Sunday Homilies
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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Luke 1: 26–38 Gospel Summary Theologians often make a distinction between “high” Christology, which emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus, and “low” Christology, which emphasizes

First Sunday of Advent
Mark 13: 33–37 Gospel Summary In this gospel passage Jesus illustrates the mystery of his future, final coming in power and glory with a simple

Feast of Christ the King
Matthew 25: 31-46 Gospel Summary Today’s selection from the gospel of Matthew is very appropriate for the feast of Christ the King because it portrays

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 25: 14-30 Gospel Summary Jesus tells his disciples this parable: A man going on a journey calls his servants and entrusts his possessions to

Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time
Lectionary 154 In November, as the leaves fall from the trees, as the days become shorter and darker, and as we observe All Souls Day

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 23: 1-12 Gospel Summary After describing four controversies with various religious leaders about paying taxes to Caesar, the nature of resurrection, the greatest commandment,

All Saints Day
Lectionary 667 In the earliest Christian times it was common for Christians to refer to fellow living believers as “saints”—hagioi in Greek. Saint Paul and

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22: 34-40 Gospel Summary In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is frequently involved in confrontational situations. This reflects the tensions in the church of Antioch between

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Lectionary 145 Today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah gives us a lot to consider. It mentions Cyrus, a 6th century B.C. Persian king, describing

Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Isaiah 25:6 – 10 Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 Matthew 22: 1 – 14 The reading from Isaiah begins with the verse; “On this mountain the LORD

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 21:33-43 Gospel Summary The parable of the wicked tenants also appears with some variations in Mk 12: 1-12 and Lk 20: 9-18. In Matthew’s

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 21: 28-32 Gospel Summary In today’s gospel, Matthew shows his concern for the crisis that was caused by the message of Jesus and the

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Matthew 20: 1 – 16a Is this Gospel about fairness or generosity? I have heard some people observe, just as those in the parable who

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary TIme
Lectionary 130 In the course of my ministry as a priest the most common problem people share with me is anger, and the accompanying hesitancy

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 18:15-20 Gospel Summary Today’s gospel passage is taken from the fourth section (13:54-18:35) of Matthew’s gospel in which he explains the relation of Christ

Twenty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time
Matthew 16:21-27 Gospel Summary At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had questioned the disciples about his identity and Peter responded confidently, “You are the Messiah, the Son

Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time
Matthew 16: 13 – 20 When I was a child I loved to have keys. It didn’t matter if they were old car keys, house

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary 118 The timeliness of today’s scripture readings is all the more striking given that they were not hastily arranged in the past couple of

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Luke 1:39-56 Gospel Summary Today’s gospel offers us once again the beautiful story of Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary 115 Today’s readings touch upon a topic I am asked about fairly often; namely, the possibility of salvation for those who do not share