Homily
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The most important part of a Lenten pilgrimage
Two questions: What are your prayer intentions for Lent? How is God answering these intentions? I ask this because I just finished a pilgrimage to the shrines of Mexico. The leader, Fr. Marcel Amadi, said before we started that each pilgrim should have some specific intentions. I chose three. Each day during the pilgrimage, we had at least two opportunities to pray for these intentions: one was during Mass, and the other was during the Novena we recited to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Lent is like a pilgrimage.
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How to Interpret the Upside Down Beatitudes
Jesus is turning what we value upside down. Blessed are the poor?!? Woe to the rich?!? Blessed are those who cry?!? Woe to those who laugh?!? Is he serious? I think we need to let the shock of what he’s saying sink in, and then figure out what we should do about it.
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How to cope when the wine of life runs dry
In the presence of the divine groom, the waters in the jugs can’t help but be transformed into the wine of God, flowing in abundance, drowning the world in love, joy, peace, happiness. But we don’t always feel it. What do you do when the wine runs out?
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Christmas is God’s way of saying, “Excuse me!”
If one ordinary child can change the community in the plane, think about how the birth of the son of God can change the human family. Christmas is our celebration of the God of the universe breaking into our world of selfishness, loneliness, sadness, and pain and saying, “Excuse me!”
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A Word Only Found in the Desert
“The word of God came to John in the desert.” (Lk 3:1-6) These are words of great hope, not only for the people of John’s time but also for you and me. Just as the word of God came to John, the word of God can come to Scott. The Word of God can come to you. Advent is a season where we invite the word of God into our hearts. Why is it important to hear the Word of God? It is the only word that could make sense of the sorrow, oppression, helplessness, confusion, and pain. It’s the only word that can repair this broken world. Let’s learn…
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What do you need to leave behind?
Homily for the 30th Sunday: Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mk 10:46-52) That’s quite a question from Jesus: What do you want me to do for you? The blind Bartimaeus answered, “I want to see.” If Jesus were to ask you the same question, how would you answer: What do you want me to do for you? Think about that answer for a minute or two while I talk about the question. The question reveals a few things about how Jesus relates to us. First of all, the question…
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Don’t succumb to the eyes of envy
Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time Envy is not a pretty word. It is a deadly word. Out of the seven deadly sins, envy is number two. Number one is our other ‘frenemy’, pride. Saint James says it is the source of all wars and conflicts. “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? You covet but do not possess. You… envy but you cannot obtain. (James 4:1-2) He continues to say: “Where [there is] jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is [also] disorder and every foul practice. With such scathing comments, what is envy, and what can we do about it? Envy…
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What is the two-point plan of Jesus?
Can you imagine someone running for political office saying the same things Jesus said in the gospel (Mk 8:27-35)? “Fellow Citizens. Let me introduce my two-point plan to benefit all: (1) Deny yourself. (2) Take up your cross. Follow me!” He or she is not going to get many votes. Yet that is the two-point plan Jesus said to his disciples. “"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
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The three most important items for a faith journey
Jesus sent the twelve on a journey (Mk 6:7-13). Jesus also sends us on a journey. It is a journey of faith, a journey of life, and a journey of mission. Let us join the twelve and learn what Jesus has to teach. It first was a journey of faith. This journey begins in Nazareth. The gospel says that Jesus could not perform any mighty deeds in their lives because of their lack of faith. It might be said that Jesus is unable to perform any mighty deeds in your life because of your lack faith. To improve their lack of faith, Jesus sent the twelve on a journey of…
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One Thing Contrary to the Kingdom of God: Control
When facing life's uncertainties, what can you do?
