Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. I’ve been stung by bees exactly three times in my life. The first was when I was a young boy, on a camping trip with Scouts. The second was when I was in high school, during a Cross Country practice. We were doing repeat half-miles, …
Month: July 2020
His Desire for Closeness
Homily for the Second Scrutiny. Gospel: John 9:1-41. Our family is not particularly good at saying goodbye. Our relatives call it “the Baumgardner goodbye.” First, we say goodbye in the kitchen. Then we move to the foyer and say goodbye again. Then we move an entire three feet to the front porch to say goodbye …
The Riddle of the Weeds
Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Growing up whenever I saw something surprising or unexpected, I would get what people called "fishmouth." And as I was proclaiming our gospel this morning, of course I couldn't tell if any of you got "fishmouth," having heard something surprising or unexpected. But I imagine …
Meekness and the Six Daughters of Wrath
Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. There's a word which appears both in our first reading and in our gospel. And that's the word, "meek." In our first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah, Zechariah foretells that the coming Messiah will be a king who is also meek. And …