4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

01-29-2017HomiliesFr. Chauncey Winkler

The Sermon of the Mount is Good News. Jesus looked at the people with compassion, loved them and gave them Good News for their lives.

He saw people who were desperate, needing to beg God for the strength to carry on, for the strength to draw another breath. He saw people who were not independent and confident of their self-sufficiency and he said to them "I tell you that you are blessed. You are happy. You are the fortunate ones. For the kingdom of God is not conquered by those who are strong but given to those who know they are needy. Blessed are you the poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.

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The Truth

01-22-2017HomiliesRev. Bala Barnabas Duniya

Jesus started his public ministry in Galilee, considered a land of pagans, a people held in contemptby the Jews (1Macc.5:15). The light that shone out from Galilee is destined to illumine people allover the world. The land which, in the time of Isaiah, was ravaged by invaders and planted by sizeable numbers of foreigners is now the first to receive the light of salvation and to hear the Messiah’s preaching (Is.8:23-9:1).

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How does the word "obedience" make you feel?

01-15-2017HomiliesDeacon Mike Woiwode

How does the word "obedience" make you feel? Does it sound like a bad thing? After all, we all like to be able to make our own choices. Does obedience to someone make you feel inferior as a person? I have found that most people, in general, don't like the word, "obedience", myself included. We fear it will take away our freedom. It's hard to trust someone enough to give them control in our lives. But most of all, are we afraid to trust God enough to give Him the "obedience" He deserves. What if He asks us to do something that is very hard? What if God wants us to give up things that are important to us? Or maybe obedience reveals a level of pride in us that we are avoiding. Pride is the most deadly of the seven deadly sins and obedience is a great destroyer of pride. It is very difficult to be full of pride while being obedient to God at the same time.

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Jesus is the Star that Guides all People

01-08-2017HomiliesFather Anthony Okolo, CSSp

Today, being the feast of Epiphany we celebrate Jesus the incarnate word being revealed to all the nations of the world. The Church calls it, the feast of appearance or manifestation of the Lord. Epiphany comes from the Greek word and means "Manifestation". The Church celebrates the light of God's revelation of his Son as human in Jesus Christ. The story of the magi is the story of the ways in which God reveals Himself to us and even more about the different responses and reactions this revelation receives. The Lord of the universe who reveals the star of Bethlehem to the Gentiles of the East so they could come and worship Jesus, the Prince of Peace and Kings of Kings gives each one of us the same light of revelation to recognize and accept Jesus as Our Lord and Savior.

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Mary, Model of all Mothers

01-01-2017HomiliesRev. Bala Barnabas Duniya

History has it that, on the first of January Christians celebrate several festive events. We celebrate, first of all, New Year's Day; then we think of the circumcision of Jesus which took place, Luke tells us, eight days after his birth (Lk.2:21); the day was later on dedicated to Mary Mother of God, and finally in 1968 Pope Paul VI chose January 1st as the "World Day of Peace". Today we celebrate the unparalleled and incomparable greatness of God that made Him to stoop so low and call one of His own creatures, Mary, to be the Mother of His Son Jesus, our Redeemer. Faith and the obedience of Mary enabled her to listen and respond to the invitation of God.

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