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…
Category: Homilies
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“Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled”
The Farewell Discourse (1) 5th Sunday of Easter (A); May 7, 2023 Acts 6:1-7. Ps 33. 1 Pt 2:4-9. Jn 14:1-12 Deacon Jim McFadden In the Gospel passage (Jn 14:1-12) for this weekend we hear the beginning of Jesus’ “Farewell discourse” on the night of the Last Supper, just before facing the Passion. In…
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Jesus Speaks to Us
3rd Sunday of Easter (A); April 23, 2023 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 16, 2023 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 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 Only Life Worth Living Is Serving Others
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord 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 Jerusalem,…
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The Ultimate ‘Encounter-Clash’
5th Sunday of Lent (A); March 26, 2023 Ez 37:12-14. Ps 130. Rom 8:8-11. Jn 11:1-45 Deacon Jim McFadden In today’s Gospel reading we have a stark contrast between Jesus, who is the Lord of Life, and the ruins of death. Let us pause and stand before the last of the miraculous signs which…
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We Can See Clearly Now
4th Sunday of Lent (A); March 19, 2023 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?
Are We Drinking From The Right Well? 3rd Sunday of Lent (A); March 12, 2023 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…
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Listen!
2nd Sunday of Lent (A); March 5, 2023 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,…
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How to Deal with Temptation
1st Sunday of Lent (A); February 26, 2023 Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7. Ps 51. Rom 5:12-19. Mt 4:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden Each year, the first reading and the Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent set before us the narrative of how to respond to temptation. What we see at the beginning of the Creation…
homilies
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…
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,…
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