ponderings on life and faith
I wasn’t a cradle-Catholic. I discovered God when I was a teenager. Back in the 1960’s, when I was a long haired hippie motorcyclist. I had an old Volkswagen Beetle too. It was purple with flowers painted all over it. Ahh, the sixties. And to be honest, I didn’t really discover God – it was more like I […]
God has a bigger picture, a bigger future, for you. The Transfiguration gives the disciples a glimpse of what lay beyond. A glimpse of a bigger picture. God’s bigger picture. A glimpse of a bigger future. God’s bigger future. It was an experience beyond words and understanding. These three men knew nothing about the planets […]
I had the joy of attending the Ash Wednesday Mass in the little fishing village of Masachapa, Nicaragua. Life in the village is simple. Not many cars – most people get around by foot, or in two-seater bicycle-rickshaws powered by the driver’s efforts at the pedals. The people came in continuing conversations no doubt started […]
Homily for the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle (A) Matthew 5.38-48 : On the mountain, Jesus continued to teach his disciples. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the […]
We live in interesting times. Some might say that in some ways these are more callous, more uncaring times. We are seeing the rise of power and control as a key dynamic within civilizations and peoples. We are seeing a greater spread between the haves and the have-nots. We seem to be living in a world, […]
January 1, 2017. The Feast of Mary, Mother of God Today marks the beginning of a new calendar year,and this is a time where most of us think about the year gone by, and look forward to the year ahead.Maybe even make some plans. Some “2017 Resolutions” You probably had a few items on your […]
[Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent, cycle A] Do you remember when you we a child, how exciting these last few days before Christmas were!! The day was filled with whispered conversations about the gifts under the tree, and already some of your braver siblings had snuck in to give the presents a shake and predict […]
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted ….. Coming to this place tonight may seem anything BUT comforting. Being here tonight brings with it a burden, one I am sure you feel right now, right here in your heart. A heavy sinking feeling. A weight. Death is like that. And we find our losses and […]
Homily – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C Two men looked out from prison bars –One saw mud. The other …… Stars! (bet you are wondering how that fits into todays readings !!) Before we go there, lets explore in a bit more depth the words of the gospel for today. You gotta love […]
Have you ever wondered why it is that on this night that commemorates the institution of both the priesthood and the Eucharist, our Gospel is about foot washing? We would expect perhaps to have a passage from Matthew, Mark or Luke related to the bread and wine of the Last Supper. Instead, we’re given the […]
As mentioned in our weekly bulletin, here is the text of the Canticle of Zechariah from the Morning Prayer of the Church , for your prayers in Holy Week ….. Luke 1:68-79 – The Messiah and his forerunner Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel;he has come to his people and set them free. […]
In early 2016, I had the opportunity to preach about Mercy over a number of Sundays. This post combines those reflections, with the intent of exploring how Mercy can be a powerful theme as we enter Lent in this Extraordinary Year of Mercy, But, before we can start to look at Mercy as a Lenten […]
Many of us have been touched by the words of the 23rd Psalm ….The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want …. When my Father died, and again many decades later when my Mother died, I took great comfort from those words. And I suspect many of you find comfort from those words. Marty […]
I get a tremendous pleasure from being involved in welcoming new members to our faith in the Sacrament of Baptism. A few seconds before this picture was taken, this young lad and I were looking into each other’s eyes, each of us grinning widely. I know not what was on his mind – but I do […]
Jesus opened their mind to understand the scriptures The disciples had seen the hebrew scripture, read it, heard it preached in the synagogues, and the temple. They thought they understood it, and had used their understanding to define what the Messiah would be and do. Well, It didn’t happen that way, did it! Jesus opened their […]
Scripture is the “word of God”. This is the title Christians most commonly give to the Bible, and the expression is rich in meaning. It is also the title given to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God the Son. The word of God is Scripture. The Word of God is Jesus. This close […]
Christianity has often been viewed as the source of positive values towards the environment, and there are many voices within the Christian tradition whose vision embraces the well-being of the earth and all creatures. While St. Francis of Assisi is one of the more obvious influences on Christian ecotheology, there are many theologians and teachers […]
The process of trying to understand what God is calling you to become is known as “Discernment”. It is the process of discovering a deep-rooted sense of purpose in our loves, placed there by God. In this process there are two persons: God and you. And in order to discern God’s will in our life, […]
Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul. As the wind loves to call things to dance,May your gravity by lightened by grace. Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth,May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect. As water takes whatever shape it is […]
Today is the Third Sunday of Advent – also known as Gaudete Sunday. (Gaudete is a Latin word meaning “rejoice.”) The vestments for this Sunday are pink – a very joyful colour! It is a Sunday where we think about joy ….… not a word we use that often anymore. It seems to me that […]
