Sunday Homilies

Don't you get angry when people tell you how to feel?   I thought so.  It seems that Ezra is doing this very thing in the first reading.  Jesus, on the other hand, does not try to manipulate us.

Marriage is a process of embracing the ordinary.  Our God calls us to discover how wonderful the ordinary is.

I'm still sick, as you can hear.  Considering the word "epiphany" as meaning coming to a new insight or an "aha" moment.

I have been sick for over a week -- hence the late upload.  The gist of my thoughts for the Holy Family is that we as a Church thought we had all the answers to what families are supposed to be.  We have been proven wrong.

I waited till my last Mass to make a recording.  It turns out that that Mass was the one where I had the stiffest "competition."  The Scriptures for the Mass of Christmas Day have us considering messengers and messages and our need to distinguish between them.

Do you enjoy being visited?  Mary and Elizabeth visit each other in order to proclaim that God has visited his people.

How do we find joy in being reminded over and over that we are merely human beings?  PRECISELY in embracing our identity as human beings.

Sorry, the first upload was the wrong format.

Sorry about the screechy recording from last week.  What voices do we listen to?

This year we observe the briefest Advent possible.  Seize the moment and consider what a coating of ice and snow has to say to us about God, our beginnings, and our fulfillments.

This is relatively lengthy, starting as it does with an issue I'm going to be talking about for several weeks: dismal weekend Mass attendance. -- My time in London helped me to consider the matter of kingship; I think I have some helpful insights.

I was sick and this homily was very brief.  I believe that this was the Gospel of "the widow's mite."

"Love God with all your heart" -- this is the first and greatest commandment.  But it is certainly not the first commandment of which we have a practical grasp.  Let us consider how we learn to love.

Those of us who use computers must be impressed with the visual nature of the interaction between ourselves and these devices.  We equate seeing with understanding.  The word of God today encourages us in our understanding.  As Hebrews declares today, God understands us, not because he is standing by and looking on from a distance, but because in Jesus he experienced the effects of living in the o...

After an uneventful air trip, I am in London where I worked as a deacon in the summer of 1982.  I arrived at the parish for the 9:00 am Mass with three minutes to spare.  I have located an internet cafe, from which I am sending this message.  I am walking around the old neighborhood.  Both of the hospitals where I worked have undergone great changes.  The parish church has a completely remodeled i...

Powerful readings: Isaiah 50, the third Suffering Servant Song; from James, the "faith-works" controversy; from Mark, "Get behind me, Satan!"

How good it is for our ears to be opened once again to hear Sunday reflections on the Word of God.  Reflecting on the life of my first seminary spiritual director, I add the image of the "heart of stone" (Ezekiel 36: 24-28) to the prescribed readings.

The Holy Eucharist responds well to our humanity.  It is the satisfaction of an immediate need alongside other immediate needs about which we are frequently reminded during the course of a day.

I was away last week.  In the meantime, our bishop made a long-awaited announcement regarding an investigation.  We as the People of God are called to recognize the strength that allows us to make our various life-journeys, especially in adversity.  "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you."

I was much happier with this homily, given at 10:15 am.  What happened at the "multiplication of the loaves and fishes"?  Did Jesus just get everybody to share?  Would that have served his purpose completely?  We consider the abundance of God's love and accept the challenge, given today by St. Paul, to rely upon a deep source of love and patience in our hearts.

I am somewhat dissatisfied with this homily, given at 8:00 am, so I will give it another try at 10:15 am.  For one thing, the homily goes 11 minutes.  I am consistently urged to preach no more than 10 minutes (in seminary, I was taught that eight minutes is enough!).

Having returned from vacation, Fr. Kevin sounds as if he'd really like to be with Jesus and the Twelve, going to that out-of-the-way place to rest a while.  He got very accustomed to the relaxation!  He sounds kind of tired.  Pray for peace.

Today I share a story of an incident which occurred back in 1970, when I was thirteen.  It's a good complement for today's readings and a continuing matter of wonder for me, as I find myself looking deep within to consider the obstacles in our hearts which could constitute a "thorn in the flesh."

The way of the world is death, but we have the audacity to believe in a Creator who preserves us to eternal life, and in a Savior who came quietly into this world to triumph over death and to give that full life to those who exercise faith.

Fear can be a good thing, if it's the reverential fear that we owe to God.  We lift up our hearts to God who gives us life and all good things, and we remember, with Job, that God even tells chaos how far it can go.