Ash Wednesday offers us an opportunity to “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” as we repent of our sins and embrace time-tested spiritual practices. May this housecleaning of our hearts help us to renew our faith and draw us closer to the Lord and one another.
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Jesus uses a parable to show the crucial opportunity we have to make a change for the better. So…do we need to make any course corrections today?
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
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St. John of the Cross…pray for us!
This homily was preached on December 7th, 2021 at Cathedral of Christ the King. May the Good News inspire us to fearlessly seek out the grace of the Sacrament of Penance as we reconcile our hearts to God.
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John the Baptist fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as he preaches repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The Reason? To prepare the people to encounter Jesus Christ.
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
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Jonah’s response to the people of Nineveh reveals a hardness of heart that God addresses in the wilderness. May we examine our lives with care, rooting out anything that is unworthy of the Lord.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 27th Week of the Year
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St. Bruno & Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher…pray for us!
In the Gospel of Luke the Lord directs his attention to three local villages that did not repent and take his message to heart. It’s a sobering reminder for us today to repent of our sins and embrace the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 26th Week of the Year
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St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus…pray for us!
Jesus affirms the preaching of Jonah to repent. This is the constant message throughout salvation history: to acknowledge our sins and return to the Lord for mercy and forgiveness.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent
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The temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark reminds us that the darkness of sin must be confronted in our hearts with the triumph of Christ.
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
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We begin the season of Lent by acknowledging our sins and embracing God’s mercy through repentance and conversion of heart. May these forty days help us draw closer to Jesus Christ and one another!
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Study: Start out this Lent with a good Examination of Conscience.
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace to repent.
Serve: Consider a practical way you can bring “good news” to someone in your life.
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
Mark’s Gospel is direct and to the point:
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1: 14-15)
It’s time. Maybe you got a late start to Lent, maybe it caught up on you before you were ready. Maybe you’ve been ready, but you needed that little push – that extra kick – to get started and make a change.
It’s not complicated. Is there something that’s keeping us from God or one another? Is there something that needs to be different in our words and actions? Does the pattern of our lives need to be altered toward the Lord’s goodness? Two simple steps:
In the first reading the rainbow is a sign from God that never again will the world be flooded with waters of destruction. The covenant with Noah is built on hope: life is worth saving, worth fighting for, worth dying for, and worthy of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Once we recognize God’s faithfulness, we can more easily let go of past sins and temptations – turning to the one who loves us completely.
Is there anything holding us back from the Lord? Now is a good time to honestly assess our lives, cast out what does not belong, and call upon the grace of Jesus Christ.
After all, he brings Good News – and once we’ve left our sins behind, we can embrace the joy that flows from Heaven.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Note: This post was first published on February 12, 2018.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
