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…
Category: Homilies
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proclamation that God is Near
Proclaim that God is Near 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); June 14, 2026 Ex 19:2-6a. Ps 100. Rom 5:6-11. Mt 9:36-10:8 Deacon Jim McFadden What strikes me in today’s Gospel is that Jesus calls the Apostles by name and then he sends them out. He’s giving them a personal invitation, which obtains for…
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The Eucharist: the sacrament of memory
Corpus Christi Sunday (A); June 7, 2026 Dt 8:2-3,14-16. Ps 147. 1 Cor 10:16-17. Jn 6:51-58 Deacon Jim McFadden On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the idea of memory comes up frequently. At the get-go we hear in our 1st reading from Deuteronomy, Remember how the Lord your God has lead you” (Dt 8:2). Shortly…
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the center cannot hold without god
The Most Holy Trinity (A); May 31, 2026 Ex 34:4-9. Dn 3:52-5. Cor 13:11-13. Jn 3:16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden For the last several years, our country has been going through a period of chaos, turmoil, disruption, and tearing apart. Sometimes I wonder, “Was there ever a ‘good old days’”? The German philosopher Artur Schopenhauer…
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Mary, Mother of the Church
Monday after Pentecost Gen 3:9-15,20. Ps 87. Jn 19:25-34 Deacon Jim McFadden As Vatican II was coming to a close, St. Pope Paul VI bestowed upon Mary the title of Mother of the Church, which is celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost. While we’re very familiar that Mary as the Mother of Jesus, the…
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the other guy
Pentecost Sunday (A); May 24, 2026 Acts 2:1-11. Ps 104. 1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13. Jn 20:19-23 Deacon Jim McFadden When I was a boy in the very distant past, the 3rd Person of the Trinity was referred to as the Holy Ghost. Associating ghosts with spooky movies or novels, I wasn’t too keen on interacting…
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our faith is increased by the Lord’s Ascension
Ascension of the Lord (A); May 17, 2026 Acts 1:1-11 Ps47 Eph 1:7-23 Mt 28:16-20 Deacon Jim McFadden For the last two Sundays, we reflected upon Jesus Farewell Discourse which was his last will and testament; there, the nucleus of our Christian faith was on full display. Moreover, he promised us that he will not…
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learn the art of loving
The Farewell Discourse, Part 2 6th Sunday of Easter (A); May 10, 2026 Acts 8:5-8,14-17 Ps 66 1 Pt 3:15-18 In 14:15-21 Deacon Jim McFadden During the ‘50s (1956) a world famous psychoanalyst Erich Fromm wrote a remarkable book, The Art of Loving, which was a daring and challenging prescription to learn how to love…
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“Do not let your hearts be troubled”
The Farewell Discourse (1) 5th Sunday of Easter (A); May 3, 2026 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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Let us listen and follow
Good Shepherd Sunday (A); April 26, 2026 Acts 2:14,36-41. Ps 23. 1 Pt 2:20-25. Jn 10:1-10 Deacon Jim McFadden Today is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday, which presents us one of the most beautiful images that has portrayed our Lord Jesus since the earliest centuries of the Church: The Good Shepherd. For those of…
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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;…
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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