Category: Homilies

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); September 25,  2022 Am 6:1a,4-7.  Ps 146.  1 Tm 6:11-16.  Lk 16:19-31 Deacon Jim McFadden             Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us that God, “the maker of heaven and earth,” upholds the anawim, Old Testament code for the stranger, the widow, and the orphan—the most marginalized  in a kinfolk society. …

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25th  Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); September 18, 2022 Am 8:4-7.  Ps 113.  1 Tm 2:1-8.  Lk 16:1-13 Deacon Jim McFadden        The parable in this Sunday’s Gospel passage (Lk 16:1-13) involves a shrewd, albeit dishonest steward who, charged with wasting his master’s goods, is about to be fired.  He’s prepared to do anything to…

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time; September 11, 2022 Ex 32:7-11,13-14.  Ps 51.  1 Tim 1:12-17.  Lk 15:1-32 Deacon Jim McFadden             Today’s Gospel passage (Lk 15:1-32) begins with several people criticizing Jesus for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners and they scornfully say: “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (v. 2).  Well,…

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Friday of the 22nd Second week in Ordinary Time (C) 1 Cor 4:1-5.   Ps 37.   Lk 5:33-39 Deacon Jim McFadden          Jesus’ parable of the the old wineskins/new wineskins is a call to metanoia, namely changing  of one’s mind from an egoic consciousness to one where  we interpret everything through the lens of Christ crucified. …

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); September 4, 2022 Wis 9:13-18b.  Ps 90.  Phlm 9:10,12-17.  Lk 14:25-33 Deacon Jim McFadden        Luke tells us that great crowds were following Jesus; he was a very popular man, a fascinating figure.  If Jesus were physically with us today, he’d be all over the Internet, the focus of…

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); August 14, 2022 Jer 38:4-6,8-10.  Ps 40   Heb 12:1-4.  Lk 12:49-53 Deacon Jim McFadden             In today’s first reading Jeremiah is in the middle of a national crisis, political power plays, and civic turmoil.  (I know, somethings just don’t change.)  Jeremiah has incurred the animosity of those in power…

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); August 21, 2022 Is 66:18-21.  Ps 117.  Heb 12:5-7,11-13.  Lk 13:22-30 Deacon Jim McFadden        Nearly 20 years ago an inmate at Folsom Prison approached me and said, “Deacon, I came across a number in Scripture that says only  150,000 people are going to be saved.  If that’s so,…

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); August 7, 2022 Wis 18:6-9.  Ps 33.  Heb 11:1-2,8-19.  Lk 12:32-48 Deacon Jim McFadden             Many of our Gospel readings this summer have been about the Call to Discipleship.  Today’s passage notes that once we’ve made the transition from the Ego-drama (my life is about me) to the Theo-drama…

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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); 7-31-2022 Eccl 1:2;2:21-23.  Ps 95.  Col 3:1-5,9-11.  Lk 12:13-21 Deacon Jim McFadden             During the early ‘60s, the folk-rock group, The Byrds, had a mega-hit called Turn! Turn! Turn!  which was adapted from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.  I found the song to be riveting, which encouraged me to…

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); 7-24-2022 Gn 18:20-32.   Ps 138.  Col 2:12-14.  Lk 11:1-13 Deacon Jim McFadden        The Our Father is probably the prayer most often prayed throughout the world.  Within the Catholic Church, it is prayed twice during the Liturgy of the Hours—at Lauds and Vespers—which doesn’t include being recited at Holy…

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