Coveralls

A homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 15, 2026

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Matthew 25:14-30

We all have skills and talents and creativity and insights that are unique to us while being parts of a greater community whole.

Loving gifts from our Creator God, don’tcha know.

Some of these gifts turn us into beacons, into lighthouses, into searchlights, shining forth the divine light within each of us, we children of God.

Some of them are subtler, like the essential workers on the night shift who invisibly and almost magically protect us as we sleep or clean our offices or restock the supermarkets.

Who we are and what we can do reveal themselves as we grow. Athletic skills, musical or artistic talent, a knack for building or fixing things, the ability to mend broken hearts: Usually, we need to grow into those aspects of ourselves through age or experience.  And when we do, we make the world better.

When we are and when we act as our fullest selves, the world … just … works.

Yes, it’s a dream, but it’s achievable.

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Opportunity

A homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 8, 2026

Wisdom 6:12-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

We look for hope and joy in these days of weaponized fear. And we find them in our faith and in each other.

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RTM

A homily for the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2026

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12a

Most of us are familiar with IKEA, and we’re probably more familiar with the blisters we get when we’re assembling the furniture than we are with IKEA’s Swedish meatballs.

What’s the secret to bolting a dresser together successfully? We follow the instructions.

Carefully.

Precisely.

We Read the Manual.

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Noun or Verb?

A homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 25, 2026

Exodus 22:20-26, 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10, Matthew 22:34-40

What is Love?

At this very moment, there are about 6.8 billion-with-a-B answers to that question. And all of them are correct, at least to a degree.

What is Love?

Continue reading Noun or Verb?

Tatters

A homily for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 11, 2026

Isaiah 25:6-10a, Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Matthew 22:1-14

I wanted a dark-blue car. I would have been happy with a British-racing-green one or a candy-apple-red one, and I’ve owned black ones. But to have the interior I wanted, I bought a white car. Not since I was 17 and somewhat unsuccessfully restored a 1961 Ford Fairlane coupe have I owned a white car.

But every vehicle I’ve ever chosen has had the interior I wanted. And this snowball-colored rig is no different.

Because we use our cars from the inside.

Sure, we admire their shapes and finishes — Ain’t she a beaut! Look at those curves! — but we drive them or ride in them in them. The mechanical stuff that makes them go is in them.

It’s what’s inside that counts (I’ve heard that a few times). You can’t judge a book by its cover (ditto).

So when we hear today’s Gospel from Matthew, we may be tempted to gloss over the many deeper layers of its message.

Continue reading Tatters

Francis

A homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 4, 2026 (but mostly to wrap up the Season of Creation)

Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43

Important information to start: The kittens in the photo are not our cats. I don’t have a group shot of our three, with their vastly divergent personalities. We’ll discuss them shortly.

Also important: Today’s passages from Scripture remind us that inviting our sisters and brothers to a closer relationship with our Creator God is a career, not a job; a marathon, not a sprint. And every single one of us is called to that vocation, using all of our unique God-given skills and talents and creativity to succeed.

Now, here’s the main Big Deal, since we’re speaking of our Creator God:

Continue reading Francis

Newtonian

A homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 27, 2026

Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 21:28-32

Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Or, in the case of youngsters and other immature people, every action that somebody considers unfair is met with a double dose of pouting and stamping feet.

But what’s most unfair is how some of us view fairness.

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Points to ponder

A homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 20, 2026

Isaiah 55:6-9, Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a, Matthew 20:1-16a

We’re not always great at reading people’s minds. We miss the cues: the body language, the facial expressions, the eye contact or lack thereof, the tone of voice.

Sometimes someone has to flat-out say it: “Read my lips. No new taxes.” And even then, the message doesn’t always sink in.

All of us are unique, and that means each of us sees and understands life through a unique lens, a unique perspective, filtered through unique memories and experiences that shape that point of view. We may have much in common, but not everything.

Some of us have nothing in common. That’s a fact of life on this big blue marble we call Earth.

So we spend our lives trying to fathom everything around us and within us, and straining to help others to tune into what we see, feel, and think. Our success rates vary.

Then there’s the Mind of God.

Continue reading Points to ponder

Rage

A homily for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 13, 2026

Sirach 27:30—28:7, Romans 14:7-9, Matthew 18:21-35

Please also see my reflections on 25 years after 9/11/2001

Today’s Scripture passages prove there are no coincidences with God. If ever the three-year cycle of readings just happened to mesh perfectly with world or national events, this is it.

Today, we hear of unity as children of God, and of the power of and necessity for forgiveness.

Forgiveness…

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Ground Zero

A homily for September 11, 2026 (the 25th anniversary)

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27, Luke 6:39-42

Do you remember where you were when it happened?

We ask each other this question all the time about the life-changing events we’ve experienced … and, often, which we’ve shared.

What did you think and feel when Kennedy was assassinated? When Armstrong walked on the Moon? When the Challenger blew up?

On 9/11?

Continue reading Ground Zero