Episodes
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Living Lake or Stagnant Pond? Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
We are given very powerful readings today, powerful individually and powerful collectively. And at the heart of them all is a line by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans: “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and...
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We Must Do Better! Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
It’s a sad fact of history that the largest religious community that ever lived together in the same place in the history of the Catholic Church was at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany during World War II. Over 2,500 Catholic priests became prisoners in Dachau, in Cellblock 26, known as…
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The Story of the Other Wise Man – Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord
The feast of the Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the magi, and their journey to find Christ can inspire us to reflect on our own journey to encounter Christ in our lives. Each of our journeys is unique, and no one finds Christ in the quite the same way as anyone else. The magi in the Gospel…
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The Two Towers: Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Once upon a time there were two towers. Both towers began to be constructed about the same time, in the late 1800s. Both were constructed in Europe and designed by European architects, and both of them were ambitious projects, with plans for multiple levels, huge arches, and decorative statues....
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Fighting Fire with Fire: A Homily for Pentecost
On this Solemnity of Pentecost the red vestments and red altar cloths are reminiscent of the fire that descended on the disciples. We see this color more and more in our own lives as the weather heats up and the fire season begins. As we know so well from the fires that typically begin to plague…
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Known by His Wounds: Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday
If you have been listening to the Bible in a Year podcast and are still on schedule, then you probably finished listening to the Gospel of John on Good Friday. Don’t worry if you’re not on schedule, my family and I are a little behind, too. But if you are on schedule, then during Holy Week you...
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The Spirit, the Desert, and Temptation: Homily for the First Sunday of Lent Year C
Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.” Each year on the first Sunday of Lent we enter into this significant moment at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He has just emerged from his baptism in the Jordan river only to be sent into the testing…
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The Greatest Love Letter of All Time – Homily for Word of God Sunday
About five or six years ago there was a poll to discover the world’s greatest love letter. After all the votes were tallied, the overwhelming favorite among all the love letters ever written, was a letter from country music singer Johnny Cash to his wife June Carter Cash for her 65th birthday.…
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Sacrifice, Reconciliation, and Joy: Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family – Year C 2021
Today is the feast of the Holy Family, and as we look at the gospel reading today we might be reminded of a similar story, a more modern story. A story of a family taking a long trip during the holiday season who suddenly realize that they’ve left their young son home alone. I’m speaking of…
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The Look of Love: Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
There is no text for my homily this past weekend, just the audio. But here is the video for “If You Eat Each Day” by Bryan Sirchio, from which I quoted:
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What More Were You Looking For? – Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
A terrible storm came into a town and local officials sent out an emergency warning that the riverbanks would soon overflow and flood the nearby homes. They ordered everyone in the town to evacuate immediately. There was a certain man in the town who heard the warning, so he looked out his window...
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The Sending Forth – Homily for Trinity Sunday
I wonder if anyone here has ever felt under-appreciated, overlooked, or even forgotten. If so, then this homily is for you. Today we’re going to sing the praises of one of the most under-appreciated and over-looked parts of the Mass. Everyone always talks about how the scripture readings spoke to...
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A Scrooge on Gaudete Sunday – Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent
Today we see the beautiful roses and the rose vestments, and the rose colored candle that represent the third Sunday of Advent. These are visible reminders that no matter what we are going through, no matter what is happening around us, as Christians we are always people of Good News. And when we...
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The Crucifix on the Wall: Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. On the surface that seems so barbaric. And yet that law, known as the Law of Retaliation, was one of the most civilizing acts in human history. In the ancient world, before there were any laws, if a person was hurt or offended, then they would round up...
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Glad Tidings to the Poor: Homily for Christ the King
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the last Sunday of our Church year. Today all of the themes of Jesus’ life and ministry come together in this one culminating feast here at the end of the year. Each liturgical year has its own particular character...
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The Mysterious Package: Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Back around 1995 or 1996, I was teaching my 8th grade class about vocations and the different religious orders. Their assignment was to research a particular religious order and write a report to share with the class. Now this was around 1996 B.G. Before Google. There was no Internet, no search...
