Homily 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time    Cycle B   August 18, 2024 As you just heard from the Gospel, we are still in the Johannine “Bread Of Life” discourse; so I will again preach on the SECOND reading today.  Perhaps we can find something of interest and of worth in the reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.   Let’s see. Paul tells us: “Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish person but as wise, …  There are PLENTY of foolish persons around us.  And sometimes they are US.  The Orthodox Study Bible translates this as ..read more

 HOMILY   Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time   Cycle B    August 11, 2024 The Jews said: “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?  Do we not know his father and mother?”   First of all, in the Gospel of John the phrase “the Jews” refers specifically to the party of Jews that were in opposition to Jesus and Jesus’ followers.  At the time John wrote his Gospel it was 60 years after the Resurrection, and the division between Jews who followed Jesus verses the other Jews had hardened and become toxic.  It is NOT what we mean when we sa ..read more

 Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time   Cycle B    August 4, 2024   There is a very old saying, going all the way back to ancient Roman times: “Clothes make the man.”   Now we would say, "Clothes make the person."  And this staying has been around so long because there is truth in that statement.  So, do you like to dress up?   Every Sunday for Mass I dress up.  What do you think of my vesture???  [show vestment]    It used to be that everyone dressed up for Sunday Mass.  Which I rather like.  I j ..read more

 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time   Cycle B   July 28, 2024 In the Gospel we just heard; “One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”  Who is this boy, and what is he doing wandering around with five barley loaves and two fish?  Well, it just so happens that through a special revelation by means of my imagination, I have some information about this otherwise anonymous young man.  It turns out that his name was Zebulon, but h ..read more

 HOMILY     Fifteenth Sunday of Ord. Time   Cycle B        07/14/2024           In last week’s Gospel Jesus had a considerable setback.  You will remember He went to where He was raised, to His native place, and basically He flopped.  The people rejected Him, and took offense at Him, and we are told “He was amazed at their lack of faith.”  That is where last week’s Gospel left us.  Kind of a downer. Now if Jesus were like me, and fortunately for us all He is NO ..read more

 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME    CYCLE “B”                           July 7, 2024   So what do you think – or better, feel - about the readings today?  …           I find them to be pretty gloomy, beset with difficulties and problems and opposition.            In the first reading the new prophet Ezekiel gets the unwelcome but reali ..read more

 HOMILY    Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time     Cycle B     June 30, 2024    At UCC   St Mark arranges the story in today’s Gospel so that he is telling us not just about a particular incident in Jesus’ life and career, but also Mark is teaching us about OUR relationship with Jesus as well.           Jesus heads off to go to the house of a synagogue official named Jarius, who is worried over his seriously sick daughter.   Jesus agrees to accompany Jarius to h ..read more

 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time  Cycle B               June 22, 2024   Our Gospel presents us with the scene of a near shipwreck.  The disciples and Jesus get caught in a violent squall.  Waves break over the boat so that it was already filling up.   The wind is blowing like crazy and the disciples have no control of the ship. The disciples are in a desperate situation.  AND THEY ARE SCARED!   // Ever been in a shipwreck?   Maybe a literal shipwreck.  But also pe ..read more

 Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time   Cycle B     June 16, 2024 Do you like rhetorical questions?  …  We have a lot of University type people here, being so close to the prestigious University of Texas, so I am going to assume that most of you like, appreciate, or at least are comfortable with rhetorical questions.   That is good because in today’s Gospel Jesus asks a rhetorical question.  “He said, ‘To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?”   A wonderful rhetorical question.  Now if ..read more

 Sixth Sunday of Easter    May 5, 2024            Homily The Scriptures today, among other themes, contain the theme of CHOOSING, or CHOICE.  Making choices is something we do all the time.  Mostly small choices.   Regular or decaf?   Vanilla or chocolate?  ABC, NBC or CBS news?  *  Making choices can be fun.  Or it can be difficult, even painful, especially if the consequences of choosing are serious.  For the most important choices of life, for our eternal relatio ..read more