Deep Calls to Deep Roc Homily – Twentieth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
“I have come to cast fire on the earth…” The passage in Acts 2 serves as the backdrop for understanding this gospel passage – “tongues of fire divided.” It seems to me that the fire of the Spirit purified the disciples (as gold in the fire) and created a union between them, a oneness not […]
St. Clare – a prophet for our times
Today’s first reading, Ezekiel 12:1-11, gives us a picture of the prophetic action Ezekiel was told to act out. It sounds crazy. I have tended to domesticate the great saints in order to ward off the impact of their prophetic deeds and saying. St. Clare, I realized today, is one of them. With Francis, Clare […]
Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
“This gospel is not about prayer in general…” The Lord’s Prayer seems to be “designed” for disciples who seek a path of purification and mission. Asking and seeking and knocking have to do with persistence in asking for the Holy Spirit whose purifying fire made the disciples ready for mission. That’s why we “dare to […]
Prequel 2 to Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
A second reflection… Dennis Hamm, SJ made this connection come alive for me in his masterful book, Building Our House on Rock: The Sermon on the Mount as Jesus’ Vision for Our Lives as Told by Matthew and Luke. When he looked at the link between the Greek word, hagiazo (“to hallow, make holy”) and its use […]
Prequel to Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
This is a wholly new way of looking at the Lord’s Prayer for me. See whether it works for you. Consider the placement of this prayer in Matthew’s gospel (6:5-15). It’s set right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, the inaugural address Jesus made to his disciples in which he laid out his […]
Roc Homily – Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Here’s the audio of my homily on Martha & Mary. Blessings! _-roc,sj
Roc Homily – Fifteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Is it possible that Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan could have contributed to the ire of scribes & Pharisees? Could this parable have led to his death? I follow N.T. Wright’s study of the Pharisees that details how Jesus’ letting go of observance of purity codes could have done just that. Let me know […]
More thoughts on Evangelization #2… 2016
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 gospel = Matthew 9:34-38 …Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he […]
Roc Homily #1 for the Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Jesus sent forth 72 disciples – “Here’s a thought…” The Gospel: Jesus sent the disciples to preach and heal by revealing reliance on God by manifesting vulnerability. Perhaps this says something about the New Evangelization to adults. An Observation about the USofA: I apply the insights of Sharon Parks (The Critical Years) about young adult […]
Deep Calls to Deep 
Year of Mercy Revisited – June 17, 2016
Here’s something to do with your weekend… or whenever… Dr. John O’Keefe & Dr. Wendy Wright, two stalwarts from the Creighton University Theology Department, interviewed me about the Year of Mercy when I visited campus in April to give a talk on same. It was a lively and engaged conversation for their Catholic Comments podcast. 20 Minutes. I […]
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