Readings: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2. 6-8; James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala It’s that time of year when newly- minted freshmen are off for the first time to the college of their choice. Part of the excitement of moving out of their parents’ home— going out on their own—is that they are free. No… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 18: 15-20; 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35; Mark 1: 21-28 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala In the readings of the previous two Sundays, we heard stories of God calling people to follow, to listen, to act in certain ways. Samuel brought his innocence to God. “Speak, Lord, for your servant listens.” John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to his young disciples… read more →
Ordinary Time 27 A One straightforward way of reading today’s Gospel is as an indictment of the chief priests and scribes of Jesus’ time. We can identify them with the tenant farmers who rejected the messengers and killed the king’s son. The story is a variation on an equally depressing passage in Isaiah, where God’s careful preparation of the vineyard… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17; John 6: 51-58 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Today, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, I can’t help praying that this feast will touch each of us deeply with Jesus’ very own depth of generous loving and self-giving. But the story of generous nourishment of God’s people began many centuries… read more →
Readings: Exodus 17: 3-7; Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8; John 4: 5-42 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala The Samaritan city of Sychar in today’s Gospel is called Nablus today—a city that is regarded as a dangerous place of overt friction between Palestinians and Israelis, as we saw a few weeks ago on the news. The ancient well is still there, where weary passers-by… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 7: 10-14; Romans 1: 1-7; Matthew 1: 18-24 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala One of the common misconceptions among Christians is that the Christmas stories—indeed, Christmas itself—is best celebrated by children. It’s true that children love Christmas with exuberance and delight in the stories of Jesus’ birth. They learn early about the generosity of our God who came to be… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 18: 6-9; Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19; Luke 12: 32-48 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Abraham, we are told in the Letter to the Hebrews today, travelled to a horizon beyond which he could not see. “Abraham…went out, not knowing where he was to go.” (Heb.11.8) All he could do was to have faith and trust in the God who told… read more →
Readings: Dueteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10: 8-13; Luke 4: 1-13 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala Who is this Satan, anyway? In today’s Gospel, Jesus recognizes Satan for who he is, but in our daily lives, we don’t … or at least we don’t easily recognize Satan for who he is. The Evil One (a.k.a. Satan, the Adversary) is present wherever people and cultures… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 2-6; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 12: 28B-34Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala From long hearing, most of us are familiar with Jesus’ saying, “I have come not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it.” Jesus identifies the meaning of his life with the full flowering of the Law. And yet, in the Gospel of Mark, in the short… read more →
Readings: Acts 4: 32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20: 19-31Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala For Him, it didn’t have to be this way,Risen Christ that He was. He could have left His wounds in the tomb,Untreasured,His bloodStaining the stone andBurial wrappings. But Jesus’ woundsIn hands and feet and sideWere the embodiment ofThe compassion… read more →