These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily this morning, Sunday December 8, 2013. Matthew 3:1-12 . The Second Sunday of Advent.  

Fragments from The Word

Second Sunday of Advent

December 8, 2013

We live very defended lives.

We think we can accomplish everything we need in life.

We are self-reliant and self-sufficient.

John the Baptist calls us to wake-up and repent.

He challenges us to rely on God and not our selves.

We cannot save our selves from our own sins. Continue reading →

These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily this morning, Sunday December 1, 2013. Matthew 24:37-44. The First Sunday of Advent.  

Fragments from The Word

I saw a man sleeping all bundled up on a bench near a parking garage. His belongings were piled up around him. He seemed so lost and alone.  Has he been left here on earth?

I sit with an elderly man who just lost his wife after a long illness. His tears flood his soul. His heart aches with loneliness. Has he been left here on earth?

Are these the people that the gospel speaks of who were left here on earth? Continue reading →

These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily at Sacred Heart this morning, Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013. Luke 17:11-19.

Fragments from The Word

Fragments for Thanksgiving Day

Gratitude shapes our identity, changing a leper into a believer.

Gratitude allows us to live in the present, not be overcome with what has been lost.

Gratitude helps create a generous spirit, not a life locked in isolation and anger.

The outcast gives us the real food for thought, gratitude at the feet of the Savior. Continue reading →

This is my homily from Sacred Heart his morning, Sunday November 24, 2013. Luke 23:33-43. The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. 

Fragments from The Word

Sunday November 24, 2013.

The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe

There is an intimacy in the gospel today that I want for myself.

I realize it is between two men who have been beaten and who have been crucified.

Time is short before they both leave this earth.

But I really want it today, for myself and for everyone here in this room and ever person still on this earth.

Is my own heart broken open wide enough, Christ my dear King?

Is my pride too strong and my will too hardened to invite you to be my God?

And what about your hearts, your pride and your will?

These are the questions that flow through me as I listen to this profound and holy exchange between a thief and Jesus. Continue reading →

These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily at Sacred Heart this morning, Sunday November 10, 2013. Luke . The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

Fragments from The Word

Hope is not Pollyanna or lackluster, but a profound expression of our Christian life.

Hope does not gloss over pain, but emerges from the depths of suffering.

Hope is not whitewash to make everything appear normal or untouched by pain.

Hope is not glossy, shiny or cheap, but comes from the light deep within our experiences. Continue reading →

These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily at Sacred Heart this morning, Sunday November 3, 2013. Luke 19:1-10. The Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

Fragments from The Word

We all ache for a new perspective in life.

The young mother remembers her abuse as she overly controls her child.

She cannot breathe without feeling the abuse in her body.

She longs to see herself, her family and God with a new perspective.

A teenage boy gets his body pierced again so people will notice him.

He wants people to see him differently because he feels lost and invisible.

He wants to fit into whatever crowd will notice him. Continue reading →

These reflections are the leftover fragments from my homily at Sacred Heart this morning. Sunday October 27, 2013. Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Luke 18:9-14. 

Fragments from The Word

I cringe when I hear the cries of vulnerable people.

I want to turn away when an old man first admits that he cannot remember his wife.

Or when a young mother tries to protect her three children from the brutal streets.

I sit in silence when a talented man explains to me he wants to take his own life.

I do not know what to do with myself when a father admits his infidelity and neglects his children who live in a car.

The cries of people in pain go straight to God. Continue reading →