Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Year B. When we’re reading a book or watching a movie for the first time, we don’t always understand the significance of an event or character at the beginning of the story until we get to the very end. That’s one of the reasons for reading a …
Tag: Year B
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. I need to begin my homily this morning by giving you two weeks’ notice...In two weeks, Advent will begin. In two weeks, the liturgical year will end, and a new year will begin. And as we come to the close of the year, our first …
Rebellion, Resignation, or Surrender
Homily for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. When I made the decision to enter seminary, the fall of my junior year at UW-Madison, God gave me several signs that I had made the right choice. The most significant sign was that I was asked to play the part of Jesus in a …
Why I’m Glad Hell Exists
Homily for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. There are many things I love about Fall. I love the changing colors; I love the crisp, cool air; I love apple pie, apple tart, and applesauce. What I do not love is the days getting shorter. At this time of year, as the light …
Canceling the Voice of God
Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. When I was growing up, whenever any sort of new technology was invented, I always wanted to know how it worked. And although our family’s first computer wasn’t connected to the internet—which, admittedly, makes me sound like a caveman—when we finally got dial-up and then …
The Place of Decision
Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. If you’ve ever seen a TV show or movie in which the Catholic faith is taken (at least somewhat) seriously, there will often be a scene in which one of the main characters will come to a priest for advice. And almost invariably, at some …
True Character
Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. When I was in eighth grade, I participated in a national engineering competition called “Future City.” Our team ended up winning regionals and we represented the state of Wisconsin at the national level in Washington D.C. Part of the prize for winning regionals was a …
This is enough! Take my life.
Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life.” On the last Saturday of April, 2011, I found myself sitting under a tree on the shore of lake Monona near the campus of UW-Madison. It was a grey day. The sky was grey, the water was …
A Fairytale Beginning
Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Once upon a time, in the magical land of Humdrum, there lived a childless couple by the names of Herbert and Helga. They were advanced in years and had long given up hope of producing an heir. This was painful enough, but to add to …
The Holy Eucharist: A Test of Faith
Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. “[Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.” Over the next several weekends, we will be reading from John Chapter 6, Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Eucharist. Jesus’ teaching is a test: a test of faith. And …
Isaiah Forty-Three 