Sanctuary Views

Being with God leads to being sent by Him on mission, which for baptized lay people involves developing their anointing as Priest, Prophet and King. Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time and Discipleship Renewal.

The human brain takes in a massive amount of information each moment, but we're conscious of but a sliver. That means we're significantly influenced by factors of which we're unaware. How can we positively affect the unconscious instincts produced in us? Homily for the Feast of the Presentation.

How do we discover our place in the world? Where is our relevance and importance cultivated, as well as our awareness of that of others? How does what we learn in school take on its proper and higher significance? Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Despite prominent voices to the contrary, marriage cultivates meaningful and happy lives, and economically successful ones, too. Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.

The people coming to John the Baptist acknowledged their sins and expressed their intention to change their lives. But even with that, the gift for which they longed was beyond their reach until the heavens opened and they were baptized into Christ Jesus. Homily for the Baptism of the Lord.

If you've met them, you know that God is still at work in this world and speaks to people. Homily for Epiphany.

Mary gathers us around her Son, the source of blessings, protection and mission in the New Year. Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The world as we know it can only be explained by Christmas. What about your own personal life? Homily for the Nativity of Jesus.

Our reading from the Letter to the Hebrews seems a little out of place, this close to Christmas and paired as it is with the prophecy of the coming Messiah and its fulfillment in the first reading and the Gospel. But is it really? Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

If St. Paul encouraged the Philippians to rejoice, even though he wrote from a prison cell, what did he know that we desperately need to know, too? Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent--Gaudete Sunday.

Where does value come from? What does pursuing the highest value do? What about pursuing something less? Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent.

Stories help us to understand life, our place in this world and how to live well. More than one story exists, though, and often they compete and clash. In whose story are you living? Homily for Christ the King.

Having been proved true and accepted by the Father, Jesus invites us to a way of life that leads to being vindicated by God, too. Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

The strange paradox of the widow. Homily for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

A little true listening goes a long way. Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Having been baptized into Christ's love gives us a share in His mission to provide healing and hope to a broken world. Homily for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Christian marriage is an extraordinarily exalted vocation. Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Altar Server Appreciation Sunday was the perfect occasion to better understand Jesus' words in the Gospel. Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

The disciples asked, "Who is the greatest?" Jesus didn't follow that with, "Don't seek greatness," but "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." The question about greatness shouldn't focus on oneself, but on that which is true greatness, and on the One who embodied it. Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Why are so many young people protesting and demonstrating? What has made them susceptible to trends that offer a sense of moral superiority without actually demanding much moral excellence? Is the common Christian invitation consonant with Christ's? Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

There's nothing wrong with pursuing wealth--we need it to survive, and to some degree, to thrive. The problem comes with pursuing or misusing excess wealth, which as St. James suggests, impacts how we assess the worth of others. Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Homily for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

If Jesus accepted the rejection of his teachings, wouldn't that mean his teachings were consequential, important enough not to be amended, discounted or equivocated? Were they more important than increasing the number of followers? What does that mean for Christianity and following him? Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Friends, we’ve been brought into not just any family, but God’s family, given not just any bread, but the bread from heaven that gives life, and invited to do this—live your life as a gift of love. Don’t put limits on what God can do. Just believe. Homily for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time.