The cross is the way home
The Cross is the Way Home 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 30, 2026 Jer 20:7-9. Ps 63. Rom 12:1-2. Mt 16:21-27 Deacon Jim McFadden After establishing Peter as the rock of his Church, Jesus then begins to speak…
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Jesus speaks to us
3rd Sunday of Easter (A); April 19, 2026 Acts 2:14,22-33. Ps 16. 1 Pt 1:17-21. Lk 24:13-35 Deacon Jim McFadden Why was it so difficult for the two disciples to recognize the Risen Lord? Jesus’ death scattered his disciples and shattered their hopes and dreams. Previously, they had been so full of hope and enthusiasm;…
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mulder and Thomas
Divine Mercy Sunday (A); April 12, 2026 Acts 2:42-47. Ps 118. 1 Pt 1:3-9. Jn 20:19-31 Deacon Jim McFadden During the ‘90s, a popular, albeit off-beat television show was the X-Files, featuring agent Fox Mulder, an investigator of the para-normal. He had a poster in office of a UFO and the words “I want…
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A Different dawn
Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of Our Lord; 4-06-2026 Acts 10:334,37-43. Ps 118. Col 3:1-4. Jn 20:1-9 Deacon Jim McFadden Today we are celebrating the apex of the liturgical calendar; indeed, it is the nucleus of our Faith: The Resurrection of the Lord. In the midst of so much uncertainty—the dire predictions of climate change outcomes,…
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The cross: A sneak preview
Good Friday: The Passion of the Lord (A); 2026 Deacon Jim McFadden Can you imagine was must have transpired in Hell when Jesus died on the Cross? No doubt some serious infernal celebration must have erupted when the Son of God breathed His last. (Think of a diabolical version of the World’s Cup Final, Super…
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holy thursday: It’s not about a bath!
Ex 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15 Deacon Jim McFadden Tonight is often called the feast of friends, the friends of God. Sounds good, but there’s a stark challenge: to be friends of God, we have to live a certain way. Along this theme, tonight is also a remembrance of Who God is and…
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the only life worth living is serving others
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (A) Mt 21:1-11 (proc.) Is 50:4-7. Ps 22. Phil 2:6-11. Mt 27:11-54 Deacon Jim McFadden Every year is a moving experience on Palm Sunday as we go with Jesus towards the Temple, accompanying him on the ascent which leads to the Cross. As Jesus enters…
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Beyond the walls of death
5th Sunday of Lent (A); March 22, 2026 Ez 37:12-14 P s 130 Rom 8:8-11 In 11:1-45 Deacon Jim McFadden There are only two weeks to go to Easter and the Bible readings speak about resurrection. It is not yet that of Jesus, which burst forth in absolutely mind-blowing innovation, but our own resurrection, to…
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We can see clearly now
4th Sunday of Lent (A); March 15, 2026 1 Sam 16:1b,6-7,10-13a. Ps 23. Eph 5:8-14. Jn 9:1-41 Deacon Jim McFadden As we read today’s Gospel from John (9:1-41), it will be helpful to remember John’s audience and his purpose. John is writing at the end of the first century to people who were waiting…
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are we drinking from the right well?
3rd Sunday of Lent (A); March 8, 2026 Ex 17:3-7. Ps 95. Rom 5:1-8. Jn 4:5-42 Deacon Jim McFadden This Sunday we have the wonderful opportunity to revisit the story of the woman at the well, which is the definitive text of Christian evangelization. The lengthy Gospel passage tells us Jesus’ meeting with a…
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listen!
2nd Sunday of Lent (A); March 1, 2026 Gen 12:1-4a. Ps 33. 2 Tim 1:8b-10. Mt 17:1-9 Deacon Jim McFadden Our magnificent first reading is a short passage from the beginning of the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis. Prior to it are chapters 3-11, which describe not the world that God intended,…
homilies
“Who Do You say that i am?”
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 23, 2026 Is 22:19-23. Ps 138. Rom 11:33-36. Mt 16:13-20 Deacon Jim McFadden Midway through his public ministry, Jesus ventured with his disciples to the northern reaches of the Promised Land, to the…
“Lord, Help Me”
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 16, 2026 Is 56:1,6-7. Ps 67. Rom 11:13-15,29-32. Mt 15:21-28 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel (Mt 15:21-28) presents us with a unique example of faith in Jesus’s encounter with a Canaanite woman,…
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