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HOMILY PREP
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Take Five for Faith
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HOMILY PREP
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- Daily (Starting Dec 29)
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Homily stories

24 Dec 2023 - Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

Imagine Mary’s bewilderment when the angel Gabriel greeted her with the familiar words, “Hail, Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” But despite her confusion she responded openly with a resounding yes to God. The Lord is with each one of us, too. How do we respond to God? Here are some ways you can cut through your own spiritual confusion and bewilderment this Advent in order to say yes to God: Go out of your way to listen to someone who has recently experienced a death in their family. In your quiet listening you can be a source of grace to them. Contribute to a fund that helps poor families have a better Christmas. Participate in parish programs that help those in material or spiritual need. Spend at least 20 minutes in quiet prayer each day. Write a letter to a distant loved one who might be lonely. Keep the birth of Jesus at the heart of all that you do during this season. Look closely at each one of your Christmas decorations and ornaments this season. Be mindful of their deep meaning to you, both in the spiritual lessons they represent and in all the family memories they contain. Every time you receive a Christmas gift, no matter how small, use that occasion as an opportunity to practice gratitude and love.

Authors Tom McGrath

spiritual confusion spiritual bewilderment gratitude mindfulness

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Homily stories

31 Mar 2024 - Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

I‘ve always had a hard time with Easter. Maybe it’s that I don’t do well when I eat too much candy, which I inevitably do on Easter Sunday. But I find Easter a difficult day to celebrate. I feel a lot like the disciples who, even after Jesus’ Resurrection, scurried back to the upper room uncertain and confused. The fact is that I can’t fully wrap my mind around the enormous truth of the Resurrection. It’s easy to understand the joy of a newborn baby as we do at Christmas. And I can even relate to the experience of being inspired to action by the Holy Spirit as at Pentecost. But the empty tomb is simply beyond my ability to comprehend. And so, as a religious holiday, Easter leaves me feeling more the loss of Jesus than the finding of Christ. I’ve come to believe that there is a lesson here for me. As a parent I often exist in that uncertain place between the excitement of beginning and the satisfaction of things coming to fulfillment. I’ve come to believe over time that what God asks of me is to simply hang in there, to keep showing up no matter how confused or uncertain I am. As with the frightened apostles, more will be revealed as time goes on if I keep showing up.

Authors Tom McGrath

uncertainty showing up confusion

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