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HOMILIES

WHAT THE MESSENGER DIDN’T KNOW

487px-Virgin_with_Child_and_Saint_John_the_Baptist-Biagio_dAntonio-MBA_Lyon_B438-IMG_0303This homily is based on Mark 1:1-8.

First to appear on the Advent stage is the familiar but disturbing figure of John the Baptist, the so-called “forerunner and messenger of the Lord.”

We’ve met this guy before: We’ve read about the announcement of his birth before his cousin’s. Yes, that other Annunciation where things didn’t exactly go well: His father Zechariah understandably thought himself and his wife way beyond the age limit for biological parenthood, the angel uncharacteristically lost his cool, and poor Zechariah consequently went speechless for virtually nine months. His prophet son, of course, eventually more than made up for that long silence.

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HOMILIES

PREPARING TO MEET THE EXTRAORDINARY AND THE ORDINARY

6a00e553a2de7288330105362db38d970c-500wiThis homily for the first Sunday of Advent is based on Isaiah 63:16ff, 1 Cor 1:3-9, and Mark 13:33-37.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, and so we light the first of four candles in our Advent wreath.

When you think about it, the season of Advent is really quite underrated, but after all, what do you expect from something that comes right before Christmas–and naturally pales in comparison to it? Yet the Church in her centuries’ worth of wisdom has thought it important that before we rush and celebrate the birth of our Lord, it’s worthwhile to spend some time–in fact, four weeks–just to prepare for Christmas.

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HOMILIES

BUCKET LISTS

downloadThis homily is based on Matthew 25:31-46.

It’s quite fashionable these days to come up with a bucket list. A bucket list is a list of goals in life that one wants to do before one “kicks the bucket”–in other words, must-do’s before one dies.

There are loads of ideas you can consider. If you’re the adventurous type, you could list down traveling to unfamiliar and far-flung places, like seeing the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights in Norway. If you’re athletic, you could try joining a marathon or even a triathlon–or some other extreme sport like skydiving. If you’re into new things, you could list down learning a language you’ve always wanted to learn, or doing something creative like write a book, get into poetry or cartooning. If it’s meaning of life you’re looking for, you might consider donating to charity, doing volunteer work, or some other way to make some difference in someone’s life.

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HOMILIES

HOUSE CLEANING

Note: This homily is based on John 2:13-22.

ste-chapelle

Some years ago I visited a chapel in Paris I never forgot. It’s called the Sainte Chapelle. It was neither impressive nor imposing from the outside, but the moment you step inside, it immediately takes your breath away. For instead of walls, the Sainte Chapelle has columns upon columns of the most colorful and intricate stained glass windows. The stained glasses feature hundreds of Christian images and stories that we have grown up with. Basking in the multi-colored sunlight streaming through those holy images, you can’t help but feel that you are truly in a special and sacred space.

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HOMILIES

TWO IMPOSSIBLE COMMANDMENTS?

This reflection is based on Matthew 22:34-40.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s what I’m thinking too: These are two impossible commandments the Lord gives us.

When our Lord is asked in the Gospel about the single greatest commandment, he gives not one but two answers. He says: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

love

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