This weekend I presided at Mass out at Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest African American Catholic Community in Texas, and had an absolute blast. What a community! You’ll hear them in the background occasionally.

Today’s homily is rather simple – are you using the gifts God has given you? Has the temptation that you’re to small or that the evil is to great kept the treasures of Grace within you?

Photo by Moyan Brenn (CC/BY)

 

There isn’t a person I know who isn’t harder on themselves than Christ is. We want to follow him but in the following and in the midst of the asking, a lot can be lost in translation. We expand and do more than he ask. Today I ask you, have you done what he’s told you or have you attempted to do more than he’s told you?

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Today’s homily was one of those moments where I felt like I knew what I wanted to say but trusted in the Holy Spirit and God did not disappoint.

I got a bit emotional towards the end so I’ll just leave the homily here, without comment, and let the Holy Spirit take this homily from there because it was his the entire time anyway.

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(Christmas Eve Homily)

The commercials will all tell you that Christmas is the happiest time of the year, that happiness comes in the form of friends, family, and baked goods. You’ll see in countless places that this or that “tis the season,” or is “the reason for the season.”

But do we really celebrate and know the reason for the season? Do we really know why the season is bright?

 

This Sunday at St. Mary’s we blessed the doors of our parish because the Bishop had designated St. Mary’s as one of five pilgrim sites around the Diocese during this year of Mercy. In the midst of this joyous occasion I asked for Christ to show us the door.

Sound odd…?

Then listen in!

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We’re called to be vigilant and to pray but most of us don’t even know how to pray.

This Sunday we take a moment and go through a few easy steps for prayer that you’ll be sure never to forget.

Listen and learn a bit more about prayer and Advent.

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Are you eagerly awaiting Christ’s arrival? Are you vigilant?

I have one bit of advice: make sure that vigilance stems not from fear but familiarity.

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Our hearts are made to be open to and ruled by our King. The problem is most of us have closed the door on that relationship in one way or another. Today, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, we take a moment and take stock of how, if at all, we’re responding to Christ’s invitation to reign over our hearts.

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No seriously… calm down.

Today is about perspective and realizing that the game has already been won. Half of the time, all we have to do is realize who’s team we’re playing for. Often as Christians we can get so caught up in the small but devastating details that we can lose sight of the bigger idea – we’re for Christ, not against the devil. Dont forget who you’re playing for and that he’s already won. Enjoy the game.

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Following the widow and giving everything to Christ is wildly hard. I make no claims on being perfect, nor do I have corner on the market to when it comes to trusting the Lord. All I’ve discovered is that there are a few things that interupt my ability to abandon my heart to Christ. Today I speak about how we can be our own worst enemy and the lies that we believe about ourselves.

Fair warning: for some of you this might be a hard homily to listen to. I speak frankly and bluntly. It is my prayer that it brings forth fruit.

Photo by G.S. Matthews (CC/BY)