Sermons

“There is a specter haunting our secular age, ‘the specter of meaninglessness’.” A philosopher has said this about society. Specter is a good word for it. It is like a fog. In some parts of the country, dense fogs are said to roll in in a matter a minutes. The sun rises but its rays are hardly discernible. The whole city is cast in grey. Meaninglessness, drudgery, and doubt are the same. They are a presence, like the fog that haunts our culture today. Of course, this presence

No story better describes parish life than the Wedding of Cana. Everything in the Mass is there. Our worship, parish life, the intercessions of the saints, and coffee hour are all laid out in this gospel. Moreover, it brings what we do together into the light of the age to come. The Wedding of Cana is a foreshadowing of God’s union with the Church, and it should be our driving vision. Yet, perhaps, one of the most significant parts of the story is the most unnoticed: the simp

The Church is a battleship, not a cruise ship. Disputes and friction marked the life of the Church from day one. As soon as the Holy Spirit fell on the Church, Christians began arguing with one another. ‘The apostles are not ministering enough to the widows.’ ‘The poor are not getting enough attention.’ ‘The ladies are gossiping.’ ‘The men are arm wrestling.’ It brings to mind that classic scene in “Lawrence of Arabia.” The Arabs have won their independence. They are free to

“Unite my heart to fear your name” ~ Psalm 86:11 Bernadine of Siena moved the world with three letters. It was a time of political rivalry and warring factions. Bernadine travelled with a purpose, to bring peace, and he accomplished this purpose by one means. He carried before him always the letters ‘IHS’ – the first three letters of the Greek, ‘IHΣΟΥΣ’, Jesus Christ. Before the Name of God, painted boldly, surrounded by rays on a wooden tablet, the sick were cured and the st