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In this site, you will find homilies, reflections (original or from others), Catholic Factoids (stuff that’s currently in the news), Catechesis (which will be grounded in the Catechism), and videos (the library is limited, but very lively!) shared by Dc. McFadden.

Homilies —Articles —Reflections —Bible Studies

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HOMILIES

Homilies

Don’t Talk to the Divider!

1st Sunday of Lent (A); February 22, 2026 Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7. Ps 51. Rom 5:12-19. Mt 4:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden Each year, the Gospel of the 1st Sunday of Lent presents us with the narrative of Jesus in the desert, tempted by the Devil. There are several descriptions of Satan, but one thing is constant: he divides; he tears asunder: He is the consummate Divider. We know that he is at work when we see the effects of division, which is what he sets out to do with Jesus in the desert. And, as we reflect upon this story,…

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February 22, 2026February 22, 2026

Ash Wednesday: A Time for pruning

Jl 2:12-18. Ps 51. 2 Cor 5:20-6:2. Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden People of God, we come once again, to that great season of Lent, which is a great opportunity to prune away falseness, superficiality, and indifference to God, each other, and Creation. At the beginning of our Lenten journey, the Word of God offers us not one, but two invitations—and they are addressed to each one of us. If they showed up on our e-mail account, they would read PLEASE READ! The first one comes by way of our brother St. Paul, who says in…

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February 18, 2026February 18, 2026

Respect a Person’s Dignity!

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); February 15, 2026 Sir 15:15-20. Ps 119. 1 Cor 2:6-10. Mt 5:17-37 Deacon Jim McFadden It can begin with the smallest gesture: an interested glance across a classroom, the brushing of a hand, asking for that first date when your stomach is in a knot. Lifelong love builds from little expressions of care before it becomes self-surrender to the beloved. At the opposite end of the spectrum, egregious acts of murder, marital betrayal, and deception begin with little sparks of anger, white lies and exaggerations, and lustful looks. In today’s Gospel Jesus instructs…

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February 15, 2026February 15, 2026

The World really needs us to be light and salt!

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); February 8, 2026 Is 58:7-10. Ps 112. 1 Cor 2:1-5. Mt 5:13-16 Deacon Jim McFadden The Sundays leading up to Lent, the liturgy offers us teachings from the Sermon of the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The Beatitudes launch the Sermon, providing the structure for subsequent teachings, which emphasize Jesus’ words describing his disciples mission in the world. Today, our Lord uses the metaphors of salt and light, which are directed not only to his followers in first century Palestine, but to us as well in the 21st century because we are…

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February 8, 2026February 8, 2026

the eucharist: happiness now!

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); February 1, 2026 Zep 2:3; 3:12-13. Ps 146. 1 Cor 1:26-31. Mt 5:1-12 Deacon Jim McFadden In Charles Dickens’ famous tale A Christmas Carol, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, and is then shown three ghostly scenes from the past, present, and future. This experience brings about Scrooge’s transformation from an utterly stingy person who has no compassion for his fellow human beings into a man who awakens on Christmas morning full of hope that the scenes he has witnessed can yet…

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February 1, 2026February 1, 2026

The Light that Radiates from the Periphery

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); January 25, 2026 Is 8:23-9:3. Ps 27. 1 Cor 1:10-13,17. Mt 4:12-23 Deacon Jim McFadden Usually, Catholic homilists dive right into the Gospel to unpack its meaning for the community. What I’d like to do is to reflect upon our first reading, which is the take-off point for Matthew’s Gospel in which he describes a land that is very dark and foreboding, but that a great light has arisen. What is significant of the land of Zebulon and Naphtali ? For most of us, we just skim over it to get to the…

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January 25, 2026January 25, 2026

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SPIRITUAL RESOURCES

bible studies

Drawing from Scripture scholars, I have tried to convey their insights in way that is accessible to the ordinary person. Such topics covered have been the synoptic Gospels along with John, Acts of the Apostles, the Infancy Narratives, and Advent and Lenten reflections (cycles A, B, and C). Along this line, I’ve also offered a commentary on papal encyclicals, especially that of Pope Francis.

ARTICLES

Over the years, I have written for such publications as Shalom Tidings and Spirituality magazines. The recurrent and underlying themes are grounded in our relationship with our Lord Jesus: namely, how can we respond to our Lord’s invitation to an authentic I-Thou relationship with Him and with the One who sent Him?

HOMILIES

I prayerfully prepare the homily under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the Doer and I am the instrument. In so doing, I focus on one major theme, which guards against wandering and freely associating. The spotlight is on the Lord, not on me, the homilist. In terms of length, the sweet spot seems to be eight minutes, no more than ten.

REFLECTIONS

This domain is a religiously grounded application of our Catholic
Tradition within the political, economic, and social domains. Often under the guise of Catholic Trends, I riff off of topics of contemporary interest that hopefully are consonant with our Social Justice Tradition.