CONTINUAL PITY
Our birth is like the lighting of a new candle; we burn bright and hot, but like the dwindling candle, our days grow shorter. I look at that candle and sense my mortality—one day the wax will simply run out. “Day in, day out,” said Seneca, “we are advancing towards death; each hour takes a little life away.” How shall we live with the time given to us?
CRUCIFORM LIFE
“Who has bewitched you?” In this age of entertainment and distraction it is so easy to amuse and amaze ourselves to death with trivial matters. To break the spell, I want to portray the cross in all its graphic details and turn your eyes on Jesus.
GIVING THANKS
What do lepers, Jesus, and the Eucharist have to do with each other? Come and see.
MORE THAN WE DESIRE
For many of us, “ephphatha” is the sound we make when a bug flies into our mouth. But for Jesus, “Ephphatha” is the sound of God breathing and speaking fresh new life into weary old souls. Do you know that he knows what we need before we ask? Do you believe that is ready and willing to do more than we desire or imagine?
RETURN TO MERCY
How am I supposed to live the Christian life when I know how weak and sinful I really am? We seem to expect the answer to be, “Well, just try harder.” Or as some think that “if it’s all grace, I can just live as I want.” But isn’t there a better way?
HOUSE OF PRAYER
What is Jesus’ vision for his Church? That it would be a House of Praise music? No. A House of Preaching? No. His vision is that the Church catholic would be(come) the House of Prayer for all peoples.
PLEASING GOD
Everyone is on a pilgrimage — a journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Some will stumble and fall into sin. Some will stray away and wander around. Some will stop short and settle for less. Some will make it all the way. In other words, some will please God and be saved, but many will please themselves and perish. Which best describes your pilgrimage and progress?
THE PROFITABLE WAY
Jesus taught us that there are only two ways to go in this life. One is popular and leads to destruction. The other is not popular but leads to salvation. One way is profitable, the other is harmful. Can you tell the difference? This homily points us to the profitable way.
GARDEN OF GRACE
If God is a gardener and we are his plants, how do we grow? What fruit do we bear?
LOVE OUTPOURED
It has been said that the longest journey anyone can take is from the head to the heart. That’s true for some, but so is the converse. The journey from the heart to the head is just as long. The point is that the two must become one. In this homily Dcn Timothy shows us the divine secret to bridging the gap between the heart and the head.
LAUNCHING OUT
God’s ways are not our ways. After we’ve done all we know to do, all we can do, the Lord often challenges us to do something counter-intuitive by faith. Like Jesus, we find ourselves at a crossroads of decision: My way or Thy way? The way we respond determines whether we enjoy godly quietness or not.
Independence Day
Christian, if your citizenship is in heaven are you exempt from civic duties? Does following Jesus Christ excuse you from performing civil responsibilities on earth? How can Christians live with dual citizenship?
Passing Through Things Temporal
“This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through.” This line from a hymn is oft quoted by Christians who are sick and tired of this old world. And yet they often leave off the rest (and best) of the line: “My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” How do we get from here to there? The collect and homily for Trinity 4 point the way forward.
MERCIFULLY HEAR US
Does God’s silence always equate to his absence? Can he not be silent and present at the same time?
POETRY IN MOTION
True Love has skin in the game. But how do we what true love is, how it lives, moves, acts?
Consolation
Real Consolation for all those who, in the midst of this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.
GRANT US GRACE TO PRAY
That gulf was not fixed at the moment of death. It was being fixed, slowly and silently, across the entire span of his life…The distance between his soul and God grew wider, the chasm deeper, until what had been a life’s habit became an eternal condition.
THE OPEN DOOR
What fills that throne room — what defines it, what never ceases within it — is the worship of the Triune God. This is where Trinity Sunday begins. Not with a doctrine. Not with a definition. With a throne, and an open door, and a voice saying Come.
Pentecost: Spirit, Mary, Church
The Magnificat takes on new shape, new dimension, new meaning in the mouth of the Church who sings along with the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Consider the Magnificat afresh and anew as Mother Church sings these beautiful words with the help of the Holy Spirit.
LOVE COVERS SINS
Does cover mean to sweep under the rug, ignore, pretend nothing is wrong? No. It means to pursue and practice forgiveness. How? By letting it slide, not taking offense, but enduring wrongs — and by seeking a true change of heart and life with quiet patience.