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The Persistence of Ralphie: Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Being a parent or grandparent can be really strange. And one of the strangest things about it is when the kids start to imitate you. At first its kind of funny and cute, the way you make faces at them and they try to make faces back. They dress up as mommy or daddy, pretending to do grown up...
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The Cup of a Carpenter: Homily for Corpus Christi
I read recently that filming is going to begin next year on the fifth Indiana Jones movie. I guess everybody knows who Indiana Jones is, the swashbuckling archaeologist, who goes in search of artifacts like the Ark of the Covenant. Well there’s a scene in the third Indiana Jones movie, The Last...
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Navigation Apps and Repentance: Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent – Year C
One of the most useful apps on a smart phone is the Maps app. You type in an address of the place you want to go and you’re instantly given not only written directions for how to get there, but you also get a map that shows a path for how to get to your destination. You don’t even have to know…
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The Rhythm of the Spiritual Life – Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
All three readings today speak of the rhythm of the spiritual life. We see it at work in the lives of Isaiah, Paul, and Peter, each in a different context, but it’s the same rhythm. It’s a rhythm of dialogue, of back and forth, like a conversation. And it begins as all things spiritual begin…
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In the Principal’s Office: Homily from the Christmas Eve Children’s Mass 2018
Here is the audio from my homily for the Christmas Eve Children’s Mass, December 24, 2018.
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A Thrill of Hope: Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year C
Once upon a time, in the early ages of the world, people believed that storms and droughts and sickness were sent by angry gods and goddesses. To the ancient people, the universe was a fearful place, a place of chaos, a place of danger, and the only way to stay safe was to offer sacrifices to try...
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Bumper Stickers and Masters: Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King – Year B
The other day I was driving home from work, coming up Freya hill, and I noticed a bumper sticker on the car in front of me. People put bumper stickers on their cars for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because they have something to say to the world. “Vote for this or that candidate.” “Work for...
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One Chapter a Day: Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Many of you know that Les Misérables is one of my favorite books, but it’s a long one, almost 1500 pages, so reading it takes a while. Last year I found out that it has exactly 365 chapters, so I decided that in 2018 I would read one chapter a day, starting on January 1st and going to December...
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A Value Far Beyond Pearls – Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
As the church year begins to wind down over the next two weeks, many of the the Scripture readings are about the end of time, when Jesus will come again. So today’s first reading may seem out of place. In the cycle of readings for Sunday, the first reading is paired with the gospel. But today’s...
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An Echo Among the Noise – Homily for Catechetical Sunday
This weekend is catechetical Sunday, the weekend in which the Church asks us to call forth those who have been chosen to be catechists in our parish, to bless them and commission them for the upcoming year. These are the teachers at our parish school, All Saints; these are the parish staff and...
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An Eclipse in Our Time – Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
After Mass this Sunday I’m going to drive south to the Camas Prairie in Idaho, where my wife Brenda is already visiting her mother. As any conscientious husband will tell you, you don’t need a reason to visit your mother-in-law, but this weekend we do in fact have a particular reason for…
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No Good Deed – Homily for the 6th Sunday in Easter
There’s a long but important sentence in the First Letter of Peter that we heard earlier: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” Of all the words in that long sentence, it’s the last one, hope, that’s the most important. Hope is something the...
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Because He Lives: Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter – Year A
The first few gospel readings of the Easter season focused on showing us that Jesus was raised from the dead. He eats with his disciples, he shows them his wounds, he assures them that it really is him, he is risen from the dead. Now as we enter the third week of Easter the scripture readings...
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He Loved Them to the End – Homily from Holy Thursday
We walk through the Doorway of Love, following the Thread of Love, imitating the Model of Love, sitting in the Garden of Love.
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A Thirst for Living Water – Homily for the Third Sunday in Lent
Today’s gospel is a story of baptism, and what baptism does for each of us. It’s a story of thirst and water, of longing and desire. It’s part one of a baptismal trilogy that continues next week and the week after. Three lessons about baptism, with three images: this week water, next week light,...
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Ending the Cycle of Hatred and Violence – Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
A few weeks ago we read how Jesus went up the mountain to teach his disciples. Just as Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Law, Jesus, the new Moses, speaks his Sermon on the Mount to deepen our understanding of the Law. This week he is still on the mountain and his words are clear…
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