Father Kevin A. Codd

Sometimes a single brief moment can define the character and meaning of a whole life. So it was for Simeon; his encounter with the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem gave meaning to his long life and made him a figure of immense importance in the story of Israel's long-hoped-for salvation. As he received the Messiah on behalf of Israel, so he also stands in for us for whom this messiah is our...

Today's impressive "miracle story" from the Gospel of John is a rarity: it is a "happy miracle!" Most of Jesus' miracles begin with a leper, a blind-man, even a dead-man (Lazarus), but this one begins with a wedding feast...the only problem is the wine for the feast has run out...not such a big deal in the face of humanity's many troubles.  The changing of water to wine is a sign of the grand grac...

“Mijo, te quiero y me complace.” Tales palabras dicho por un papá son de suma importancia en la vida de un niño. También fueron para Jesús. Al oír palabras muy parecidas de su Padre en el cielo momentos después de su bautismo en el rio Jordan, Jesús seguramente se sentía a la aprobación de su Padre para su manera de llevar la salvación a su pueblo. No por una revolución política contra los poderes...

"I love you and I'm proud of you." These are words any son or daughter loves to hear from their father. They are much the same words Jesus hears from his Father following his baptism in the Jordan River at the hands of John. They were important to Jesus not just because he needed some paternal validation, but because they let him know that his choice for just how he is going to save God's People h...

We have warm and loving feelings for our Three Magi, so prominent on this final solemn feast of the Christmas season. Because of that love, we have many names for them: the Three Magi, the Three Kings, the Three Astrologers, and the Three Wisemen. Perhaps, we missed one though: "The Three Strangers", for their coming from a far-away land, their strange dress and customs, even their status as non-b...

Arguably one of the most poignant lines in all of Luke's Gospel is at the heart of today's feast: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." It tells us so much about the character and spirituality of our dear Mary. She was at heart, a contemplative, and remembering all that God had done for her was an integral part of her contemplative spirit.  Homily shared with the Saint...

The boy Jesus' extended stay in the Temple of Jerusalem marks a significant turning point in his life as Luke tells the story. As he listens to the great rabbis teach and preach, he also asks them the big questions that have been on his mind for a long time. Over the three days he spends among them, something remarkable happens: he grows up. He lets go of the hands of his father and mother and tak...

It seems that the more we honor God as "Almighty", the further he seems to be from us. We imagine the Almighty God as a severe judge, a king enthroned on high, or even as Michaelangelo's old man with a great beard floating on heavenly clouds. As God becomes ever more distant from us and our lives here on this earth, so too the cry from our hearts: "Where are you God; I need you HERE!" Those images...

Elizabeth is one of those dear people you just want to get to know. So today, using the gift of homiletic imagination, let's spend some time with her and listen to her tell her story... Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The question is repeated several times over; John is asked: What should we do? John's answer is a baseline of moral behaviour; it is nothing extraordinary. John is just trying to get his people up to the minimum of decent human and Jewish behavior. John knows that the One Who Is To Come will ask far more of them: a much deeper kind of love, a self-giving love! Homily shared with the Saint Francis...

Luke opens his version of Jesus's story with a bit of historical context. It is important in telling us that the story that follows is not a fable or a fairy tale or a great work of fiction. It is history. And this very real story begins with John in the desert... Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The great prayer of Advent is a simple one: "Come, Lord, Come! It expresses our humility before God; we cannot save ourselves! It trusts in God's ability to save us. It places full faith and confidence that God, indeed, WILL save us! The pattern of crying out to God in our tribulations to come, then waiting for his coming, and finally experiencing his coming to save us is an old one, but it is esp...

The Gospel passage from John this final Sunday of the Church's liturgical year presents us with two "kings" facing one another. One is typical of most human kings: power and domination are the currency of their reign. The other is far from typical: a humble carpenter, a controversial prophet, one willing to let go of all power in self-sacrificial love, destined for a cruel death. How can he be con...

As the church year draws to a close, our liturgical readings are replete with apocolyptic imagery. Some of it is deeply consoling while other passages make us shiver with fear and trembling. Perhaps, the images in today's gospel can be read a different way: as images of a great love and a new life being born.  Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

Jesus attends to those who donate to the Temple in Jerusalem. The rich donors do not impress him, but a poor widow clearly does touch him deeply. In her self-giving, he sees himself and what will happen to him in Jerusalem.  Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Let us consider the Scribe who asks Jesus which of the commandments is the most important. Jesus answer seems to astound the man: "The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, all your sould, all your mind, and all your strength...and the second: love your neighbor as yourself."  The Scribe finds these to be the perfect response to his question and says so. Jesus commends his under...

El escriba en el evangelio de hoy presenta a Jesús una pregunta muy fundamental: "Cual de los mandamientos de la ley es lo más importante? La respuesta de Jesús le impresiona mucho y el escriba dice que Jesús de verdad tiene razón. Es cierto que el mandamiento más grande de todo es amar a Dios con todo su corazón y amar a su prójimo como a si mismo.  Homilía compartido en la Iglesia de San Francis...

The beautiful verse from the late Hebrew scriptures, the Book of Wisdom, "The souls of the just are in the hands of God and there no torment shall touch them", leads us to reflect on the mystery of life, the life God has gifted to us, and its fulfillment in the life of God. As we remember our beloved dead this day, we entrust their souls into God's merciful and gracious hands.  Homily shared with...

La hermosa y profunda lectura del Libro de Sabiduria con que comenzamos la Liturgia de la Palabra en este dia solemne, nos ayuda a reflejernos sobre la realidad de la vida como don precioso de Dios, la muerte, y las manos tiernos de Dios en que entregamos las almas de nuestros queridos difuntos.  Homilia ofrecida en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Cuenca, Ecuador. 

"I was blind, but now I see..." When Andrea Bocelli sings that beautiful line from the hymn, Amazing Grace, you know it is a prayer that comes from deep in his own experience as a blind man. He would understand why Bartimeus in today's gospel reading would ask Jesus for just one thing: "I want to see." The most important "seeing" here is a seeing of things unseeable: love, life, amazing grace.    ...

The brothers, James and John, make a bold request of Jesus hoping to fulfill their desire for greatness in their lives. Jesus lets them know that he can't fulfill their request, but asks them instead if they can drink the cup of which he is to drink. He then gives all his apostles a stern lesson in humility and service.  Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Jesus loves the man who asks him, "What must I do to inherit everlasting life?" He already fulfills the commandments, so what more is there to do? Jesus, in love, gives him the one thing he can't bring himself to do: sell everything, give to the poor, and follow him. Alas... Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Jesus responds to a trick question about divorce. Rather than fall into the trap, he points his opponents' attention to what they are not seeing: the rich image of God's love that marriage is. The ideal of married love that he poses to them is one that animates our own understanding to this day.  Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Jesus' severe teaching in the 9th chapter of Mark's gospel is a good example of radical exaggeration to make an important point. Jesus isn't mandating the cutting off of feet, chopping off of hands, or the actual plucking out of eyes. He IS mandating that we take a hard look at our own fundamental sins and excise them from our lives. Arrogance, lying, and lack of forgiveness, these are the "big on...

One of the most popular images of Jesus is when he holds a child, embracing him/her with great love and tenderness. Today's gospel reading presents us with one of those moments, but the meaning off the story is far deeper than just "Jesus loves the little children", as the popular song from the '70's reminded us. This is a story about service, humility, and striving to be the least rather than the...