Readings: Isaiah 22: 19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Margot Van Etten Today’s readings—one so familiar, the other less so—pose a challenge. A few challenges, actually. The passage from Isaiah has a certain contemporary ring. Faced with disaster from a besieging Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem, with internal chaos and decay, what does… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Click here to watch a video of this homily.Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler Two lines struck a chord with me as I reflected on our readings. The first was ,“Maintain justice and do what is right.” Isaiah is urging the Israelites to be sure everyone… read more →
Readings: 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a; Romans 9: 1-5; Matthew 14: 22-33Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Barbara Moore Most people we know may struggle with faith but hold on to the struggle and the beliefs they have. I think the experience of Peter in today’s Gospel is full of meaning and lessons for all of… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans 8: 35, 37-39; Matthew 14: 13-21Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Deni Mack “All you who are thirsty, come to the water. You who have no money, come receive grain and eat…drink wine and milk.” I imagine the children of Yemen and Syria feasting at our family table with their cousins. Also those… read more →
Readings: 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12; Romans 8: 28-30; Matthew 13: 44-52Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Teryle Watson The Old Testament reading today is rich and timely. In 1 Kings , God appears to Solomon in a dream. God promises to grant any wish that Solomon desires. Solomon asks for two things: an understanding heart so… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8: 26-27; Matthew 13: 24-43Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Susan K. Roll Sometimes, when life seems to swirl around us in a confusing mess of options, possibilities and potential dangers, we want it simple. Either/or. A or not A. Chocolate or vanilla? And sometimes life seems more manageable if we discover,… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 55: 10-11; Romans 8: 18-23; Matthew 13: 1-23Click here to download a PDF of the homily.Preacher: Nancy DeRycke Pay Attention! When I was in early teen years, my Dad and I were out for a ride. We were in his truck, coming home on a quiet road. He pulled over on the side of the road and said,… read more →
Readings: Zechariah 9: 9-10; Romans 8: 9, 11-13; Matthew 11: 25-30Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Cathy Kamp When I started preparing this reflection, I was feeling quite “burdened”—the word Matthew uses in this week’s Gospel as he quotes Jesus: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” During… read more →
Readings: 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16A; Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10: 37-42Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Kathi Piehler When I was growing up in the 1950s my family had a Sunday ritual—we would all go to Mass together, come home and my mother would cook an extra special breakfast. Then my mom would vacuum and… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 10-13; Romans 5: 12-15; Matthew 10: 26-33Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Ruth Marchetti It’s been four hundred years since the first Africans were sold as slaves in the colonies that would become the United States. For four hundred years, the dominant European, mostly Christian, culture has embraced the myth of superiority that justified… read more →