Tag: Commandments

No Brag

A homily for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 31, 2025

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29, Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a, Luke 14:1, 7-14

The older folks among us will remember when the most-watched shows on TV were Westerns. “Gunsmoke.” “Bonanza.” “Wagon Train.” And even these days, they’re getting a pretty decent ride on rerun channels like MeTV.

I don’t remember which Western this happened on, but I do remember a scene in which some tenderfoot came up to a gunslinger, and their conversation went something like this:

“Some people say you’re the fastest gun in these parts. True?”

“It’s true. I can outdraw any man.”

“That’s some pretty serious bragging, mister.”

“No brag. Just fact.” 

Continue reading No Brag

Seedlings

A homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 10, 2025

Wisdom 18:6-9, Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19, Luke 12:32-48

As it turns out, most of the stories about Johnny Appleseed were true, and only mildly embellished.

Here are a couple of salient paragraphs from the Wikipedia entry on this American folk hero:

Johnny Appleseed (born John Chapman; September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds (as opposed to trees grown with grafting) to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario, as well as the northern counties of West Virginia. He became an American icon while still alive, due to his kind, generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance that he attributed to apples. …

The popular image is of Johnny Appleseed spreading apple seeds randomly everywhere he went. In fact, he planted nurseries rather than orchards, built fences around them to protect them from livestock and wildlife, left the nurseries in the care of a neighbor who sold trees on shares, and returned every year or two to tend the nursery. … Continue reading Seedlings

F.A.O.

A homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 3, 2025

Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23, Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11, Luke 12:13-21

“He who dies with the most toys wins!”

Hmm…

I think that, when it’s my time to go, I’ll rate at least a bronze medal.

Continue reading F.A.O.

Delivery people

A homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 13, 2025

Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37

It’s something of an urban legend that Amazon delivery drivers go undetected by Ring doorbell cameras. They place packages on our doorsteps, photograph them and email those photos to us as confirmation of safe deliveries.

Invisibly, somehow.

Continue reading Delivery people

Do what?

A homily for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 22, 2025

Genesis 14:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11b-17

Many folks know I’m a retired journalist, which means I made my living for four decades through the careful use of words. So let’s take a moment today to think about an important word. A word that’s important today and every day.

The word is “this.”

T-H-I-S.

Continue reading Do what?

Meet and greet

A homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 25, 2025

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20, John 17:20-26

(proclaiming the second reading and Gospel from the Seventh Sunday of Easter)

Irish poet William Butler Yeats said, “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.”

And dozens, maybe thousands, of notable people have said the same thing, sometimes adding their own little twists to it.

If I may be so bold, here’s my little variation:

There are no strangers, only sisters and brothers we haven’t met yet.

Continue reading Meet and greet

Reciprocal

A homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2025

Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5a, John 13:31-33a, 34-35

None of us can love ice cream, no matter how vigorously or energetically foot-stompingly any of us insists we absolutely do.

Not vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. Not cookie dough or coconut or fudge ripple or key lime pie. Not even chocolate chip mint!

None of us can love ice cream, though any and all of us can really, really like it.

We can’t love ice cream because ice cream can’t love us back.

Continue reading Reciprocal

Woolen

A homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 11, 2025

Acts 13:14, 43-52, Revelation 7:9, 14b-17, John 10:27-30

In the incredibly long-running BBC science fiction show “Doctor Who,” The Doctor’s space- and time-travel vessel is bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Yes, that’s a key plot point.

Today’s passage from John’s Gospel has that same characteristic. Its messages — and there are several — are far larger than the 62 words proclaimed. It’s bigger on the inside than on the outside. No alien technology required.

Continue reading Woolen

Rent-free space

A homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 27, 2025

Acts 5:12-16, Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31

It seems like forever that people have disagreed on whether it’s better to forgive and forget or forgive and remember whenever someone — or some institution — has done wrong by us.

Both sides make strong cases.

Those who’d forgive and forget wipe the slate clean. You’re sorry; I forgive you; let’s pretend the whole thing never happened. It’s a lot less to carry around when we’re all bearing crosses of some sort.

Then again, those who forgive and remember choose to watch out for the same thing happening again. Yes, I forgive you, but I also have my eye on you. You say you’re sorry, and I mostly believe you, but I’m on guard. My radar is on. I’m wearing armor. Fool me once, etc.

Definitely an either-or proposition.

Continue reading Rent-free space

Upside down

A homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 23, 2025

1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38

A few days ago, 80 people miraculously survived a plane crash in Toronto. As the jetliner was landing, it suddenly tipped over onto its right side, snapped off its wing, and rolled onto its roof, skidding down the runway.

CNN reported:

After the aircraft came to a standstill, “we were upside down hanging like bats,” passenger Peter Koukov said. He was able to unbuckle himself and stand upright on the ceiling of the plane, but some people needed help getting down from their seats.

Their world had turned upside down.

Continue reading Upside down