Posts Tagged 'Phil Mulligan'

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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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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Homily – October 21st-22nd – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Time flies. Soon we’ll be into the Season of Advent and with that comes a new liturgical year for the Church. We’ll say “good-bye” and “thank-you” to the gospel writer Matthew, who guided us through his gospel this past year, and we’ll prepare ourselves to welcome Mark as our guide for the upcoming year. But before we say good-bye to Matthew, let’s go back to the beginning of Matthew’s gospel and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Matthew started us ...

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Reflection – October 14th-15th – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Nature and the Soul


A few days ago, as I drove around Îsle d’Orléans outside Quebec City (near Montmorency Falls and Sainte Anne de Beaupré), I was pleased to see so many families enjoying themselves outdoors. Apple orchards, one after another, were busy with families clambering in and out of tractor-drawn wagons taking them to and from the u-pick orchards. Seeing people, young and old, escaping the world of electronic gadgetry to enjoy the outdoor was telling on a number of ...

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Homily – October 15, 2023 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Another parable and another conundrum. Jesus’ technique seems to be that he tells a parable, walks away without explaining it, and leaves people scratching their head for the explanation. Only those interested in growing in their faith bother to chase after him with the request, “Tell us more. We hunger to be fed with the food that’s nourishing you. We noticed you praying; teach us how to pray.” Others fall away thinking, “If he isn’t going to do a miracle, ...

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Homily – October 1st, 2023 – 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is a story to get us started. It is about this Jewish woman raised in the liberal leftist tradition who was part of a socialist movement in her youth. She wasn’t a practicing Jew; in fact, she was more an atheist. Well, one day she takes her grandson to the beach. He is her favorite. She buys him a little yellow sun hat, a swimsuit, a sand pail, and shovel. As he plays in the sand, she falls asleep ...

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Homily – September 24, 2023 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

That gospel passage always rubs me the wrong way. Even as I try to be open-minded about the conclusion, there’s still a part of me that wants to join the voices of the laborers, who worked all day under the scorching sun, and say, “Unfair!” Isaiah, in that first reading, kind of pre-warned us that something was coming down the pike that would rub us the wrong way when he said, “My thoughts are not God’s thoughts, nor are my ...

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Homily – September 17th, 2023 – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As with so many of our Sunday readings, there is again a connection between the first reading from Sirach, in this case, and the gospel passage from Matthew. Both readings are about forgiveness and also about vengeance, which lingers an inch below the surface in even the most forgiving person. Of course, it’s always easier to speak about forgiveness than to live it. To the degree that we know we need forgiveness and to the degree we actively receive it, ...

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Homily – September 10th, 2023 – 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is a quote, and I would like to see if you can identify where it comes from, who the author is.

“I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religious projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to ...

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Homily – September 3rd, 2023 – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

If you’re my age or older, you might remember some of the detective shows that were popular on T.V. back in the 1970s. They included Barnaby Jones, Mannix, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, Cannon, and the list goes on. I particularly got a kick out of Cannon, because he was too fat to chase down criminals on foot, so he would run them over with his big 8-cylinder Lincoln Continental. Every crook Cannon brought to the police station had tire ...

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