Shows
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Funeral of Sharon KnipperThis past Friday our family came together to celebrate the life of a dear wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter and friend – Sharon Knipper. Her five-year battle with cancer ended and her new life with our risen Lord began. We will never forget the gift of love and life and compassion that Sharon gave each and every one of us…a gift, along with her contagious smile, that we will all continue to share with all those in our lives.
2025-06-0210 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Feast of the AscensionThe Feast of the Ascension brings to mind all the historic art that shows Jesus ascending upward on a cloud, with the disciples looking towards heaven. It makes for great art and reflects the cosmology of those times, but if we stop there, we totally miss the whole concept of what the Ascension means to you and me today. So what is that? Check it all out…
2021-05-1708 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Easter MorningThe Gospel tells us that the disciples had no idea what ‘risen from the dead’ even meant. Do we? Wisdom from Pope Francis…and from children in an African tribe may just open our eyes in a new way so that we can better see how we are connected in our call to make all things new. And that Easter tells us that through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, love wins out over death every time and therefore nothing dies forever and that all that has died in love will be reborn into an even larger love – into the B...
2021-04-0407 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Good FridayDuring this time of the pandemic, instead of focusing just on the cross that Christ died on – a death that was for us…what if we spent some time on the deaths that happen to us…to focus on our crosses and on our dying that needs to occur each day? In other words of the need to die to our egos, our strategies, our politics, and our prejudices. If not, then are we missing the point Christ was making when he called for us to carry our crosses? Check it out…
2021-04-0309 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Palm SundayI was blessed to have just returned from spending three weeks with my nineteen-month-old granddaughter, Bloom. During our time together she retaught me one of the core lessons we need to be reminded of this Palm Sunday as we move into Holy Week. What did she do and what did she teach me? Check it out…
2021-03-2907 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Feast of the EpiphanySo, when there is so much turmoil, so much fear, so much uncertainty, so much unrest in our world and in our lives, it is easy to ask, “Where is this epiphany, this manifestation of the Lord?” I think the answer lies within two key lines of today’s Gospel. What are those lines? And why should we carry those lines with us each day? Check it out…
2021-01-0309 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Feast of the Holy FamilyAs a father and grandfather I really enjoy the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family which allows us to look at how this God incarnate…this Christ Child…this God among us has a direct connection to our daily life and our family. Which raises questions like: How do we as a community of believers share the blessings from this table onto others? How can we help others see God in themselves? How do we bring the gift and graces from the altar table onto the table of our homes? Perhaps a story about a father, his daughter...
2020-12-2710 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Christmas 2020Luke, who wrote this Christmas narrative we hear every year, mentions twice that this baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager – and that this was a sign. And it is this sign that gives us a powerful message this night – a sign that breaks open the meaning of Christmas! What is this sign? And what is Christmas really all about? Check it out….
2020-12-2509 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of AdventOver the past three weeks of Advent we have called to stay awake, to be alert, all the while listening and waiting and making straight our paths. So, what has your Advent been like during these times of the pandemic? Outside of marking the time by lighting the Advent candles each week, what, perhaps have you been seeing, feeling or doing differently this year?Faced with all the challenges that have been brought upon us this past year, today’s Gospel gives us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are call...
2020-12-2109 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 1st Sunday of AdventThis weekend we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. Once again, we hear from Mark’s Gospel and the need to be awake, alert and always watching? But what are we watching for…and whatever it is, could it be where we least expect to find it? And how can the story of two boys who run Cross Country Track – one of who is blind, help us to see in a new way?Check it out...
2020-11-2909 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A“Many are invited, but few are chosen” is unfortunately one of the most misread, misunderstood and misused phrases in the Bible. Then again, so is the parable of the Wedding Banquet where the King acts with anger and vengeance on those who refuse his invitation to come to the wedding.So what is the meaning hidden within this parable and how can we really look at what seems to be a line of exclusion at the end of the Gospel? Check it all out…
2020-10-1110 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend’s Gospel of the vineyard landowner paying a full day’s wages to those who worked all day as well as those who worked for only an hour has us often crying out, unfair…echoing all those times in our lives when we feel the same way – that life is just unfair.While I still mourn the recent tragic death of my 3 year old grandson, it is he and my other three grandchildren who give me a continuing gift that allows me to better understand this Gospel…and how to better recognize God in our lives. Wh...
2020-09-2010 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeIn last week’s Gospel Peter got it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment, we hear this week, Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? Peter goes from a foundational rock – to a stumbling block.So why the big swing with Peter? There seems to be competing voices going on in Peter’s head. So what does this mean to us and the voice we need to be listening to each and every day? Check it out…
2020-08-3010 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 16th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend Jesus tells us through parables that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a sower who leaves weeds in his wheat…is like a mustard seed…and like yeast. So, what do these three parables have in common and, after all, what and where is the Kingdom of Heaven? And how does all this point to what we each need to be doing right now in our lives? Check it all out…
2020-07-1909 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis Sunday we return to "Ordinary Time" but for the past 3 months, clearly nothing has been ordinary - forcing us to revisit what discipleship needs to look like. So, taking scripture and current events - what may we be missing in our lives that prevents us from living the Gospel?
