Readings: Isaiah 42: 1-4,6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Matthew 3: 13-17Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Susan K. Roll If you were to visit Israel today, especially with a tour group that arranges visits to sites meaningful to Christians, you yourself could be baptized in the Jordan River. While scholars believe that Jesus was baptized by his… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6, Matthew 2: 1-12 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Gee Gee Micoli Haven’t we all from time to time gazed up at the stars? They appear brighter away from city lights or during the dark winter evenings when the earth is farthest from the sun. I ponder how ships… read more →
Readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3: 12-21; Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Deni Mack The Holy Family fleeing to Egypt is frightened. Two thousand years later we may overlook their fear because we know the rest of the story: King Herod did not find the child Jesus and so did not… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1: 1-7; Matthew 1: 18-24Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Cathy Kamp What if the story of Mary and Joseph had turned out differently than the Scripture stories we hear in Advent? We have reflected on the Annunciation of Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when Mary was told: Do… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6a,10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “Rejoice in the Lord always! And again, I say, rejoice!” Do the words of this Sunday’s entrance prayer seem a bit incongruous in light of the times we live in? How must the Israelites have felt, receiving Isaiah’s message? They had… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 11: 1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3: 1-12Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Gloria Ulterino Thirty years ago, as Pastoral Associate in my first parish, I was about to preach on this Second Sunday of Advent. Why not, I thought, enter and go down the main aisle … as John the Baptist? Complete with sheepskin… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Virginia Fifield Today it seems that our world is facing a crisis of spirit. We are all being held captive by uncertainty, fear of “the other,” political unrest, bigotry and confusion and we are scandalized by the abuse within the church. We are bombarded… read more →
Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23: 35-43Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Patrick Fox As we celebrate the close of another year in the life of our Church I am caught in the reflection of the turbulent times through which we travel. Then I bump up against the title of our feast, Jesus Christ… read more →
Readings: Malachi 3:19-20A; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Nancy DeRycke Many Scripture scholars think that Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher, that he thought the end was coming soon. So when his followers began to realize that the end might not be coming as soon as first anticipated, they had to figure… read more →
Readings: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5; Luke 20:27-38Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz Fascination with the afterlife has been with us for a very long time. The readings given to us today certainly bear that out. Popular television programs like Touched by an Angel and God Friended Me as well as movies… read more →