5, 9–11; Titus 2:11–14, 3:4–7; Luke 3:15–16, 21–22

This weekend we celebrate another of those pivotal moments in the gospel and in the revelation of Christ, the baptism of Christ by John in the Jordan.

Zephaniah 3:14–18a; Philippians 4:4–7; Luke 3:10–18

Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, which is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin translation of Philippians 4. "Rejoice in the Lord always." Always rejoice.

Dan. 12:1–3; Hebrews10:11–14, 18; Mark 13:24–32

We do not know the day. We do not know the hour. But at some point, the Son of Man will come and usher in the end, what we refer to as the Apocalypse.

The last two years have certainly seemed apocalyptic.

A few weeks ago, Jeff Miller (the Curt Jester) posted a video of an interview he did on his conversion. What caught my attention was that the person doing the interview was a recent arrival at our parish, Eddie Trask.

Wisdom 7:7–11; Hebrews 4:12–13; Mark 10:17–30

I recently took a new position. This is actually the second job change for me in the course of this pandemic. While the first one went very smoothly and quickly, this one has not been as speedy or smooth.

1 Chronicles 15:3–4, 15–16, 16:1–2; 1 Corinthians 15:54b–57; Luke 11:27–28; Revelation 11:19a, 12:1–6a, 10ab; 1 Corinthians 15:20–27; Luke 1:39–56

Today we celebrate the bodily assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven, that is the transfer of her body into Heaven following her death.

Exodus 2:1–15a; Matthew 11:20–24

Our two readings today seem so very different from each other, and finding a common theme in them is challenging. So I will do my best to work to bridge the gaps between the two.

Amos 7:12–15; Eph. 1:3–14; Mark 6:7–13

You are a prophet. Notice that I didn’t say, “Imagine that you are a prophet,” or “You can one day be a prophet.” You are already a prophet. Your baptism and confirmation join you to Christ—who is priest, prophet, and king.

This talk was written for a Cursillo weekend I assisted with this week. I was reluctant to accept the invitation, but it turned out to be a grace-filled weekend (for the time I was able to stay).

Christ does not offer us cheap grace.

This talk was written for a Cursillo weekend I assisted with this week. I was reluctant to accept the invitation, but it turned out to be a grace-filled weekend (for the time I was able to stay).

We hear the word grace in our liturgy and readings all the time.

Acts 3:13–15, 17–19; 1 John 2:1–5a; Luke 24:35–48

Who is Jesus Christ? Who is Jesus? This is a question that everyone who encounters Christianity in whatever form must contend with. This was the question that the people of His time had to grapple with.

2 Chronicles 36:14–16, 19–23; Ephesians 2:4–10; John 3:16

Do you recall a time in your life when a coworker, friend, sibling, or other family member persisted in a destructive behavior long beyond your counsel, or the advice of others? No matter what you say or how you point out the consequences of

Esther C: 12, 14-16, 23-25; Matthew 7:7-12

Our first reading comes from the book of Esther, which is most fitting today. It recounts the life of a woman in Persia about 100 years into the Babylonian captivity.

Usually when I give a homily or reflection, I focus on the gospel reading and work in the Old Testament reading. Today, we just have the reading from Isaiah 1 calling the people of Israel to repentance.

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