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Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion

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Authors Anne Marie O'Kelley

funerals sacrament-based holidays holy days special occasions

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Homily stories

20 Sep 2015 - Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The famous slogan “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” is often associated with Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, though he didn’t originate it. Near the end of his life, the coach said, “I wished I’d never said the thing. . . . I meant the effort. I meant having a goal. I sure didn’t mean for people to crush human values and morality.” In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Derek Redmond was expected to medal in the 400-meter sprint. To the shock of the spectators, 175 meters from the finish he faltered with a torn right hamstring and collapsed. But then he slowly got to his feet, not to walk off the track, but hobbling only on his good leg, he was determined to finish the race, a race he obviously would not win. The crowd was on its feet. Then, at about 120 meters, a man broke through security and ran to Redmond, who continued to hop toward the goal. It was his father, who wrapped his arm around Derek’s waist and said, “I’m here, son. We’ll finish together.” Derek put his arms around his father’s shoulders and sobbed and then kept going. In front of 65,000 cheering people, they finished the race together. There wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium.

Authors Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

winning goals

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In other words

30 Aug 2015 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. They noticed that some of his disciples weren’t being careful with ritual washings before meals. The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market. The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?” Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they are worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, Ditching God’s command and taking up the latest fads.” Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Listen now, all of you— take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution. Obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution” (from Mark 7). Taken from The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2014 ); actapublications.com; 800-397-2282.

Rules Purity Law Rituals

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Exploring the word

11 Jan 2015 - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Cycle B

Nothing could be more common than water. It’s available in plastic bottles everywhere we go, offered by the glass for free on most restaurant tables. It comes out of the tap in our homes and we take that privilege for granted—except in those rare moments when it’s just not there for some municipal reason. The typical American family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day for drinking, cooking, showering, laundering, lawn maintenance. Also, one-third of our national water usage gets flushed away in our bathrooms, to the tune of $5 billion every year. In the biblically arid land of Israel—dependent on one viable lake and a single unimpressive river and its tributaries for its water source—water was deeply prized and appreciated. Maybe the idea of a water ritual sounded different to such people than it does to those of us who shower routinely or take a dip at the pool and think nothing of it (although the Ice Bucket Challenge sure got a lot of press this past year!). Some water rituals do remain a source of fascination, like the old-time dunking pond. When it costs you something to plunge under the water, it suddenly makes sense to be in the moment and pay attention. Water rituals such as the dunking pond, Ice Bucket Challenge, or Baptism are not really about the water, which is the most visual aspect of the event. It’s about the person undergoing a test of nerve and resolve. Are you in or out? Do you have what it takes to brave the moment and endure the thrill of the uncertain plunge? Because water, like wind and fire and earth, contains an element of danger. Drowning and flooding happened often enough in ancient times to imprint its terror on the human psyche. Babies still cry when the trickling baptismal water touches their scalp. We know instinctively that an encounter with water could cost us something, perhaps everything we have. Our RCIA graduates could probably say more about the cost of Baptism than those of us who encountered the sacrament pre-verbally. For adult catechumens, Baptism starts with a conscious decision to enter into a long process of preparation, study, and self-examination. At first, the road to adult Baptism requires mostly the investment of time, itself a dear thing in our chronically active age. It also asks us to be in the moment, to pay attention, to ask the right questions, to test our hearts against the answers. We do a lot of things every day in a half-aware state, hardly remembering where we went, what we ate, how the hours fled or dribbled away. The focus of those preparing for Baptism is to wake up, and to stay awake. Maybe if we used ice water, and the whole assembly had to take the plunge annually, our baptismal commitment would really get our attention! Related scripture links God sees what is in the heart: Luke 16:15; Acts 15:8 In Christ no Jew or Gentile: Gal. 3:26-29; 4:6-7; Col. 3:11 God’s anointed: Luke 4:16-21 The Father and Jesus are one: John 22-23

Authors Alice Camille

baptism Rituals

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Homily themes

17 Nov 2013 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"Don’t get burned!” could be a theme of this weekend’s readings. Don’t get burned, first of all, in God’s judgment, like evildoers and the proud! Don’t also get burned by false prophets. The “lights” you should be looking for—the “business” you should be “minding,” in the words of 2 Thessalonians— are not “awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky” but the “sun of justice with its healing rays,” which shines on those who respect and have reverence for the name of God.

Authors Joel Schorn

judgment false prophets

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Homily stories

15 May 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A

Who are the robbers of Jesus' sheepfold? False prophets, corrupt leaders, and no-goodniks of all stripes, certainly. But the sheep's own worst enemies are often themselves. Ask yourself, on a daily basis what draws you away from God's voice: fears and insecurities? apathy or indifference jealousy or envy pride or ego? Try not to pay attention to any other voice but God's today.

false prophets god's voice paying attention

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Who's listening?

14 Nov 2010 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Perhaps Paul was directing his stern words in Thessalonians to those who, believing the end to be near, stopped working altogether. And Jesus has several responses to those who are looking for the last days. Be wary of false messiahs, and don't be terrified of or deceived by upheavals, because they are bound to happen. Earlier Jesus says, " 'The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce "Look, here it is," or, "There it is." For behold, the kingdom of God is among you' " (Luke 17:20-21). The important thing has to do with you. You will be put to the test. How are you to respond? People are tempted to put their trust in false prophets and easy answers, to give up when things get hard. If we persevere in the daily work of faith, the coming of Lord, every day and at the end of days, will not be something we fear but a prospect we face with confidence.

thessalonian false prophets Trust

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Water hazards

26 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the First Letter of John this Sunday warns that not all of those who say they keep the commandments may be telling the truth. While there are federal laws governing release of harmful chemicals into the public water supply, investigators wonder if pharmaceutical companies and regulators are telling the whole story about the risks. U.S. manufacturers, including major drug companies, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that provide drinking water--contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press (AP) investigation. To date, drug makers have dismissed the suggestion that their manufacturing contributes significantly to what's being found in the water. Federal drug and water regulators agree. But some researchers say the lack of required testing amounts to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about whether drug makers are contributing to water pollution. "It doesn't pass the straight-face test to say pharmaceutical manufacturers are not emitting any of the compounds they're creating," said Kyla Bennett, who spent 10 years as an Environmental Protection Agency enforcement officer before becoming an ecologist and environmental attorney. Pilot studies in the U.S. and abroad are now confirming those doubts. Last year the AP reported that trace amounts of a wide range of pharmaceuticals--including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones--have been found in U.S. drinking water supplies. Pharmaceuticals have been detected in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans. Most cities and water providers still do not test for pharmaceuticals. Some scientists say that wherever researchers look, they will find pharma-tainted water. They are also increasingly concerned that the consumption of combinations of many drugs, even in small amounts, could harm humans over decades. Source: An article by Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza, and Justin Pritchard for the Associated Press

Water associated press water supply pharmaceuticals pharmaceutical companies drinking water kyla bennett pollution

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