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…
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The Holy One of God
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B); 1-31-2021 Dt 18:15-20. Ps 95. 1 Cor 7:32-35. Mk 1:21-28 Deacon Jim McFadden This Sunday’s Gospel reading (cf. Mk 1:21-28) narrates the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in which he breaks into the world of illusion and of the demonic through his powerful word and deed. Our world,…
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Is It I, Lord?
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 1-24-2021 Jon 3:1-5,10. Ps 25. 1 Cor 7:29-31. Mk 1:14-21 Deacon Jim McFadden Nearly twenty years ago, I was preparing an inmate at Folsom Minimum Security Facility for his confirmation on Christmas day, which was presided by then Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia (may he Rest in Peace). He…
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Listening to God
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 1-17-2021 1 Sam 3:3-10, 19. Ps 42. 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20. Jn 1:35-43 Deacon Jim McFadden The spiritual writer and poet John O’Donohue once wrote, “When you listen with your soul, you come into rhythm and unity with the music of the universe” (Anam Cara—Spiritual Wisdom of the…
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The Heavens are Opened
The Baptism of the Lord (B); 1-10-2021 Is 42: 1-4,6-7. Ps 29. Acts 10:34-38. Mk 1:7-11 Deacon Jim McFadden Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, which also concludes the Christmas season. Mark’s gospel describes what happens on the bank of the Jordan River. At the time that John the Baptist…
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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…
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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