Easter Vigil Homily

Easter VigilGenesis 1:1-2:2Exodus 14:15-15:1Isaiah 55:1-11Romans 6:3-11Matthew 28:1-10April 11, 2020 Tonight we celebrate our Easter Vigil.  It is the highest liturgy of our liturgical year.  We started our Easter Triduum Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper with the Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood. Yesterday we celebrated Good Friday, the sacrifice of …

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Who is Our Savior?

If you read this the same day I write it, Good Friday, the answer to the question in the title, “Who is Our Savior?” might seem obvious. However, there are people who don’t go for the Christian answer. There are people who make themselves their own savior. They are only looking out for themselves. They …

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Holy Thursday Homily

Holy ThursdayExodus 12:1-8, 11-14Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-181 Corinthians 11:23-26John 13:1-15April 9, 2020 As we begin our Easter Triduum tonight, I note that the Jewish people just began their Passover last night.  Our first reading tonight is the story of the very first Passover. The Israelites had been made slaves in Egypt.  They cried out to …

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What Will Your Life be Like After the Coronavirus?

What was your life like before the Coronavirus? Maybe you were very busy at work. Maybe you were very busy with your children’s (or grandchildren’s) activities. Maybe you are retired and you didn’t do much because it always seemed like there was plenty of time, and now you can’t do the stuff you hadn’t gotten …

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Passion (Palm) Sunday, Year A – Homily

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the LordGospel for the Procession Matthew 21:1-11Isaiah 50:4-7Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)Philippians 2:6-11Matthew 26:14-27:66April 5, 2020 The appointed time draws near so Jesus goes to Jerusalem.  As He nears Jerusalem, He receives a royal welcome as the “crowd spread their cloaks and cut branches from the trees.”  The …

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A Different Kind of Holy Week

I write this on Saturday morning just before we celebrate Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week with our celebration of the Easter Triduum culminating in the Resurrection of Jesus. This year Holy Week will be like no other Holy Week before. When it came time for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem for his Passion …

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The Sacrifice of the Mass

In the articles I have written during the Coronavirus crisis, my discussion about the Eucharist has so far focused on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is his Body and Blood that give us spiritual nourishment. Now, I would like to talk about the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The notion of the …

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Our Desire for the Eucharist

When I posted my homily last week, I included a link to an Act of Spiritual Communion and some information about it. It was the first week after Masses were suspended because of the Coronavirus in the Diocese of Rochester where I serve as a priest. We continue to deal with the Coronavirus so this …

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5th Sunday of Lent, Year A – Homily

A reminder that you can find a list of Masses online at https://catholiccourier.com/articles/list-of-parishes-with-livestreams-available 5th Sunday of Lent, Year AEzekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (7)Romans 8:8-11John 11:1-45March 29, 2020 Last week we hear the story of Jesus opening the eyes of the man born blind.  This is the sixth of seven signs in the …

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