2020-06-2208 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 1st Sunday of LentIt is every year during the first Sunday of Lent that we hear the familiar Gospel story of angels leading Jesus into desert to be tempted by Satan. What is interesting, is that the line immediately preceding this passage speaks of God’s love for his Son. It doesn’t seem like the way you would treat your son or daughter. So there must be a reason why the Gospel writer crafted this story of the three quintessential temptations of pride, privilege and power, to immediately follow the initiation of Jesus to his ministry. What point was Matthew trying to ma...
2020-03-0111 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Ash Wednesday 2020Most if not all of us have likely been spending some time choosing some form of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that we will exercise this Lent. But maybe – just maybe – this might be the year we stretch ourselves so to choose to live, to see and to act differently in such a way that these 40 days of Lent may move us in a different direction than years past. A direction that has us living the marrow of the Gospel. But to do so, just may require us to revisit our image of God – the true image that we are created...
2020-02-2708 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Funeral for Peter PoloneyOn December 23, 2019, just after turning 93 years old, my father-in-law Peter Poloney died…joining with the Communion of Saints, with his beloved wife, Patricia, who died just months ago. It is not uncommon for a couple who spent so many years together to die within months of one another…as it was with Peter. So yesterday we laid Peter to rest – back at “home” with Patricia…together again to spend an eternity fishing, laughing and loving.Their favorite past time of fishing reminded me of the passage from John, where Peter and his friends spend a day and evening fishin...
2020-01-0311 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of AdventAs we light our fourth Advent candle, this season of waiting and hoping and preparation comes quickly to close with Christmas just a few days away. All Advent we have sung Maranatha – which is Aramaic for – Our Lord has come. So how does living a life woven in the fabric of this season allow us to be aware of the Christ who in our lives right now? Perhaps John the Baptist, Joseph of Nazareth and Greta Thunberg can shed light on that answer. See what I mean…
2019-12-2308 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Christ the KingThis evening we bring our Liturgical Year to a close as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. But this feast day is really more about kinship than it is about kingship. Just look at the Gospels we have been given this past year. For Jesus was always eating with wrong people, at the wrong time, on the wrong day with non-Jews, and sinners, and ignoring all the purity codes that his religion required at that time. So if we are to follow Christ the King how do we practice kinship over kingship? Perhaps actor Mandy Patinkin sharing hi...
2019-11-2409 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary TimeCertainly listening to today’s readings of apocalyptic literature, dealing with end times as well as the destruction of the temple may make some of us squirm a bit in our seats. But if you look carefully at when and why it was written you realize that this scripture is not about future events rather it is about imminent reality – the here and now. So where does our focus need to be? And what insight can theologian N.T. Wright provide which just may open our eyes to where God is present? Check it out…
2019-11-1708 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Wedding of Carole Moore and John WagnerThis past weekend I had the honor to officiate the wedding of a longtime friend, Carole Moore, who has directed the Children’s Choir at our parish of St. Paul Church in Princeton for over 30 years. Having lost her husband and my dear friend to cancer some 10 years ago – it was one of the first funerals I served as a Deacon.Allowing God to open her eyes, Carole met a wonderful man, John Wagner, whose 40 year marriage ended with the death of his wife from cancer a few years ago. With a combined 65 years of marriage to thei...
2019-10-2310 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Funeral of Patricia PoloneyI think one of hardest lessons we learn is that life and death always coexist. As was witnessed this past Friday when my mother-in-law’s 6th great-grandchild was born and by the end of the day her life in this world ended. Today, family and friends came together as we mourned her death and celebrated her life in the Mass of the Resurrection. I was Privileged to preach at her funeral...so listen to how in her final weeks she was able to open our eyes to what the Irish call the ‘thin places’ in life and the spiritual wisdom...
2019-09-1115 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 19th Sunday in OT, Cycle CThis weekend we are cautioned to, “Be prepared for at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come.” But if our only concern in life is all about just focusing on what we need to do in order to get into heaven, we are missing the whole point of the entire Gospel.For the Divine Knock on the door just doesn’t happen before we take our last breath, rather it happens all the time – in unexpected ways with unexpected people. So if we cannot recognize the face of God here and now…how we will...
2019-08-1108 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 16th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis week we hear that all-too-familiar gospel of Martha and Mary. The one with Martha running around and doing all the work while Mary remains seated at the foot of our Lord…and is told that Mary has chosen the better way. But this gospel is not one that was written necessarily to show that a contemplative life is superior to one that is filled with action….or that Jesus necessarily prefers prayer over the preparation of a meal. So what is the deeper meaning of this story? Check it out…
2019-07-2208 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Corpus Christi 2019This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi and the Gospel provides us one of the six accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes – the only miracle recorded by all four Gospel writers. Maybe you have noticed the one line in the Gospel, which I have missed all these years. What is that line and why is it so important in yielding the key to unlock the meaning of this well told story – and thus of this Feast Day? Check it out!
