Tagged: Gospel of Mark

Homily

Bartimaeus and The Shawshank Redemption – Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

You might remember the movie The Shawshank Redemption, the story of Andy Dufresne, a man unjustly imprisoned for many years. In the course of his time in prison, he gains the trust of the prison staff by helping with various tasks, like handling the finances and overseeing the prison library. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie happens when Andy finds himself unsupervised in the warden’s office. He is sitting in the warden’s office in a chair, all alone, and he notices a crate on the...

Homily

Jesus Was a Teacher – Homily for Catholic Schools Week 2024

As Catholic Schools Week begins this year, today’s Gospel reminds us of a very important truth— Jesus was a teacher: “…on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Jesus was a teacher. He taught in synagogues, he taught in the temple, he taught from hillsides, and he taught from boats. Jesus was a teacher. Jesus taught in a way that was different from other teachers. And the...

Homily

The Sending Forth – Homily for Trinity Sunday

I wonder if anyone here has ever felt under-appreciated, overlooked, or even forgotten. If so, then this homily is for you. Today we’re going to sing the praises of one of the most under-appreciated and over-looked parts of the Mass. Everyone always talks about how the scripture readings spoke to them, or how great the music is, or even sometimes how the homily touched them. But no one ever walks out of Mass saying, “Wow, that dismissal, it really hit me today.” The dismissal is often forgotten or...

Jesus and the Rich Young Man by Mironov

Homily

One of the Saddest Stories – Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

The gospel reading today has got to be one of the saddest stories in the gospels. This is the only story in Mark’s gospel in which a person called by Jesus responds not by following but by going away, by leaving Jesus. And of all the people Jesus calls, this young man seems so promising. First of all, he seeks out Jesus. And he doesn’t just walk up to Jesus, he runs up to Jesus as Jesus is about go on a journey. Jesus is leaving town, and...

Magic Lamp in Sand

Homily

Foolish Wishes – Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

There was once a fool who rubbed a magic lamp. The genie materialized and said, “And your third wish?” The fool, who had never seen a genie before, said “Why are you offering me a third wish when I haven’t had a first wish yet?” The genie said, “Oh, but you have. You don’t remember it, of course. Your second wish was to have everything restored exactly as it was before I offered you three wishes.” “In other words, I only get one wish,” said the fool, feeling...

Jesus the Good Shepherd

Homily

The Work of the Shepherd – Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Brenda and Sarah and I just got back from a short trip to Leavenworth to visit an old friend of Brenda’s. Just to be clear, that was Leavenworth, the quaint Bavarian village near Wenatchee in Western Washington, not Leavenworth the prison in Kansas. Anyway, while we were there, of course we walked around visiting the different shops, because that’s what you do in Leavenworth. In one of the shops we came across this little plaque that made us laugh. If you have adult children you might relate. It...

Chandelier Tree 2005

Homily

Are We There Yet? – Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

First I want to wish a happy Father’s Day to all of my fellow fathers and grandfathers, those here present, and those who can’t be with us today. I wish you a blessed and peaceful weekend. With summer here, I imagine many of you are preparing for one of fatherhood’s greatest responsibilities, the family vacation. One of my favorite fatherly duties is driving the family down the road to some exciting and new vacation spot. Whether it’s a quick trip to Seattle to see the Mariners play, or...

Les Miserables Read-along Logo

Homily

One Chapter a Day: Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Many of you know that Les Misérables is one of my favorite books, but it’s a long one, almost 1500 pages, so reading it takes a while. Last year I found out that it has exactly 365 chapters, so I decided that in 2018 I would read one chapter a day, starting on January 1st and going to December 31st. They’re short chapters, about 5 pages or so, and I I thought it would be kind of a meditation and exercise in patience and delayed gratification to read...

Truck Driver Hits

Homily

What Are You Asking? – Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When I was about eleven or twelve years old, I was fascinated by the life of long-haul truckers. I used to listen to songs by Red Sovine and Merle Haggard, watch movies like Smokey and the Bandit, and dream about living life on the road. One year I asked my mom and dad for a CB radio for my birthday so I could talk to all the truckers on the road from my room at home. Their response was similar to Jesus’ answer to James and John: “You...

Moving In

Homily

Liminal Spaces – Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

This past week on Facebook a former student posted a picture of herself with her husband. They’ve been married almost two years, and they were standing with their arms around each other next to the “Sold” sign in front of their very first house. She’s about five months pregnant as they get ready to welcome their first child this coming December. I imagine there are lots of families moving into new homes this summer, getting used to new cities, new neighborhoods, children about to start the year in...

Mountain Meadow

Homily

Back to the Meadow – Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s readings form a beautiful progression: In the first reading God makes a promise. The responsorial psalm responds to that promise. The Gospel shows the fulfillment of the promise. And all three center on the figure of the shepherd. First, God promises. During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the people of God were scattered. They were beaten down. The Babylonians had laid siege to Jerusalem, and had ultimately destroyed the Temple. The chosen people are in exile. The kings of Israel, who were supposed to shepherd the...