Lent

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CATHOLIC PENITENTIAL SPANDEX

Have we turned the Sacrament of Confession into a Passive, One-Size-Fits-All Exercise?

Fr. Bill discusses the Sacrament of Confession and how both Priest Confessors and Penitents can grow lax in the celebration of such an important Sacrament. He also offers some suggestions to both Priests and Penitents on how to make the Sacrament a more meaningful experience of God’s Forgiveness.

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HOW DOES GOD PUNISH EVIL?

The Parable of the Fig Tree
Luke 13:1-9
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Homily – 3rd Sunday of Lent – Year C

Was AIDS a punishment for sin? Was 9/11 a punishment of the United States for its sins? Were the victims of the collapse of the Tower of Siloam more sinful because they suffered that catastrophe? Fr. Bill preaches on the issue of God punishing for sin and how the Parable of the Fig tree clarifies the question, bringing in a whole new element to the issue.

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ST. PATRICK OF IRELAND AND THE CONFIDENCE OF CHRISTIANS

Homily
5th Sunday of Lent / St. Patrick’s Day

John 12:20-33

The Second Half of the Gospel of John presents a Confident Jesus, determined to carry out His Father’s will. St. Patrick evangelized Ireland with the same zeal and surety in his message and mission. Fr. Bill ties the two together, including a prayer from among the earliest tradition of Christian evangelization as the Church begins the final days and weeks of the Season of Lent.

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LENTEN RESURRECTION

Lent inevitably ends with the 50-day celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Fr. Bill talks about how the Resurrection is presented in the Gospels, what patterns they follow, what themes they present, and how we can encounter the Risen Jesus continually as His Followers.

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TEMPTING THE TEMPTER

The Temptations of Jesus in the Desert
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Homily – First Sunday of Lent

Fr. Bill preaches on the Temptation of Jesus and how engaging fully in the practices, observances, penances and sacrifices during Lent actually invite temptation as part of the Spiritual Exercises of the season.

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A CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

PARABLE OF THE 2 SONS & THE 4 CHILDREN

Homily – 26th Sunday of the Year – A
Matthew 21:28-32

What is the disposition we have regarding living and worshipping as Christians? Fr. Bill preaches on Christ’s Parable of the Two Sons and the Jewish Passover Parable of the Four Children and speaks of how Christians in general and Catholics in Particular can examine and adjust the dispositions from which we all approach our calling to live and worship as followers of Christ.

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COVID: 3 YEARS LATER – The “Lazarus Bookends”

Homily – 5th Sunday of Lent (A)
John 11:1-45 – The Raising of Lazarus

The last time the “Raising of Lazarus” was read at Sunday Mass the World was in the midst of Covid Lockdowns and a Spiritual Death-of-Sorts. Three years later, as we hear that Gospel story again, where are we now, how far have we come? Fr. Bill preaches on Jesus call “that they may have life and have it more abundantly”, and whether or not we have truly risen from this “death” from a disease that was “not to end in death” but that “the Glory of God may be revealed.”