Posts Tagged 'Phil Mulligan'

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Homily – December 24, 2023, Fourth Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 24, 2023, Fourth Sunday of Advent

At every Eucharistic celebration you have ever participated in, you heard the priest say during the Eucharistic Prayer, “The Mystery of faith.” “Mystery” refers to God’s eternally conceived but hidden plan. In other words, God had, and still has, a plan, a purpose in mind for everything and everyone, including you. That plan, that Mystery, is not given in a single moment, but it unfolds over time, a long period of time. We couldn’t handle the entire mystery of our ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 17th, 2023 – Third Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist, to put it mildly, is an interesting character. He was a prophet, and according to Jesus, the greatest of all the prophets (Lk. 7:28). Prophets have always, and still do, want more for us than what we want for ourselves. Once I get comfortable in my little kingdom, my little control tower, I really don’t want anyone else rattling my little world even if the rattling come with a promise of a bigger and better world, like ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 10th, 2023 – Second Sunday of Advent

Two of my favorite books of all time, The Shack (William Paul Young) and The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) were both turned into movies. I don’t find this very often, but I did find these two movies were every bit as good as the books that spawned them. While they are both pure fiction, they nevertheless include deep truths about life, faith, forgiveness, and love that give you reason to do some self-reflection before moving on ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – December 3rd, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

Homily – December 3rd, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

I remember being at a talk 30 years ago, given by John Shea, who was invited to speak at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. John Shea is a theologian from Chicago, and the best storyteller I have ever heard. One of the things he said–and for some reason I remembered it 30 years later–was, “The key to gospel spirituality is not to look at Jesus but to look with Jesus. You’ll learn very little, if anything at all, by looking ...

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Fr Phil

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Reflection – December 3, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

Reflection – December 3, 2023 – First Sunday of Advent

LET US OFFER EACH OTHER A SIGN OF PEACE

Offering each other the “sign of peace” is something you have done countless times, if you are a regular participant at Mass (unfortunately, this gesture is non-existent in the French-speaking churches in our diocese). Just prior to reaching our hand out for the hands of our neighbours at Mass, we hear the priest say this: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”; ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – November 26, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

Homily – November 26, 2023 – Christ the King Sunday

As we say “good-bye” to gospel writer Matthew, who has been our guide this last liturgical year, we end with a reading that summarizes Jesus’ entire life among us. If we were to read and try to apply just this gospel reading alone, I’m convinced it would be more than enough to convert us and change the world forever. When I take this gospel passage seriously in my own life, I realize I have more blow opportunities, more sins of ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily – November 19th, 2023 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Once again Jesus gives us a parable that does not tie things up in a neat package with a bow around it. Parables are meant to stretch us, to take us out of our small worlds, our small kingdoms and invite us to consider what the Kingdom of God is like. We will only let go of our little kingdom if we are convinced we are getting a bigger kingdom in exchange. But letting go has never been our strong ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – Sunday, November 12th, 2023 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily – Sunday, November 12th, 2023 – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As is the case with so many of our Sunday Scripture readings, there is a common theme, an overlap, between the first reading and the Gospel passage. Both deal with “wisdom.” In the first reading, from the Book of Wisdom itself, the author presents wisdom as a strikingly attractive woman. Wisdom in the gospel, however, is preparedness and not alertness. All 10 bridesmaids fall asleep. None of them remain alert, but five were considered wise because they were prepared.

Is anyone ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – November 5th, 2023 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily – November 5th, 2023 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

There are a couple of warning shots fire over our heads in the readings today. They warn us against hypocrisy. The first shot is taken by the prophet Malachi. Even though Malachi lived about 500 years before Jesus, notice how his words are similar to Jesus’ words. Malachi says, “O priests, this command is for you. Your hearts don’t give me glory. You’ve corrupted the covenant of Levi, and you cause many to stumble by your instructions.” Jesus, 500 years ...

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Fr Phil

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Homily – October 28th-29th – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily – October 28th-29th – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The very first thing I ever remember watching on our black and white television, back in the late 1960s, was fighting in the Middle East. I was shocked at what I was seeing and wondered, as a three or four-year-old, “Why are they fighting and not loving one another? Why doesn’t someone, from the adult world, just step in and stop this?” Of course, I didn’t know anything about the complexities of human behavior; I still don’t know much. I ...

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Fr Phil

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