Mary Kept and Pondered
Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, January 1, 2026 Nm 6:22-27. Gal 4:4-7. Lk 2:16-21 Deacon Jim McFadden There is an old tradition that Luke the evangelist knew the Blessed Mother and he wove her memories into his…
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Look Up, Get Going, and Bring Gifts
The Epiphany of the Lord (B); January 3rd, 2021 Is 60:1-6. Ps 72. Eph 3:2-3a,5-6. Mt 2:1-12 Deacon Jim McFadden The Epiphany is a feast of light. In the first reading we hear, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (is 60:1). We look
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What’s a Holy Family?
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; 12-27-2020 Sir 3:2-6 Ps 128 Col 3:12-21 Lk 2:22-40 Deacon Jim McFadden Holy Family Sunday gives us the opportunity to reflect upon what makes a family “holy.” Self-help books give a lot of advice as to what can make a family more cohesive, functional, healthier, and
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A Dwelling Place for God
4th Sunday of Advent (B); 12-20-2020 2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16 Ps 89. Rom 16:25-27. Lk 1:26-38 Deacon Jim McFadden As Christmas is nearly upon us, the readings for the 4th Sunday of Advent focus our attention on the notion of a dwelling place for God. In the first reading from the second book of
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Missionaries of Joy
3rd Sunday of Advent (B); 12-13-2020 Is 61:1-2a,10-11. Lk 1:46-50,53-54. 1 Thes 5:16-24. Jn 1:6-8,19-28 Deacon Jim McFadden The human heart desires joy. We all want to be happy. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, “Today is going to be a good day to be miserable!” So, what is the source of
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Pathways to Hope
2nd Sunday of Advent (B); 12-06-2020 Is 40:1-5,9-11. Ps 85. 2 Pt 3:8-14. Mk 1:1-8 Deacon Jim McFadden Last Sunday we began Advent with the anticipation of Christ within our hearts and community at a deeper level. In this Second Sunday of preparation for Christmas, we focus on hope. We hear this refrain in
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Anticipation
1st Sunday of Advent (B); November 29, 2020 Is 63:16b-17,19b; 64:2b-7 Ps 80 1 Cor 1:3-9. Mk 13:33-37 Deacon Jim McFadden Carly Simon in the 1970s sang, “Anticipation, anticipation is makin’ me late, is keepin’ me waitin.” As we enter the new liturgical year and the season of Advent, this song reminds us that
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Jesus, King of the Universe
Christ the King (A); 11-22-2020 Ez 34:11-12 Ps 23. 1 Cor 15:20-26,28 Mt 25:31-46 Deacon Jim McFadden As we conclude our liturgical year, the Church invites us to fix our gaze on our Lord Jesus, the King of the Universe, who is the beginning and end of Salvation History. As King, Jesus preached and
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The Law of the Gift
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); 11-15-2020 Prv 31 Ps 128. 1 Thes 5:1-6. Mt 25:14-30 Deacon Jim McFadden There are a myriad number of laws of nature that obtain anywhere in the cosmos. For example, it’s simply a law that objects fall according to a gravitational pull. There’s the law of energy which is
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Are We There, Yet?
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); 11-08-2020 Wis 2:12-16. Ps 63. 1 Thes 4:13-18. Mt 25:1-13 Deacon Jim McFadden We are a hyper-stimulated, impatient people. Carrie Fisher, in her autobiography once opined that “instant gratification takes too long!” And, the electronic, digital age we now live in has only exacerbated this. We have 5G
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We Are Family–in Jesus!
All Saints Day (A); November 1, 2020 Rv 7:2-4,9-14. Ps 24. 1 Jn 3:1-3. Mt 5:1:12a Deacon Jim McFadden Forty years ago Sister Sledge released a song, We Are Family, that stressed that we are meant to be very close together because we are born into the same family. As Catholics, we know that
homilies
The Holy Family Were Refugees
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; 12-28-2025 Sir 3:2-6. Ps 128. Col 3:12-21. Mt 2:13-15, 19-21 Deacon Jim McFadden On this first Sunday after Christmas, the Liturgy invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family…
a God who gathers
Christmas (A) ; 12-25-2025 Is 52:1-7. Ps 97. Heb 1:1-6 . Jn 1:1-18 Deacon Jim McFadden Christmas celebrates God’s overwhelming desire to be united with us. Sometimes we wonder, why does he bother? He’s perfect—he doesn’t need anything since…
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