Fr. Brendan McGuire - Podcasts that Break open the Word of God

We are called to live the Resurrection in our crucified moments. Think of every single moment of weakness and brokenness in our own lives whether it is for ourselves or when it happens to us; or whether it is happening to our world, we are called to put love. We are called where there is bitterness and anger and unforgiveness and hatred and sin, we are called to absorb that in, transform it and gi...

Often, we try as ministers and people to help one another but often, often we touch each other’s wounds. In fact, in family life, I don’t know what it is about siblings but we not only touch each other’s wounds, we poke each other’s wounds. We actually go at it and we keep going until they break; even spouses do it to each other. (Read more…) Here is my homily from Good Friday. I will sending the...

Tonight, we come to change the angle through which we see. And to do that, we have to get down and look up, and stop looking down. Get down and look up. That is what we are called to do. We are called to change our seat; change our angle so that we look up and recognize the unseen; the people who make this world work; the little ones, each and every one of them. (Read more…) Here is my homily from...

This week as we enter into this holiest of weeks, we are called to enter into this week in silence and to take in all the cursing and hatred in the world; all the ugliness; all the bitterness; all the envy and we are called to hold it, transform it and give back, give back beauty, blessings, gentleness, kindness, love and forgiveness. (Read More…) My prayers are with you as we enter this Holy Week...

What can we do to live today's gospel? We can show up. We can show up when somebody is suffering whether it be physical or emotional or mental; or whether they are in fact are dying themselves. We can be there and accompany them and assure them of our love by our presence and by our silence. (Read more…) I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you at Mass next Sunday as we b...

What helps us keep the faith? I hope that coming here is one part of it. But it must be more than just coming here. It must be more than receiving Jesus. It must be about becoming Christ to others; that we become the light of the world for others. We become the body of Christ broken for others. That is what we promise to do when we come here. (Read more…) I hope you have a great week and I look fo...

The question is we ask ourselves in this Lenten time, "What am I searching for? How am I spending my time?" Often times, we go into an auto-pilot mode. then we realize maybe this Lent is a time to pause and reflect “What am I searching for? And is it the living water? And if I have the source of living water within me then how can I live that more, more completely, more clearly? How can...

My friends, as we come to the Eucharist, this high point of our moment together, in our mountain-top experience, we must cooperate with the Lord and his grace. May we allow the Lord to transform us, to metamorphosize us into an even deeper disciple than before. (Read more…) Here is my homily from this pas Sunday as I gave a mission in southern California. Please feel free to share it with others....

Every year the Church offers us these 40 days of Lent. It is a time of metanoia, a time of renewal, a time of reflection, a time to do justice and time of conversion. Yes, it is a time to pray, a time to fast and time to give alms. It is a time to recommit to our Christian values. (Read more…) Here is a bonus homily from the celebration of the Celtic Liturgy at the LA Religious Congress on Februar...

Today, when we come to the table, we are smashing the lies; we are not going to believe them; and we are going to hear what the Lord says, “You are my precious child. I created you. I sustain you. And I alone will complete you. Focus on me. Look at me. And I will always, always love you. Do not believe the lies.” (Read more…) Here is my homily for this past weekend. I hope you enjoy this and pleas...

Lent is not a time-out for individuals. It’s a collective time-out that we willingly take, knowing that we need to pause. We need to pause and look at our lives and ask: "What have I done wrong?" We pause in particular on Ash Wednesday; and with humility, we remember how sacred this time is; we acknowledge this is a time of renewal. (Read more…) Here is my homily for Ash Wednesday. I hop...

Every one of us has weakness and brokenness in some way, shape or form. Some of them are very small and some are very large. Sometimes we have done these things to ourselves and sometimes they have been caused by others. The way we deal with these wounds or imperfections is often determined by our personality types and how we interact with each other. I was away from the Parish giving a retreat la...

We retain free will at all times; that we respond, if you would, by free choice to whatever happens to us. Now we do not always get to choose what happens to us. But we do get to choose how to react to what happens to us. And that is what makes all the difference. (Read more…) Here is my homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with other...

We hear in the first reading about how the light comes into the world when we do actions of goodness; feed the hungry; shelter the unhoused. You see the Lord is trying to tell us it is not how much time, talent or treasure we have but it is how we use that time, talent, or treasure to add flavor to the whole world; to light the darkened world; to give meaning to the world; to give joy to the world...

We are meant to do something different. We are meant to change our mind, our heart. And that is what this liturgy every Sunday is always about; it is to receive Christ, to become Christ; to become what we receive. In a sense, we are meant to change our seats; to come back a completely different, different way. Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and plea...

How will you open yourself to the conversion experience? Will you wait for a new pain or suffering to come; some new wound to open you up? Or will you allow the Lord now by willful decision; by a choice of your own will that you will be open to a new way of looking at things; to let a light shine in your darkness now and not wait for the darkness to get deeper or more profound? (Read more…) Here i...

We are called to witness to our faith; that we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We testify by what and how we do the work that we do. We are called to serve. Serve one another and love one another. That will be the testimony of our community. Today, we are a stand of Aspens that remain connected in the one Lord, in the one Church, at the one Table, in the one Faith. (Read more…) Here is my...

What is our work today as we come to this table to be refreshed and strengthened? It is to be a little bit keener to see and to understand what God is communicating to me; to you; today. He is going to communicate to every one of us in our life not talking to somebody else. Here is my homily for the Epiphany of the Lord I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.   (Read mo...

As we celebrate this great feast of Mary, can we in a practical way acknowledge our mothers in our life; the love that has sustained us over the many years; the love that has held us; the love that has completed us because that love is from God and when we return it to God, it is a certain level of completion. Here is my homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I hope you enjoy this and pl...

Can we make room for someone in our lives on this Christmas? Is there an uncle, aunt, grandparent that you can reach out to today and call? And tell them how much you love them. Maybe there is a person in your neighborhood who you never see but you are worried about them. Can you make a phone call today? Or go and knock on the door and say, “Merry Christmas! Here is some food. I was just thinking...

We hear over and over again in the Gospels, how many disciples and religious people, especially, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and religious leaders block God out by talking at God, saying all the multitude of prayers nonstop. Just to keep God away. Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…) Please join us for...

We all have false expectations, which is why we get frustrated with one another whether it be with our spouse over doing this or doing that; or whether it be at the Costco line or some other cashier’s line for food or TSA. We tend to get caught up in our own little world, which is fed by really small pieces of information and mostly self-centered. (Read more…) Finally, please join us for the third...

The whole purpose of Advent is to pause and reflect asking “Is the pattern of my life in fact as a disciple or have I moved into the periphery and no longer reflect the face of Christ?” John the Baptist calls us today to pause and to not only not lose hope but to gain hope and to be focused on how our actions are reflecting the face of Christ. Here is my homily for the Second Sunday of Advent. I h...

Hope is a metaphor for light. St. Paul says the hope is the light of the world; we are called to be this hope. We are called to be the light in the middle of the world; we are called to be the one to bring the light to others. And when we believe, we give hope to others. When we believe, we trust and believe in others; we give them this hope to be. Happy New Liturgical Year and Advent. Here is my...

Today, we must resist the innate urge for power; for insisting on strength that wins. We must resist the urge that says more is better; that stronger is better; that we claim kindness is better; less is better; and gentleness and healing is better because Christ is our King. Here is my homily for the Feast of Christ the King. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Rea...