2019-06-2308 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 5th Sunday of EasterThis weekend’s Gospel from John drops us in at the end of the Last Supper as Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment on how to live and love. The old directive was to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus takes this up a few notches and says we are to love another as Christ loved us. So, what does that kind of love – depth of love – Christ centered love - look like? Perhaps the easiest way to understand this is through stories by Parker Palmer, Jean Vanier and Greg Boyle. Take a listen to the invitation t...
2019-05-1910 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 5th Sunday of LentThis weekend’s Gospel is the story of the adulterous woman who is about to be stoned with the scribes and the Pharisees having Jesus caught between a rock and a hard place (bad pun). We all know how the story ends – but what was Jesus really teaching those gathered in the Temple? Take a second look and you will find the deeper lesson of this Gospel – one that is so often missed…because it just may be hitting too close to home. Check it out…
2019-04-0710 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 2nd Sunday of LentEvery year on the second Sunday of Lent we hear the Gospel story of the Transfiguration. A story that speaks of the brilliant LIGHT of Christ shining on all gathered – but juxtaposed with the dark Cloud of God which casts shadows and frightens. I think we could all find it easy to associate the Divine with the Light of Christ…but with darkness? See how the story of a starving 10 year old Ecuadorian girl can possibly shed light onto your darkness…
2019-03-1610 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Ash Wednesday 2019This past Wednesday Christians came together to be marked on the forehead with ashes, beginning the 40 day journey of Lent. Most have figured out some favorite food or activity to give up, which is all well and good. But what about looking at the way we pray. Sure we come to church…we say our prayers at home…but do we pray as Jesus taught us how to pray?The Gospel passage is of Jesus teaching his disciples on how to pray: stop babbling words for God already knows what you need; instead, go to your inner room, c...
2019-03-0807 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle CThis weekend we heard how blessed are those who are poor and hungry and woe to those who are rich and well-fed. Once again Jesus is turning our thinking upside down. The Beatitudes always seem to perplex many as to what kind of lives are we being called to.Using some insight from the soon-to-be-released book by world renowned liturgical music composer David Haas, along with wisdom from Lutheran minister Nadia Bolz-Weber who provides current context for a sermon we have heard so many times may just open all of our eyes to seeing how we can al...
2019-02-1709 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: Christmas 2018The birth of Christ is God’s deepest intention to love. Jesus is the ‘yes’ to God’s love – reminding us that God is already here and now…always ready to be with us in our becoming something new. Christmas is a time for us to move out of darkness...by beginning to see with a new set of eyes the glory of the God that shines around us. See what I mean...
2018-12-2607 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of AdventHolidays have a way of often bringing to the surface darkness from the past…darkness from hardships and losses…darkness from broken relationships…even darkness coming forth from our own Church…leaving us, at times, blinded to God’s presence, asking, “Where is God in all this?” Allow this Sunday’s Gospel to shed new light on that age old question...
2018-12-2307 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 33rd Sunday in OTThis weekend we celebrated the 33rd and final Sunday in Ordinary Time and over the past year Mark’s Gospel has given us the necessary waypoints for our spiritual journey. And it is these signposts which tell us how we need to see differently and thus leading us to change the way we live. But what does that new sight look like for us? What changes are being asked of us? And where do we begin? Perhaps another look at the story of Bartimaeus together with the wisdom from Fr. Greg Boyle may lift the blinders that we we...
2018-11-1809 minTeach What You BelieveHomily - 28th Sunday in OT 2018Isn’t part of life all about gaining wealth – about one’s net worth – being successful and living the dream? Matter of fact this is so ingrained into our psyche that we can easily and erroneously transfer this ideal to our spirituality – just as the rich young man did in the Gospel story this weekend when he asked, “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?”The challenge we all face is that two millennia later, like the rich young man, this Gospel reminds us that that is the wrong question!What is the right quest...
2018-10-1308 minTeach What You BelieveHomily - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle BToday’s Gospel may be one of the earliest instances recorded in the Bible of clericalism, for we hear the disciples arguing as to who, among themselves, is the greatest. The second reading warns - “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.
Interesting timing for these readings as the Church continues to deal with the fallout from the recent report from the Attorney’s General’s office in Pennsylvania...as well as the public uncovering of some 40 years of abuse by Cardinal McCarrick, known for decades within the Church leadership and left unchecked.
What can we d...
2018-09-2308 minTeach What You BelieveHomily - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle BThis weekend we will hear the Gospel of two women, who represent the entire spectrum of society, from impoverished to privileged, who are healed through faith. Jesus says, “It was faith that saved you.” What does it look like? What does it feel like? How do we show it? For the faith that this Gospel points to is likely not what you may think.
So what is it? Check it out.
