Fr. Brendan McGuire - Podcasts that Break open the Word of God

We hear in the first reading about how the light comes into the world when we do actions of goodness; feed the hungry; shelter the unhoused. You see the Lord is trying to tell us it is not how much time, talent or treasure we have but it is how we use that time, talent, or treasure to add flavor to the whole world; to light the darkened world; to give meaning to the world; to give joy to the world. (Read more…)

Here is my homily for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today we begin our Annual Diocesan Appeal and the message of today is very appropriate for the appeal.

I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.

We are meant to do something different. We are meant to change our mind, our heart. And that is what this liturgy every Sunday is always about; it is to receive Christ, to become Christ; to become what we receive. In a sense, we are meant to change our seats; to come back a completely different, different way.

Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)

How will you open yourself to the conversion experience?Will you wait for a new pain or suffering to come; some new wound to open you up? Or will you allow the Lord now by willful decision; by a choice of your own will that you will be open to a new way of looking at things; to let a light shine in your darkness now and not wait for the darkness to get deeper or more profound? (Read more…)

Here is my homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. It was given as the opening of a Parish retreat in Rocklin, California. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.

Have a great week and see you next Sunday!

We are called to witness to our faith; that we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We testify by what and how we do the work that we do. We are called to serve. Serve one another and love one another. That will be the testimony of our community. Today, we are a stand of Aspens that remain connected in the one Lord, in the one Church, at the one Table, in the one Faith. (Read more…)

Here is my homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.

What is our work today as we come to this table to be refreshed and strengthened? It is to be a little bit keener to see and to understand what God is communicating to me; to you; today. He is going to communicate to every one of us in our life not talking to somebody else.

Here is my homily for the Epiphany of the Lord I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)

Have a great week and see you next Sunday!

As we celebrate this great feast of Mary, can we in a practical way acknowledge our mothers in our life; the love that has sustained us over the many years; the love that has held us; the love that has completed us because that love is from God and when we return it to God, it is a certain level of completion.

Here is my homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.

Happy New Year to you all and I pray God blesses you with love and joy this Christmas season. (Read more...)

Can we make room for someone in our lives on this Christmas? Is there an uncle, aunt, grandparent that you can reach out to today and call? And tell them how much you love them. Maybe there is a person in your neighborhood who you never see but you are worried about them. Can you make a phone call today? Or go and knock on the door and say, “Merry Christmas! Here is some food. I was just thinking of you.” (Read more…)

Here is my homily for the the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.

Merry Christmas. I pray God blesses you with love and joy this Christmas season.

We hear over and over again in the Gospels, how many disciples and religious people, especially, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and religious leaders block God out by talking at God, saying all the multitude of prayers nonstop. Just to keep God away.

Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)

Please join us for the fourth and final session of our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer tonight, December 20 at 7pm. We have been reflecting on the laws of behavior change and how to pray.

Previous weeks are available at this link and tonight's session will be livestreamed at this same link.

We all have false expectations, which is why we get frustrated with one another

whether it be with our spouse over doing this or doing that; or whether it be at the Costco line or some other cashier’s line for food or TSA. We tend to get caught up in our own little world, which is fed by really small pieces of information and mostly self-centered. (Read more…)

Finally, please join us for the third session of our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer tonight, December 13 at 7pm. We have been reflecting on the laws of behavior change and this week we will talk about the third law of Making it Easy.

Previous weeks are available at this link. It would be great if you could join in person but if not, it will be livestreamed at the same link. 

The whole purpose of Advent is to pause and reflect asking “Is the pattern of my life in fact as a disciple or have I moved into the periphery and no longer reflect the face of Christ?” John the Baptist calls us today to pause and to not only not lose hope but to gain hope and to be focused on how our actions are reflecting the face of Christ.

Here is my homily for the Second Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more...)

Finally, please join us for our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer starting tonight, November 29th at 7-8pm. Live stream information will be available at this link.