Matthew 3:1-12 There is an unmistakable theme in today’s readings. The theme that we hear is people prophesying about the Messiah. It starts in Isaiah, when we hear the prophet proclaiming that one day the Spirit of the Lord would rest on a man who came from the stump of Jesse. The people listening to…
Let’s see now – today we hear about lost sheep, lost coins, a lost son. We could almost call this the “lost and found” Gospel. If we’re not paying attention, we might think this is about a bunch of absent-minded people. But, of course, that isn’t the point Jesus is making. Jesus is actually talking…
The movie Finding Nemo came out a few years ago now, but today’s gospel still reminds me of a scene from that movie. Maybe you remember it. It’s where a bunch of hungry seagulls spot some food, and they’re all yelling, ‘mine, mine, mine!’
Well, the rich man that Jesus talks about is a lot like those seagulls. Can’t you just see Him? – there is so much here and it’s all mine!
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Sometimes, when we’re reading a passage from Scripture, something will jump out that we don’t expect. That’s what happened to me as I was preparing this homily. When I read today’s gospel, the phrase that stood out to me was this: Jesus told the disciples that their names are written in heaven.…
John 10:27-30 I want to tell you the story of an eight-year-old boy. His name was Jamie. Jamie was dying of cancer. In the final stages of his illness Jamie started talking out loud when he was all alone, day or night. When his mom heard him, she’d come into his room to see if…
John 9:1-41 Did you ever stop to notice that the Pharisees were powerful and wealthy, but they lived in constant fear. In contrast to that, the man born blind was absolutely destitute, yet he was the one who actually lived in freedom…
LUKE 6:17, 20-16 The words we hear in today’s gospel are sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain. They are Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. They are similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, but with some striking differences…
LUKE 18:1-8 You may remember me mentioning some videos on YouTube by Fr. Mike Schmitz. I saw one recently where he talks about how life must have been for Mary. He highlighted a particular aspect of Mary’s life. He talked about the impact that being sinless would have on a person’s day to day life.
Excerpt from a Funeral Homily by Deacon Williams
At the risk of making a huge understatement, the disciples were having a day unlike any other…