Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3A, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12Click here to download a PD of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala To begin, the Magi didn’t just happen to see the star. They had to focus their vision on the heavens. It’s likely that other astronomers and astrologers saw the star too, but only three—for whatever holy or gainful… read more →
Readings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala To wear a mask or not? To shop at a business or not? To go to a restaurant or church or not? To send my children to school or not? During this scary, wearying pandemic, mixed messages come to us… read more →
Readings: Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 3B-7, 12-13; John 20: 19-23Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala I find it infectiously appealing when Pentecost falls during May, because May is dedicated to Mary—and Mary and the Holy Spirit are integral to our lives in Christ. This year, in particular, as we are “in pandemic… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5; Matthew 5: 13-16Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala One of the challenges to any preacher is how to offer a new insight into the Gospel of the day, especially when the text is very familiar. Today’s Gospel presents us with two such familiar sayings of Jesus:… read more →
Readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14; Luke 17: 5-10Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala There has never been a time since I first came across the prophet Habakkuk that I have not been moved by the passages we are given in today’s liturgy: How long, O Lord? I cry for… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Today we hear about two pieces of vegetation that are not behaving like normal, healthy growing plants: a burning bush and a barren fig tree. At first glance, these phenomena might not mean much to us. Most of us have… read more →
Readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Revelations 1:5-8; John 18: 33B-37 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Worldwide and in our country as well, authoritarian leadership continues to grow stronger. The reverse of such leadership that dominates, oppresses, and encourages similar patterns in other people is what Jesus offers in today’s Gospel. Jesus stands face to… read more →
Readings: Ezechiel 2: 2-5; 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10; Mark: 6: 1-6 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala, SSJ Over the last few Sundays, our readings have reminded us about how prophets challenge laid-back, complacent, self-satisfied thinking. Today, Jesus, God’s beloved Son, who stands in this same prophetic tradition, is rejected in his native… read more →
Readings: Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians: 1:22-25; John 2: 13-25 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala, SSJ What are we to make of this scene in today’s Gospel? It will certainly be remembered by the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day as a significant cause for Jesus’ death. But how about us here… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12: 1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27 Click here to download this reflection Preacher: Joan Sobala, SSJ If you’ve ever looked at the ancient Chinese document called the Tao of LaoTse, you’ll remember finding in it such apparently contradictory statements as “To be strong, one must be soft,” “To stand straight, one must bend,”… read more →