2018-06-3009 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 6th Sunday of EasterIn this Sunday’s Gospel we hear the three most important words given to us in the Bible. By far, it is the greatest and hardest thing Christ asked us to do...but truly…it is all that really, really matters.
What are those words…and why do we find it so hard to follow them?
Check it out….
2018-05-0608 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 3rd Sunday of Easter 2018How does this Easter Season call us to change in order to gain focus and direction within our lives and our faith? It would seem the release of Pope Francis’ latest exhortation, Rejoice and Be Glad! lends perfect timing to help answer that question. What suggestions does the Pope make to you and me on how to answer the “call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities?” The answer partly lies with one word echoed throughout Lent and in today’s readings…but it doesn’t mean what you think it does! So...
2018-04-1409 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 6th Sunday in OTThis Sunday we celebrated the gift of love and marriage during the World Day of Marriage. So how does the gift of love and marriage tie into the Gospel of Jesus healing the Leper? Leave it to the wisdom of a group of 4 – 8 year olds to shed light on all of this! How do they do it? And what does that mean to you? Check it out….
2018-02-1109 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of AdventAdvent quickly comes to a close tonight, but do not allow the Christmas celebration to overshadow the message given to us in this Sunday’s Gospel. For it is Mary’s ‘yes’ which allows the incarnation to take place...but how should that change the way we live? Perhaps a story from Fr. Greg Boyle about a former gang member coming back from visiting the White House just may open our eyes to how kinship is more important than kingship. A message we need to hear before we celebrate the birth of Christ!
2017-12-2410 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle AIt would seem at first glance, the Parable of the Talents seems fairly clear about our need to use and multiply our “talents” to our fullest ability – unlike the third servant who buried his. But of course, this being a parable, it is never that simple. For if you look at this first century story, using insight from current scripture scholars, with a sympathetic eye towards the third slave and recognize the master for what he is, a very different and surprising story unfolds.
What is that story and how could it change the way you live?
Check it out….
2017-11-1910 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle AThe Parable of the Ten Virgins is enriched with a number of metaphorical images designed to drive home the message of always being prepared. But was does that mean to you and me? What does that look like? And tapping into one of today’s Gospel metaphors, what is the oil that we need to be placing in our lamps?
Rather than focusing on End Time what would happen with our lives if we spent that energy living in Now Time, This Time, Present and Presence? See what I mean and check it out….
2017-11-1208 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A“Many are invited, but few are chosen” may be one of the most misinterpreted and misused scripture passages ever written. Used by many to divide and exclude, actually when you understand the context of this parable you will see that it is all about how to include and be open to an invitation that is always present for all people.
2017-10-1510 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time ASame pay for those who work a full day versus those who work only an hour? What was Jesus thinking? This is “Good News”?
Like many other parables, on the surface they seem to make no sense. But dig down a bit, and try to think more like my grandsons and you will begin to see and feel the point that Jesus was making…as he describes God’s generous love for all of us.
Check it out…
2017-09-2309 minTeach What You BelieveGospel of the Road to EmmausThe following is the proclamation of the Gospel story by Luke of the two who are travel the Road to Emmaus, It was read at the funeral mass of Fr. Don Pantle, SJ in Scranton PA, September 2, 2017
2017-09-0303 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Funeral for G. Donald Pantle, SJYesterday, we gathered at the same church where our friend and mentor, Fr. Don Pantle was baptized, received first communion, was confirmed, said his first mass as a newly ordained priest and this weekend was laid to rest.
He touched the lives of thousands of students at the University of Scranton over some 30 years through his unique ministry of food, cards and Eucharist which was brilliant, was Jesuit, and was incarnational.
A few years ago Don asked that I would preach the homily at his funeral and was honored and humbled to have fulfilled my commitment to him. So take...
2017-09-0318 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle AThis week we hear that Jesus took his disciples on a 25 mile hike to ask them one question: Who do you say that I am? His reason for the hike was to bring them to a geo-political sight to make his point.
My guess is if Jesus was here today he may have brought us all to Charlottesville to ask us the same question. What would he have said to us and what do we need to be doing?
Check it out...
2017-08-2709 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 14th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend our Sunday readings may have provided some confusion. For Jesus tells us to carry his yoke in order to find rest and Paul talks about not loving our flesh and yet it really has nothing to do with our bodies. This is the challenge when we put 21st Century connotations on first century scripture.
So what is the real meaning behind these readings? And what impact does it have on the way you live your life? Check it out!
2017-07-0908 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThe Sunday’s Gospel gives us a partial look at Matthew’s job description for discipleship. But leave it to my 13 month old grandson to teach me the rest. How did he do that? Check it out!
