Month: February 2026

Bewilderment

A homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, 2026

Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9

Blind dates can be wonderful, terrible, or just meh. Even in an age of internet matches, we don’t know a lot about someone when we meet them for the first time, and often we make sure we know where the exit is when we get together.

Even a first date with someone we’re already introduced to … that can go well or be a total disaster.

In either situation, how well the relationship develops — or collapses — depends on how much we learn about each other.

Our aha moments. Our moments of epiphany.

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On our way

A homily for the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2026

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11

“Are we there yet?”

Talk about four words that can send chills up and down a parent’s spine.

And then there was the silly song version, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? No, we’re not! No, we’re not!”

Which was almost always followed by the driver of the minivan or SUV hollering, “If you don’t stop that racket, I’m gonna turn this car around!”

Because whenever we go somewhere, our minds are usually focused on where we’ve come from or where we’re going, not on the journey itself.

Lent is a journey.

Continue reading On our way

Affirmative

A homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 15, 2026

Sirach 15:15-20, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, Matthew 5:17-37

In 1982, First Lady Nancy Reagan started a nationwide anti-addiction campaign with a simple name and simple objective: Just Say No to Drugs.  It was a powerful message about the horrific damage illicit substances were causing, especially among young people.

Just Say No could easily have been considered the Eleventh Commandment.

But Just Say No is only a halfway measure. It urges people who care about themselves and the people who love them to turn away from harm, but then what?

What is the Yes we should be saying?

We have one answer as of this coming Wednesday.

Continue reading Affirmative

NaCl

A homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 8, 2026

Isaiah 58:7-10, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Matthew 5:13-16

A few weeks ago, just as Jack Frost started to flex his icy tentacles, the big story in the news was the shortage of salt.

After years of mild winters, many towns’ stockpiles of road salt ran low or completely out. And because recent demand for rock salt had been so-so, several suppliers had cut back on production. It didn’t make sense to manufacture stuff nobody was buying.

Then — whoosh! — the polar vortex and below-zero wind-chill factors and cross-country monster snow-and-ice storms came roaring down from The Great White North. And many of us weren’t getting out of our driveways onto streets that were barely passable anyway.

When we did, we found ourselves at the end of lines at hardware stores that announced they’d just received a shipment of ice melter. Which sold out in minutes. Often while we were still in line, hoping. Sigh.

Salt has a lot more going for it than flavor.

Continue reading NaCl