This homily, based on Luke 4:1-13, was delivered at St. Agnes Catholic Church.
We must concede: The devil is one shrewd creature. As we see in today’s Gospel, he is a true master at his craft, with great timing and equally great strategy. The devil knows exactly when to show up and understands exactly which carrot to dangle before our eyes. And he’s relentless, too–even when his target is no less than the Son of God.
This homily, preached at St. Agnes Catholic Church, is based on Matthew 4:19, Isaiah 6:1-8, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
What’s wrong with Isaiah, Peter, and Paul?
All three are outstanding men of God: Isaiah is one of the major Old Testament prophets, Peter the head of the apostles, and Paul the greatest missionary of the Church. And yet in all our readings today, these three utter such unlikely lines, words that most of us wouldn’t expect to hear from such men.
This homily, based on Luke 4:21-30 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, was delivered at St. Agnes Catholic Church.
Things went very wrong rather quickly at this homecoming. Jesus shows up one morning in his hometown, and he is greeted by a huge turnout in the synagogue: Family and friends have come to hear one of their own, now a minor celebrity in his own right. They are amazed at his wisdom, and they are all praises for this son of Nazareth.
All right, maybe for about five minutes. Then it begins.
This homily is based on Luke 4:14-21.
When was the last time you read a book that made you cry? Or if you haven’t read any tear-jerker lately, what was the last movie that moved you to tears?
The last book I read that reduced me to tears surprised me because it did that not just once, but several times–and so strongly that I had to put it down each time–was Fr. Greg Boyle SJ’s Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. It’s not just one story, but a collection of real-life stories of former gang members that Fr. Boyle met through his intervention program called Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles County.
Based on John 2:1-11, this homily was delivered at St. Agnes Church, San Francisco.
The wedding at Cana is one of my favorite miracle stories in the Gospel. We are told that in changing water into wine for that wedding party, our Lord performed his very first miracle.
According to biblical scholars, the miracles of Jesus generally fall into two categories: those that involve healing (including exorcisms and the raising of the dead) and those that concern nature, such as the calming of the storm, the miraculous catch of fish, and the multiplication of loaves. This first miracle at Cana is clearly one of his so-called “nature miracles.” But for me, it isn’t just any other nature miracle. As far as I can tell, it is quite unique and unlike any other miracle of our Lord that we know of.