2017-06-2507 min
Teach What You BelieveHomily - 6th Sunday of EasterThis Sunday we heard a continuation of John’s Last Supper Discourse where there is no mention of bread or wine – rather he speaks of being in relationship – about being part of the Trinity. To understand what this means I invite you to look at God – not as a noun – but as a verb. If you do, you just may understand that going to mass each Sunday is not about “going to” communion – but rather “being in” communion. This shift in your viewpoint may just allow you to see Christ everywhere and in everybody!Check it out…
2017-05-2208 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 2nd Sunday of Lent 2017We hear the story of the Transfiguration every 2nd Sunday of Lent, which is filled with layers of meaning. But what if we took the time to just focus on the God encounter which occurs at the end of the story? For God appears in the form of a cloud which casts a shadow. Have you ever noticed how many of the God encounters in the Bible involves a cloud that overshadows and obscures the light?
What about the God encounters in your life? Encounters that break you open and have a way of destroying all the certitudes you’ve bu...
2017-03-1110 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Really? We have to love those that we fear? Those who are different from us? The ones who are strangers?
In the past few weeks there has been much written about the plight of the refugees. Politics aside, as Christians, we are called to live the Gospel…which is much harder than reading or preaching about it. So what does Jesus say in the Beatitudes? And how can Pope Francis, Brian McLaren and Leonardo DaVinci add some light on this hotly debated subject?
Check it out…
2017-02-1808 minTeach What You BelieveEulogy for Marjorie Gilbert KnipperOn December 25, 2016 our Step-mother, Margie Gilbert Knipper, at the age of 86, died after a short illness. She joined both of my parents in the arms of the risen Lord. Today, friends and family gathered together as we celebrated her life with a Mass of Resurrection at St. Paul Church in Princeton NJ.
Margie had an incredible life as a religious sister, author, playwright, artist, poet, minister, Religious Education Director, and wife.
Her life was filled with many blessings and no surprise that she was called home to the Lord on Christmas night. Why do I say that? Listen to the...
2016-12-2912 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 3rd Sunday of AdventDuring Advent we are called to celebrate that the Kingdom of God is here and now and at the same time still to come - that the Lord is truly near. But often we do not feel that way. Instead we can be more like John the Baptist, in today’s Gospel, wondering where God is in our lives.
But there is reason to Rejoice on this Gaudete Sunday – and for Thomas Merton the reason was found on the corner of 4th and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky.
What did he realize that day? And how can that change that way you...
2016-12-1109 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Christ the King 2016This weekend we bring our Liturgical Year as well as our Jubilee Year of Mercy to a close as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King – a time for us to refocus on who or what is “King” in our lives.
There is no shortage of alternative “Kings”, but lately it would seem, politics has been a dominating “King” in all of our lives. If you are like me, maybe you are exhausted from being barraged for the past 18 months with divisive rhetoric from both sides of the isle filled with anger, fear and hatred and then seeing it repeated and a...
2016-11-2009 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 28th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend’s Gospel is the familiar story of Jesus healing ten lepers and only one comes back to give thanks. But there is another reason that Luke records this story, for while the gift of gratitude is important – the returning, grateful leper has much more to teach us about how to live our lives. Check it out….
2016-10-0810 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary TimeBased on this Sunday’s Gospel, it would seem that Jesus is encouraging us to be like the Steward who was dishonest in handling the affairs for his Master. Seems there may be good reason that the Pharisees and scribes are complaining about his teachings. But like most parables, there is something hidden deep inside this story that is often missed. And what is hidden may just impact the way you see God.
2016-09-1710 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time CJesus says that he did not come to establish peace, but rather division...and that he came to set the earth on fire, and how he wishes it were already blazing! Was he just having a bad day with his disciples…or hitting home a point that we often miss? Take a minute and check it out and see what Jesus was really talking to you and me about!
2016-08-1309 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 15th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend we hear the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. But if you followed the news this past week it would seem the question asked by the lawyer in this week’s Gospel regarding “Who is my neighbor” takes on many meanings. But did you ever notice that Jesus really never answers that question and what he does do is often missed.
So perhaps a recent true story of a plane full of people and their flight crew can open your eyes to a deeper meaning of this Gospel…and point you in the direction of the face of God.
2016-07-0910 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 11th Sunday in Ordinary TimeListen how the insight from a professional golfer on how he lived his life sheds new light on this weeks Gospel of the Sinful Women in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
2016-06-1208 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Pentecost 2016What next?! That is the question as we bring our Easter season to a close. For as we gather on this Feast of Pentecost our Scripture focuses on the “what next” in our call to discipleship. So what does that “what’s next?” look like for you? More importantly what doesn’t it look like?
Perhaps a bit of wisdom from a monkey, a fish, and a doorkeeper will shine new light on how to respond to the call to go forth and to be sent as the Father sent his Son…and it just may be easier than you think….
2016-05-1509 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of Easter 2016It seems the Pharisees keep asking Christ, “Who are you?!” But they are unwilling to even listen because of their focus on the Temple and the laws of Leviticus. Instead, the followers of Christ know his voice and follow him.
Whose voice do you listen to? What stops us from listening? When do we even pause long enough to hear what is being said? It takes wisdom from a Park Ranger from New Mexico in order to open up the message of today’s Gospel.
