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(February 16, 2020) When Jesus says, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, the words that are used describe movement from one place to the next. He says, unless you move beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you can't enter the kingdom of God. You have to move from where you are to enter the kingdom of God.

(January 5, 2020) Maybe that's the revealing that is Epiphany: the revelation that you and I have no gifts that Christ needs. Rather, every gift we have comes from Him. You and I have nothing we can offer the Lord that He needs. Rather, He has everything that we need. We think we do great things for the Lord, but even the capacity to do the smallest things is a gift from Him.

(December 29, 2019) We call them the Holy Family not because everything went just right for them -- the sort of thing we write Christmas carols about -- but because when things went wrong, they never failed to turn to God for strength.

(December 25, 2019) Here's the mystery, the majesty, the wonder, and the awe of God's grace: Had God come in the power of a mighty earthquake, had the mountains shaken in terror, had there been a mighty sign in the skies, all might have understood the power of God. But here, the head of the household . . . here, the Father of all . . . crossed the battle lines and came into our world as a tiny infant.

(December 15, 2019) In the middle of this Gospel, Jesus seems to be saying, "I'm sorry if I'm offending you. The blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Good News preached to them. But I'm sorry; don't be offended by any of this."

(November 10, 2019) We often hear, “Life is short; better enjoy it.” How about, “Eternity is long; better prepare for it!” That is how to keep a true perspective on life and death.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(November 9, 2019) In the promise of the Resurrection, we have not only the undoing of death, but the reintegration of the whole person, body and soul. But in the Gospel today, in the words of Jesus, we have even this better assertion: that the risen can no longer die.

(November 3, 2019) Jesus gave himself to anyone who would receive him. Jesus gave all kinds of people an opportunity. He ate with tax collectors, yes, but he also ate with Pharisees. The issue was not one of relative wealth, occupation or handicap. The issue was then what it is today, one of love and grace on Jesus' part, and one of acceptance or rejection on the part of others.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(October 6, 2019) The truth is that, even with all the ups and downs of life, you and I can find peace, we can find joy, we can find happiness in Christ Jesus. That is the crux of our readings today: how can you sustain your spiritual well-being even in the midst of all of the struggles and challenges of life.

(September 23, 2019) People consumed with this world know what they want and they know what they have to do to get it. That is how they can be a model to us for how to live with passion for the kingdom of God. The dedication it takes to achieve advancement and pleasure in the here-and-now is the kind of dedication Jesus calls his disciples to have for following him.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(September 21, 2019) Our preparation for the end of life must start now. How we live our life here, and what we place our trust in, will determine the outcome of our life, which is only begun here on Earth. Our Lord helps us to think about this.

The concluding evening of our annual Eucharistic Devotions, with homilist and musician E. Louis Canter, OEF.

Homilist and musician E. Louis Canter, OEF, leads us in an evening of sacred music and Scripture in a Taize-type service for the second evening of our annual Eucharistic Devotions.

A Sacred Concert featuring music by homilist and composer E. Louis Canter, OEF, for our annual Eucharistic Devotions, September 8 to 10, 2019.

Homilist and pastoral musician E. Louis Canter invites us to Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotions September 8 to 10 at 7 pm to explore the connection between Franciscan spirituality and the Eucharist. In his introduction at Mass, he said: "We indeed are brothers and sisters together, because we believe that He who we have taken into our bodies has now made us His Body, the Body of Christ. And so as we come together, we dare to ask questions: How am I being transformed by the Body that I have just received? How is the Lord Jesus Christ making room within ourselves, so that we can be so filled up that we can't wait to go out of this building to proclaim what God has done for us?"

What was the "secret" of the holiness of Saint Francis of Assisi? Listen to this excerpt from the first evening of our Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotions, with homilist E. Louis Canter, OEF. Join us on Monday, September 9, at 7 p;m for the second evening.

The readings today remind us that when our focus is on ourselves we will try to use every situation to our own advantage. A focus on self will be mostly concerned with personal comfort and security. In contrast, following Jesus reverses the way we usually think and live in everyday life. We are invited to enter into the incredible grace of being loved by God so that we ourselves become channels of his love and grace and mercy. That is what Jesus taught and modeled.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

It's a narrow road, and not everyone who cries out, "Lord, Lord" will end up on that narrow road, but only those who accept the grace. And there will come a time--we don't ever like to think this, but it is true. Our Lord said it so many times that we have to believe it. There will come a time when the invitation is no longer offered, and either we are in the household of God or we're locked outside.

Our expectations place limits on the grace of God and the activity of Jesus in our lives and homes. We expect a mild Savior to be at work, giving us positive things and gifts. But to listen to Jesus, there's an urgency to His message. The Lord wants to bring fire upon this Earth--to burn away all that is not of God, to usher in that age of peace which alone comes from God. 

Each week we come to hear God’s Word. Each week we come to eat our Lord’s Body and drink his Blood. This is the very life of the Church. This is meant to hold us steady as we live in a confused and conflicted world.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT