A homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on Matthew 3.13-17. “Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all rig...

A homily for the Feast of the Epiphany based on Matthew 2:1-12. “In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard...

A homily for the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God and the 59th World Day of Peace 2026, based on Luke 2:16-21. “The shepherds went with haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what t...

A homily for the Feast of the Holy Family, the second Sunday in Christmas based on Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23. “After the wise men had left, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, t...

A homily prepared for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day, based on Luke 2:15-20. “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the chil...

A shorter than usual homily for the Mass in the Night on Christmas Eve, on Luke 2:1-16. It seeks to be more incarnational and more sensory a theme that will carry through many of my Christmas Homilies, I think. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration...

A homily for the fourth Sunday in Advent on Matthew 1:18-24 and Isaiah 7:10-14. With apologies for the late posting. “The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O hou...

A homily for the third Sunday in Advent in year A on Matthew 11:2-11 and Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. Th...

A homily for the second Sunday of Advent in year A on Matthew 3.1-12 and Isaiah 11.1-10. This homily was prepared but never delivered. “On that day: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of co...

A homily for the first Sunday in the season of Advent on Matthew 24.37-44 & Isaiah 2.1-5 that draws on Thomas Jay Oord's notion of the uncoercive love of God that gently invites a response. “Jesus spoke to his disciples: “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were ...

A homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe based on Luke 23:35-43. Once again I build my reflection on the notion of the weakness of God developed by John D. Caputo in order to show why it is necessary for God the Son to remain on the Cross rather than to come down with power and might. “The leaders scoffed at Jesus ...

A homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Tine (Year C), on Luke 21:5-19 and influenced by John D. Caputo's writing on the insistence of God. “When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not o...

An extended weekday homily on Luke 17:7-10 given on the Memorial Feast of St. Martin of Tours and Remembrance Day with insights from the writing of John Caputo. “Jesus said to the disciples, “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place a...

A homily for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, on John 2.13-22. Like many of my recent homilies it resonates with the voices of the theologians John Caputo and Thomas Jay Oord. “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the m...

A homily on Luke 7:11-17 given on the Feast of All Souls (Year C), a day dedicated to praying for all the faithful departed believed to be in purgatory. It emphasizes the importance of interceding for those who have died, helping them on their journey to heaven. This homily draws on John Caputo's notion of the event of God. “Jesus went...

A homily on Luke 18.9-14 given on the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C), the Archdiocesan Day for Palliative Care, here in Toronto. It draws on Thomas Jay Oord's relational theology of Love, and John Caputo's notion of the weakness of God. “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and rega...

A homily for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) on Luke 18:1-8. This homily seeks to address a common concern many of us share, about prayer. Here I seek to use Thomas Jay Oord's concept of the Relational Love of God, and John Caputo's Weak Theology to offer some insight into prayer, persistence, and the communal dimensi...

An extended weekday homily on Luke 11:37-41 written in answer to a question that followed my Sunday Homily: "Your Faith Has Made You Well". “While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so Jesus went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before ...

This homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) on Luke 17.11-19 was preached the day before Canadian thanksgiving. “On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have ...

“The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at o...

Today the Church celebrates the memorial feast of St Jerome, Venerable Alfred Pampalon, CSsR, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. This homily on Luke 9:51–56 focuses on Truth and Reconciliation and is written in the key of Indigeneity. “When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to ...

I’m often asked to share my homilies, and until now, I’ve hesitated—believing that the words spoken are meant for the particular congregation before me. But recently, I’ve been encouraged to offer some of these reflections to a wider community, in the hope that they might speak to others as well. These homilies are rooted in the deep s...

I am a Redemptorist priest living and working in Canada. Home is wherever I happen to have been assigned, which is currently Toronto, ON. I was born in the middle of England: on a farm, in a village, in a city, and, as a result, I am full of contradictions. I studied Archaeology, and Mathematics & Computing in England, and Philosophy a...