Category: Homilies
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Story of Your Life
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time It has taken me about two weeks since getting back from Italy to shake off a really nasty cold. But I’m better now, way better than I’ve ever tried to convince many of you. You may have seen me the last two weekends, alternating cold sweats and hot flashes, giving […]
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To Proclaim the Gospel Anew
The Baptism of the Lord It’s been a while since I played organized sports—probably college. I can still picture how high school and middle school kids choose teams (you remember that traumatic experience?), everyone up against the wall, team captains calling out their choices, the better kids getting picked first, everyone else dreading being picked […]
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Get a Clue
The Nativity of the Lord As we reflect on the great and awesome mystery that stares us in the face this Christmas day, we are oddly comforted by the gentle assurance that goodness will prevail over evil, peace over violence, friendship over discord, joy over sadness, light over darkness. It is an assurance based on […]
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God Within Our Chaos
Fourth Sunday of Advent You know the saying: A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind. It’s far from scientific fact. It’s really just an excuse messy people use so they don’t feel the need to clean their room, their desk, or their car. Albert Einstein had bad hair not because he was […]
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Prepare
Second Sunday of Advent I like to cook. But sometimes it is a huge inconvenience. … For instance, some of my favorite Cajun dishes from New Orleans, like chicken gumbo and shrimp étouffée, require lots of preparation: mixing the spices, browning the roux, chopping the vegetables—sometimes taking as much as 45 minutes. I can’t often […]
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We Await the Day of Salvation
First Sunday of Advent I was studying theology in Columbus OH some twenty years ago, and on my first night in that new setting, I awoke to a blinding light coming through my fifth floor bedroom window and the deafening noise of a helicopter landing on the roof of the hospital across the street. At […]
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The Long View
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time I visited Fr. Bill O’Brien in Charlottesville this past week. For those who do not know him, Fr. Bill holds the record for being pastor at St. John the Evangelist church the longest—11 years. David, Fr. Bill’s older brother, still lives in Fishersville. David told me to tell you he is […]
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Restoring Perspective
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was growing up, I was always the shortest in every class. I didn’t open my mouth much, didn’t like to get involved, and preferred to watch everything from the sidelines. You wouldn’t think that now, I know. But it wasn’t always easy for me to make friends. I didn’t […]
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“How To” & “How Not To” Pray
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time When I first set out learning about prayer, I encountered a lot of material on what to say. “Now I lay me down to sleep …” Then there are the standard prayers: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Bless us O Lord, Act of Contrition, Prayer to my Guardian Angel […]
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