Homilies

**Fr Tom began the homily by leaving the sanctuary for a short time**  Well, that was a bit weird, wasn’t it? That’s not the way I usually start a homily here. I bet some of you might have been wondering whether I was feeling OK. I don’t know exactly what was going on in your […]

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Okay, now, be honest.  When you just made the sign of the cross, was that an instinctive reaction, or were you really thinking of what you were doing? Too often, I think, we get into habits where we do things

On Memorial Day, I enjoyed some one-on-one uncle time with my new nephew, Inti. ‘Inti’ means ‘sun’ in Kitchwa, the native language of Ecuador, where his dad, Rommy, is from. It is a fitting name, as he has brought so much brightness into our lives! So it was super special when I got to cradle

My dad has always been a fan of movies that are based on true stories, and I have inherited this from him. The movie, Of Gods and Men is based on the true story of a group of Cistercian monks who lived and worked in Algeria until the late 90s. They lived peacefully with the

Many times at Confirmation Masses, I have seen bishops ask the Confirmandi questions, so I want to start by asking all of you a question. Don’t worry, it’s not a difficult one! All of you have seen pictures of the saints. What does a saint look like? I think it is easy to distance ourselves

In the Gospel passage that we just heard, Jesus and his disciples are at the Last Supper; they finished their meal, Jesus had already washed the disciples’ feet, and Judas just left to betray Jesus.  And then Jesus says something rather curious.  As soon as Judas left, Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man

I recently rewatched the movie, Return to Me. It was released in the year 2000 and definitely has the elements of the romantic comedies of the late 90’s and early 2000’s–positive story line, lovable characters, and great comedy. I have watched it many times and it doesn’t get old! One of the aspects of Return

There is a stir-craziness that sets in on airplanes. If you’ve ever taken a long flight, you know what I’m talking about. After your first few hours, I think your mind really starts to wrap itself around the reality that you are in a metal tube hurtling through the skies, far from the comfort of

Imagine that you are in St. Peter’s Square waiting your turn to see the Pope. It is mid May and the year is 1981. You see the “Pope-mobile” moving toward you. In the back is Pope John Paul II, smiling and waving. Your heart surges with joy, but all of a sudden, out of the

I am so happy to be celebrating with all of you this Easter morning. There is no more glorious time in the Church. The church is filled with beautiful flowers bursting with life, and we are able to sing ‘Alleluia’ once again. It is a great day! As many of you know, my family is