Here is the homily preached to the IHM Sisters on November 23, 2015.  This was the first Mass ever offered in the Chapel of the Sisters’ new Novitiate.  A votive Mass was offered in honor of Mary, Mother of the Church.

Here is a reflection for this final Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King [Year B], November 22, 2015.

Here is the homily preached to the IHM Sisters on November 21, 2015, the feast of the Presentation of Mary.  Today a new chapter in the history of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Wichita begins, as they move to their new site:  the first site in their history that they themselves have built and owned (by God’s grace and with the generosity and prayers of benefactors!).

Here is the homily prepared for the IHM Sisters for November 20, 2015.

Friday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time [I]
1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59  +  Luke 19:45-48
November 20, 2015

“And every day He was teaching in the temple area.”

Many in Jesus’ day were disgusted with the commercialism that had crept into the practices at the Temple in Jerusalem.  This place, the Temple, was the holiest place in this world for Jews.  One of the obligations of a good Jew in the time of Jesus was to go to Jerusalem at the time of Passover, and offer a sacrifice in the Temple:  those who were wealthy offered an entire ox or sheep; those with less means offered turtledoves.  And so there grew up a very large market during the time around Passover, a system within which many abuses developed.  Jesus undoubtedly had many people cheering for Him as He castigated the Jewish officials and the money-makers in the Temple. Continue reading →

Here is the homily preached to the IHM Sisters on November 19, 2015.

Here is the homily prepared for the IHM Sisters for November 18, 2015.

Wednesday of the 33^rd Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31  +  Luke 19:11-28                 
November 18, 2015

“ ‘…from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’ ”

Those who think of Jesus only in comfortable terms are challenged by His last sentence in today’s Gospel Passage.  These words conclude a lengthy parable, which St. Luke the Evangelist prefaces with a clear explanation of the motive for the parable:  Jesus “proceeded to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately.” Continue reading →

Here is the homily prepared for the IHM Sisters for November 17, 2015:

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
2 Maccabees 6:18-31  +  Luke 19:1-10
November 17, 2015

“ ‘…today I must stay at your house.’ ”

Zacchaeus is a rich collector of taxes.  Each of us, like him, is attached to worldly things, no matter how simple.  Our holy Doctor St. John of the Cross says that just as it does not matter if a bird is tied down by a thick rope or a thin string, so it does not matter if a Christian is tied down by wealthy goods or simple desires.  An attachment is an attachment, and any attachment—no matter how slight—keeps us from union with God. Continue reading →

Here is the homily preached to the IHM Sisters on November 16, 2015.

Here is the homily preached at St. John Parish in Clonmel for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [Year B], November 15, 2015.

 

The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
Daniel 12:1-3  +  Hebrews 10:11-14,18  +  Mark 13:24-32
November 15, 2015

Every person is different.  People have different likes, different dislikes; different tastes in food or music.  And without a doubt, people have different… fears.

Just a few weeks ago, on the last day of October, the culture around us made a celebration out of fear.  In some ways, this can be a healthy thing, if we use it as an opportunity to make fun of ourselves, and to make fun of our fears:  to put things into perspective, and even to realize that so many of the things that seem frightening, are not really things that we need to be fearful of. Continue reading →