2016-04-1709 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 5th Sunday in LentThis Sunday we hear the familiar Gospel of the woman who was caught in adultery and about to be stoned. Meanwhile the Scribes and the Pharisees, keepers of the Jewish Law, are not very happy with all the attention Jesus is getting, so they a lay trap for him.
Sin or shame? See how a Jesuit working with the gangs in LA sheds light on what is this Gospel is really all about.
2016-03-1210 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 2nd Sunday of LentInstead of focusing on the meaning of this Sunday’s Gospel of the Transfiguration, what happens when you take the time to just focus on the God encounter which occurs at the end of the story? Have you ever noticed how many of the God encounters in the Bible involves a cloud that overshadows and obscures the light?
So take a few minutes to listen to stories of a newborn baby, a blind hiker and wise Franciscan visiting the 9/11 memorial. Three vignettes which may just help you to have the courage to step into the darkness in your life and al...
2016-02-2010 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 2nd Sunday of LentInstead of focusing on the meaning of this Sunday’s Gospel of the Transfiguration, what happens when you take the time to just focus on the God encounter which occurs at the end of the story? Have you ever noticed how many of the God encounters in the Bible involves a cloud that overshadows and obscures the light?
So take a few minutes to listen to stories of a newborn baby, a blind hiker and wise Franciscan visiting the 9/11 memorial. Three vignettes which may just help you to have the courage to step into the darkness in your life and al...
2016-02-2010 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: The Epiphany of the LordToday we celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the presence of the Magi. But where is Christ for you? God cannot be found 'out there' until God is found 'in here', within yourself. So are you in a place where change is needed? Is what was once working, not feeling comfortable any longer? Perhaps you are ready to start your New Year in a different fashion?
This week’s Gospel may break open more questions than answers….but questions that just may make a difference in your 2016.
2016-01-0311 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 20th Sunday in Ordinary TimeIn reviewing the readings for the weekend I had wondered why, beginning three weeks ago, that our Sunday lectionary interrupted the Gospel of Mark, in order to insert the 6th chapter of John – a sermon often called: “The Bread of Life Discourse.” Instead of following the earlier Gospel writers and recollecting the Last Supper, John talks about Eucharist in a different way.
Why did John make this substitution of stories? After all, what could be more important than Eucharist? It would seem that John’s Gospel goes to great lengths to remind us there is more than just coming to the tabl...
2015-08-1608 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 13th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis past Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it is legal for all Americans, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, to marry the people they love. The controversial decision is a historic victory for the LGBT Community who have fought for years in the lower courts. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already recognize marriage equality. The remaining 13 states ban these unions, even as public support has reached record levels nationwide.
This Sunday we hear a story a well-to-do synagogue official, Jairus, who begs Jesus to spare the life of his daughter. And sandwiched in...
2015-06-2810 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 7th Sunday of Easter - Cycle BFor six weeks we have listened to post resurrection Gospel stories, which when woven together give us great insight into Christ’s explanation of what it is like to be in relationship with him - to be fed by him, to be in communion with him.
Two thousand years later, our problem is that I think we make it more complicated, more ego-centered, and more difficult than it really is.
So what do you have to do? Check it out….
2015-05-1708 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 3rd Sunday of EasterSo we moved from Lent into Easter, singing our alleluias, with the church bells pealing, rejoicing that Jesus Christ is risen indeed – but what do we do now? How does this Easter Season change us? How do we live differently than we did before?
In this week’s readings we hear a word repeated twice which leading linguistics experts say is a, “linguistic and theological tragedy and the worst translation in the New Testament.” What is the word? And once you understand what it really means – how can it answer the questions raised?
How can it change your life?
2015-04-1908 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 5th Sunday of LentAs we come into the final weeks of our Lenten journey– the question on my mind is: How well do we see? Has Christ vanished from our sight?
Unfortunately I think many people miss the opening line in this week’s Gospel which starts out saying some Greeks came to worship at the Passover Feast and they asked to see Jesus - and their query seems to be more than just star-crazed gentiles looking to get a glimpse of Jesus. But I would guess the answer Jesus gives them was more than they were looking for.
So how can Tim Shri...
2015-03-2209 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 1st Sunday of Lent 2015Based on today’s Gospel it would seem that before Christ could begin his ministry, a time of desert wilderness was necessary. This 1st Sunday of Lent reminds us of the need for time in our own desert experience…but one which is deeper than just pledging renewed New Year’s resolutions.
What does that looks like? The answer is brought to light by what the Mayan Indians did 1,000 years ago on an island off the Florida Keys. What was it? And how does it help open our eyes to what we need to do to deepen our Lenten experience?
Check...
2015-02-2208 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Baptism of the Lord 2015In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan by John and when he comes out of the waters he hears the words that should echo in each of our hearts and souls every day. It is core to our baptisms – core to our life. The problem is that we have forgotten the sounds of those words…and thus can be headed in the wrong direction when it comes to our own spirituality. What are those words? And why do we need to listen for them…but more importantly, why do we need to then repeat them to those in our l...
