A Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B Window in the Eucharistic Chapel in the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism,
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Step Aside, Zeus!
A homily on the Annunciation Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” –Luke 1:38– We Catholics hear the Gospel account of the Annunciation so often that I think we fail to appreciate fully at least one
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Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. –1 Peter 3:15– Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? –Luke 14:28– Decades ago, I picked up a little pamphlet, published by InterVarsity
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As Stupid as Sin
A Homily for the Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. –George Carlin– Some of you may be familiar with the Texan comedian Bill Engvall. He does a routine in which he says: I just hate stupid people. They should
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Oh, You Shouldn’t Have!
(A Not-So-Nice Homily for Christmas) Delivered Christmas 2019 Relations, sparing no expense’llSend some useless old utensil,Or a matching pen and pencil.“just the thing I need! how nice!”It doesn’t matter how sincere itIs, nor how heartfelt the spirit,Sentiment will not endear it,What’s important is the price. “A Christmas Carol” –Tom Lehrer–
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The Naked Truth about Dressing for Mass
A Homily for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding
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Science and Religion: Not Necessarily Opposed but Not to Be Confused
A Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise ones replied, “No, for there may not
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Caribbean Cruise
In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed But, as it is written, “Eye has not seen or ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him.” –1 Corinthians 2:9– One cold February morning, I received a photograph in
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The Blessed Trinity: Serenity in the Face of Mystery
A Homily for Trinity Sunday As part of my classroom lesson on the Trinity, I would give my high school sophomores the following instructions: “Using six lines of exactly the same length, construct four equilateral triangles of exactly the same size.” Well, the kids would take out their paper,
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Veterans to the Rescue:
The Wisdom of Father Eric Bergman, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Saint Gertrude the Great In fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. –John 16:2– Father Eric Bergman, also a literal father of nine children, had been an Episcopalian priest. He,
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