Father Seán Loomis

Today’s homily begins with an excerpt from a dream of St. John Bosco, where he describes a road that led to the gates of hell. He describes traps that he passed along the way… disobedience, pride, sloth, anger, etc. In this dream, his guide tells him, “Bad companions, bad books, and bad habits are mainly responsible for so many eternally lost.” On the feast of the Epiphany, we are reminded that th...

The Feast of the Holy Family: First Reading: Genesis 15: 1-6; 21: 1-3 or Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 105: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 or Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5 Second Reading: Hebrews 11: 8, 11-12, 17-19 or Colossians 3: 12-21 Alleluia: Hebrews 1: 1-2 or Colossians 3: 15a, 16a Gospel: Luke 2: 22-40 or Luke 2: 22, 39-40

The adventure of the Christian life begins today. It won’t be easy… but it WILL be worth it. Merry Christmas!

Fourth Sunday of Advent: First Reading: Second Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 89: 2-3, 4-5, 27, 29 Second Reading: Romans 16: 25-27 Alleluia: Luke 1: 38 Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38

In the Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, we are given the story of John the Baptist, as he is “making straight the way of the Lord”. John spends his whole life preparing those around him for the coming of Christ- constantly spreading the joy of God. We are called to do the same, to spread that joy and witness. Father Loomis says that “the greatest witness we will ever give is the homily...

Second Sunday of Advent: First Reading: Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 Second Reading: Second Peter 3: 8-14 Alleluia: Luke 3: 4, 6 Gospel: Mark 1: 1-8

First Sunday of Advent- 1st Reading: Isaiah 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Alleluia: Psalms 85:8 Gospel; Mark 13:33-37

Within a world that asks you to rationalize your integrity away… to compromise… what do you do? Is Jesus King of EVERY part of your life? With examples like Eleazar, St. Thomas Moore, and St. John the Baptist, we can see that standing firm in the truth of Jesus’s sovereignty can be met with resistance and even consequences as all three faced death over their refusal to turn on their loyalty to God...

Would we actually be happy if we made a level of sacrifice for the Gospel for Christ for our parish? Two of the servants from today’s Gospel reading did and their joy was multiplied upon the master’s return. One did not and he never found the joy that he sought. Which of those servants are we? Thirty-third Sunday In Ordinary Time: First Reading: Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31 Responsorial Psalm:...

In this homily by Father Loomis, all three of our readings are connected by one common idea… the Church as the bride of Christ awaiting our bridegroom. We are each made the bride on the day of our baptism, clothed in white and innocence. We were given a candle and told to keep it burning brightly. The candle, like the lamps in the Gospel, represent the divine life given to us in our baptism… “the...

What do you do when the shepherds are bad? That’s the question that Father Loomis asks today in light of the readings. Jesus addresses the vanity of the office and abuse of power of the Sadducees in today’s Gospel. Similarly, the vein of corruption proceeds through all of the Church’s history. Jesus ordained Judas to the priesthood, and then he betrayed Christ. A corrupt bishop put Joan of Arc to...

“Love your neighbor as yourself”. We all know it as “The Golden Rule”… But is the Golden Rule enough? This is the question Father Loomis asks in this homily. He argues, “When the principle barometer for love is myself, then love never entirely takes me out of myself and into the other. And so something about it falls short.” Father Loomis shares that this can occur in the relationship of married c...

What happens when there is a tension between the word of God and what we see in our world today? Father Loomis teaches that “divine consolation often comes amidst evil, not necessarily apart from it.” In the first reading, Isaiah is relaying words of consolation to a people that are in exile. God is promising to spread a banquet while they are surrounded by their enemies. Father states that, “God’...

In this episode, Father Loomis discusses the marital language used in the reading of Isaiah where God is singing a song about a friend that owned a vineyard that yielded wild grapes. The Hebrew word used for “friend” in this context actually means “beloved”… the preferred term in Song of Songs for the royal bridegroom of a bride who is often referred to as a vineyard. Father Loomis suggests that w...

“You examined your conscience. You got on your knees. You poured your heart out. You received absolution… Now what?” In this homily, Father Loomis discusses what we do after we have received God’s mercy. Oftentimes the thought is that we will just “do better” or “try harder” to be “perfect”. But then how do we know that we have satisfied the intent for which God’s mercy was meant? Father Loomis as...

The story of St. Maria Goretti is a powerful one… a young girl, taking care of her younger siblings, fighting off an attacker who attempted to rip her of her innocence. She ended up dying from the 14 stab wounds that she received during that attack- but not before forgiving her attacker. An equally powerful story- is that of her attacker, Alessandro. After spending years of refusing responsibility...

Today’s second reading says, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” But what happens when “love” means “correction”? The first reading states: “If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die," and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible...

“You duped me oh Lord, and I let myself be duped. You were to strong for me and you triumphed.” Father Loomis teaches that the word “duped” in this context actually best translates to “seduced”- meaning that God drew Jeremiah in to His infinite love. The suffering he experiences is a by product of that love. Today’s reading from Jeremiah can be compared to Cardinal Pell in Melbourne Australia, who...

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Today’s Gospel reading is the creation of what we now call the office of the Pope, the first of which being Peter. Father Loomis brings up a good question- “why do Catholics even have a Pope?”… the short answer being that “Christ instituted it for our good...

Today’s Gospel reading is one that can cause a lot of discomfort. Jesus talks to a Canaanite woman who wants Him to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon. Father Loomis explains that the reason why this Gospel reading looks and feels harsh is because this woman is in a tug-of-war with Jesus… she is resisting Him, and He can’t help her until she is honest. “Humility is the basis for holines...

“Oh God, the people have forsaken the covenant and I alone am left.” This is the cry from Elijah in today’s first reading and is a relevant concern to the modern Catholic. Father Loomis discusses how so many Catholics can feel alone in their faith and the choosing Christ can feel like a lonely path. What should we do when we find ourselves here? Father Loomis asserts that we are given the same cal...

In this final homily on the vice of “Acedia”, Father Loomis discusses how we can know when Acedia has begun… when life feels meaningless. Father Richard Heilman says. “For more than 50 years, we have been peddling a weak and watered-down religion; a religion that denies the power of God; a religion of “activism” that seems to abhor the call to advance in the spiritual life. It almost seems like th...

In part two of this multi-part mini series, Father Loomis preaches about the demon of “Acedia” and it’s role in causing a sadness of soul. St. Thomas Aquinas portrays Acedia as “A sadness at the notion of possessing a loving, intimate union with God.” Father Loomis explains that “Union with God is the reason for our existence” and that the absence of that union is literally the definition of Hell....

In part one this multi-part mini series, Fr. Loomis preaches about the demon of “Acedia” and its role in instilling a disgust of being. Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: First Reading: Isaiah 55: 10-11 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 65: 10, 11, 12-13, 14 Second Reading: Romans 8: 18-23 Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-23

1st Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 2nd Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13 Alleluia: Matthew 11:25 Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30