2015-01-1108 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 4th Sunday of Advent 2014Here in the metro New York area we woke this morning to find that two NYPD officers were executed last night by a crazed man who, before he killed himself, made statements on social media suggesting that he planned to kill police officers and was angered about the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.
This Advent has been filled with stories of school shootings, racial unrest, the violation of women on campuses and the jarring details of our country’s treatment of prisoners of war. Many are quick to measure the situation with who is right and who is wrong, wh...
2014-12-2109 minTeach What You BelieveThanksgiving Day Reflection: The Paradox of GratitudeThis morning I was invited to be a guest homilist at the Princeton Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service at the Princeton University Chapel.
Here is the reflection I gave on the paradox of gratitude.
Check it out.
2014-11-2708 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: The Feast of Christ the KingOur Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That is some title for the Feast Day which we celebrate on this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. But was Christ all about kingship and ruling and thrones and laws?
Or was it really something else?
Is this really what the Franciscans had in mind, in the early 20th century, when they asked Rome for a Feast day to honor the Cosmic Christ?
So what is this Feast Day all about? And what does the Gospel tell us about how we will be judged?
More importantly what direction does it give...
2014-11-2309 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 28th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis Sunday’s Gospel ends on a wrenching note. “Many are invited, but few are chosen” That doesn’t sound too Christ-like to me. And unfortunately it is one of those lines in the Bible that is often misread, misunderstood and misused. So how is this Good News? Is it true that only a few are “chosen?” And what is meaning behind this parable that calls us to make a choice in our lives?
Check it out!
2014-10-1208 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary TimeCatechetical Sunday….Parable of the Vineyard Laborers….Alicia Keys and Richard Rohr. How do they all come together in order to shed light on your salvation and a new found focus on your life?
Well, check it out!
2014-09-2009 minTeach What You Believe21st Sunday in Ordinary Time year A.wavAfter the disciples have spent so much time with Jesus watching him heal and teach and forgive it seems that Jesus feels it is time to give his disciples a ‘midterm test.’ He wants to see what they have learned after spending so much time watching him minister to others. But before he asks them the one and only question on the test he has them hike 25 miles to the region of Caesarea Philippi.
Why the long hike? What is the one question he asks them….and asks us? And how would you answer?
2014-08-2409 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 15th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis weekend we hear a gospel from Matthew which is broken into three basic parts: the parable of the sower…Jesus’s reasoning for using parables… and then lastly, the explanation Jesus gave his 1st century followers of what this parable was all about. But there is something so obvious to see in this story that even Jesus omitted it from his explanation.
What did Jesus leave out of his elucidation of this gospel? And how can that missing piece of the puzzle change your life?
Click and listen to how the answer to these questions is found….in the soil.
2014-07-1209 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Trinity Sunday 2014Through the centuries countless volumes have been written on this doctrine of three beings in one God. But due to the limits of our own language we have been forced to use metaphors when trying to describe the Trinity.
But what if we took some time and stopped looking at God as a noun…and considered God as a verb? Could the mystery of the Trinity make more sense if we considered God more like some sort of dance or movement?
Take a few minutes and check out my take on this concept which is really rooted in our faith – for...
2014-06-1510 minTeach What You BelieveGood Shepherd Sunday 2014.wavBut why are we still celebrating Easter? Fifty days seems like a long time to be singing Alleluia - and we are only half way through the season. And so, it is at this midway point, that we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday – a title taken from the today’s famous gospel passage.So why do we call Christ the Good Shepherd? And how can insight from a New Mexico shepherd help us to use all of our senses in order to uncover the Gospel message and of how we can find Christ today? Check it out.
2014-05-1209 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 5th Sunday of Lent - LazarusGod’s love is often described as a Divine flow of love and grace - movement that is never restricted. Nothing we say or do changes the love that is poured out upon us by God. It is unmerited in every sense – freely given to all. The only thing we have to do is be willing to accept and trust and share in the flow of that love.So during Lent we have been examining our lives to see what blocks that flow - in other words, to examine our personal garbage. Thus shifting through our hurts and wounds and addi...
2014-04-0609 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 1st Sunday of Lent 2014Doesn’t it seem strange that God would declare his only son beloved and on whom his favor rests and then send him off into the desert to be tempted by the devil? A heck of a way to treat your only child!So how does Matthew craft this story? And why would angels lead Christ into the desert to meet with Satan? And how does a true story of a dying college grad shine light on all of this? Light critical for our Lenten Journey.Check it out. It may just give you a whole new meaning to this se...
2014-03-0911 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Ash WednesdaySo why do we gather today to receive ashes? It is not a Holy Day of Obligation and yet today our liturgies will be filled with those looking to receive ashes.Ashes – is it just a tradition that we follow?Or…are we looking to make an outward of our Christianity?Or…are we remembering our own mortality and/or that of our loved one?It is for my friend, artist, writer and minister, Jan Richardson, who lost her husband this past December. As I was preparing my homily for this Ash Wednesday her blog post dealing with this loss…and the...
2014-03-0508 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 7th Sunday in Ordinary TimeThis Sunday we hear a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus continues teaching about a new way to live and love. Author Krista Tippett in her recent book reminds us that law and politics are unable to really tell us what matters in life, what matters in a death, how to love, and how we can be of service to each other. “These are the kinds of questions religion arose to address.”But it would seem many egocentric people (many who even call themselves religious) are still focused on using the laws to determine who they feel is i...
2014-02-2311 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Baptism of the Lord 2014Water. It is such a strong symbol and sacramental sign. It is used through the Church and its sacraments. Many will come and go through the doors of the church, dipping their fingers in the holy water fonts, blessing themselves. But on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we need to take a moment to pause and remind ourselves of the meaning and obligations that this carries for each and everyone one of us. What does that look like for you?And so we end this season as it began – with John the Baptist, at the River Jordan – this...
2014-01-1110 min2013-12-2211 min2013-11-2411 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary TimeUnlike most parables, this time the Gospel writer leads off telling us what the story is all about. By having us assume the role of the widow and God the role of the judge we are told of the need to be persistent with our prayer to God. So safe to say, the vast majority of churchgoers this weekend are hearing a homily about the need to pray always. And while prayer is important to us, that is not the homily you will be hearing today.Because there is more. And to see what is hidden under the surface of...
2013-10-2010 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 18th Sunday in Ordinary TimeJesus gives us the parable of the rich man who hoarded all his possessions. But is that all there is to the story, or does it call us to do something more? See how Eunice Shriver Kennedy and Pope Francis shed light on our true calling to make – noise!!
2013-08-0408 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycel CThis weekend every year two things happen: we celebrate Father’s Day…and the US Golf Open is played. One of the greatest golfing legends of all times is Billy Casper. This past year he wrote his autobiography called, The Big Three And Me, filled with great insight and wisdom about what impacted his life the most.On this 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time we hear the famous story of the sinful woman who washes the feet of Jesus and anoints his body with perfume. I found it interesting to see the similarities of how Billy Casper has lead his life...
2013-06-1508 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Pentecost 2013Today’s gospel, John describes the appearance of the risen Christ to his disciples who are hiding in the Upper Room. In doing so he reveals three basic skills or spiritual practices to follow in order to strengthen your soul, your well-being and your connection with God and with each other. If you find yourself stuck in your own ‘Upper Room’ you may want to check out what you may be missing.
2013-05-1909 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle CToday’s Gospel comes from the tenth chapter of John reminding us that there will be one flock, one shepherd. Meanwhile we hear from Acts that there is disagreement between the Jews and Gentiles as to who God is for. I think it is easy for us to forget that we all belong to God – even those who feel that they may be the ‘black sheep’ of society.This season we are reminded that we are all called to be an Easter People. And who better than Pope Francis to show us what this looks like.See what I mean…
2013-04-2009 minTeach What You BelieveFifth Sunday in Lent, Cycle CThis Sunday we will hear the familiar Gospel of the woman who was caught in adultery and about to be stoned. All the while it is a trap being laid for Christ. So how does the work of Fr. Greg Boyle S.J. dealing with gangs in LA shed light on what is this Gospel is all about? Check it out
2013-03-1608 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: First Sunday of Lent Cycle AIt seems that before Christ was ready to begin his ministry it required barren time in the desert – a place of solitude without distractions. It is there that needed to wrestle with the same temptations we still face today: power, possessions and prestige.And on this first Sunday of Lent we journey into our personal deserts where we are called to ‘repent’ or in other words, ‘to turn around.’ It seems only in that type of liminal space can we find true transformation. Why? And, what does that type of transformation sound like? Click the link below and see what I mean!
2013-02-1607 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time CA great deal of focus this week has been paid to Lance Armstrong and his interview with Oprah and the years of lying about his doping. Most of the media coverage has been discussing whether or not society will forgive him. I think the better question is why now? Perhaps as he began a New Year he felt a need to empty himself so that he could begin to be filled with something else. And just maybe he got that idea from today’s gospel about the Wedding Feast at Cana? See what I mean.
2013-01-2008 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Fourth Sunday of Advent Year C.wavWe gather this week, maybe holding onto our children a bit tighter than usual and praying for each other and our families as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. But as the events of these past ten days fall into the background of the season, many find themselves still holding onto the key question: What can we do?We know we can’t wave a magic wand and make guns go away. We can’t snap our fingers and eliminate violence and evil. We can’t keep thinking that this stuff only happens someplace else, to other people in oth...
2012-12-2309 minTeach What You BelieveHomily: Third Sunday of Advent, Year CThis is a homiliy for the 3rd Sunday in Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, taken from the Latin word which means Rejoice! We rejoice for the celebration of the birth of Jesus nears. But it is much more than that. Even with all the trials and tribulations we have in our lives there is so much more to rejoice for. Check it out.
2012-12-1507 min