Homilies
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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Deacon Anselm's Homily
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I remember this gospel very well because this was the gospel that was chosen to be read when I made solemn vows four years ago. I was twenty four and so it was easy to apply this gospel of the young man to myself. Of course, it was a joyous time and this narrative is a good lesson but there is an ironic problematic—a kind of nagging worry—that remains in this gospel for me as a monk which, I think, should worry us all.
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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Even though Oktoberfest has been over for several weeks now, this is the first Sunday in the calendar month of October. And as good Catholics, I’m sure you all know that October is designated as the Month of the Rosary.
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If you have ever wondered why, it’s because on October 7th, 1571, Christian forces achieved
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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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How many of you were able to come and venerate the relic of St. Jude while it was here last week? What an incredible opportunity. Did you get a chance to meet the curator who accompanied it, Fr. Carlos Martin? He is a priest of the Companions of the Cross and is more famous for his work as an exorcist. He hosts a podcast called “The Exorcist Files.”
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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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The first thing that struck me about today’s gospel is the stark contrast between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was trying to prepare them for the sufferings he would endure, and they were preoccupied with which of them was the greatest. They did not understand what Jesus was trying to tell them, and St. Mark tells us,
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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Poor Peter. He’s gone and stepped in it again. Just when he got some significant brownie points by recognizing that Jesus is the Christ, He gets called Satan for trying to shield Jesus from harm. I mean, look at what Jesus is saying must happen to the Messiah, the Son of Man, which ...
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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Last week, while I was back in Ohio, we celebrated the 9th anniversary of my sister-in-law’s passing. Mary Ann had been married to my brother for just weeks shy of 50 years.
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She was suffering from cancer, and...
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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Alliston's Homily
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GK Chesterton in his book Orthodoxy gives a following image:
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“There are some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. But there was a wall round the cliff’s edge so they could play and enjoy themselves without a care. But the walls were knocked
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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Alliston's Homily
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Today, we have a visiting Priest, Fr. Allistion Fernandes from the ICPE Mission, filling in for Fr. Ralph while he is away on Vacation.
We all have desires…. For a new car, a brand new TV, an exotic vacation… they may be lore like selfish wants.
But here are some desires at a deeper level...
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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Three weeks ago, we left the Gospel of Mark, which we concentrated on in year B, and jumped to John, Chapter 6. This is the great Bread of Life Discourse. And it began with a miracle. Jesus fed 5,000 men with five barley loaves and two scrawny fish. Most commentators agree that this was a precursor to the institution of the Eucharist.
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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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I don’t know what was in that little hearth cake that Elijah ate, but that was like the ULTIMATE power bar. Strengthened by that food, Elijah walked forty days and forty nights to the Mountain of God, Horeb. And Mt. Horeb is not in some lush, temperate, comfortable place,
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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Here in America, we put great value on our Freedom. Last month, we celebrated our freedom as a country on July 4th. We consider liberty a God-given right. But there are incidents when that right, that freedom, can be taken away. In times of war, a soldier can be taken as a prisoner. If a person commits a terrible enough crime,
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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Today we heard the Lord say, “They shall eat and there shall be some leftover.” And when they had eaten…. There was some left over…. As the Lord had said.
And having heard St. John’s account of the feeding of the 5,000
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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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In today’s Gospel, we hear of the Apostles returning from their assignments, which we heard Jesus sent them out last week. And we hear a little of what they did last week. Mark says they preached repentance, drove out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
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Fr Alliston Fernandes - Homily 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Our second reading is from the letter to the Ephesians Paul proclaims that it is the mystery of God’s will we have been chosen from the foundation of the world to be His sons and daughters, to live for the praise of His glory.
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14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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The Monks are holding the Bach Festival at the Abbey at the end of the month. This isn’t meant to be an advertisement, but if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, it is an evening well spent.
I bring it up only because it seems that the further away the musicians come from, the more talented they must be. The Artistic Director, Alan Goldstein, is ...
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13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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No Video this week
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An English actor named Alec McCowen has had several successful runs on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre by simply getting on stage…. And reciting the Gospel of St. Mark from beginning to end. It’s the shortest of the Gospels and can be read or recited in one evening session.
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11th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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Do you remember being spellbound by magicians when you were younger? We were mesmerized by some clever person doing things that we couldn’t explain; Making things disappear or ...
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10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Ralph's Homily
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I can never hear the account of Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden without remembering something that Fr. Edmund said when preaching about this passage. He said, “The problem in the Garden of Eden was NOT the apple in the tree... but the Pair on the ground.”
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Fr. Ralph's Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
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In the first reading today, Moses gives the people “The Law,” and they all agree to live by God’s ordinances, and so a COVENANT is made. And this covenant is ratified with BLOOD! The blood of bulls sacrificed ...
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Fr Ralph's Homily for Trinity Sunday
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Here we are again. Trinity Sunday; the Feast at which we celebrate the Mystery of three persons in One God. On this day, I usually fall into the trap of trying to define the mystery somehow… which is ineffable, of course. (I love...
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No video this week, sorry!
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Fr Ralph's Homily for Pentecost Sunday
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Happy Pentecost! We could also say, Happy Birthday to the church. But I’ll explain that as we go along.
First, let’s review a little bit about last week’s Ascension. Well, did you do...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - Solemnity of the Ascension
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Happy Ascension Thursday. Oops. It’s NOT Thursday. But when I was a kid, and in many dioceses of the world, Ascension is celebrated precisely 40 days after Easter, which is always a Thursday. But, being a Thursday, it was difficult for many people to get to Mass and celebrate the Feast.
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Rev. Mr. Don Murdy's Homily - 6th Sunday of Easter
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In our Gospel from John, we heard the words of Jesus as he spoke to his disciples:
As the Father loves me, so I also love you. He said that if we keep the commandments, we show that we love him. Love is proven by deeds, not just words. He also said: I have told you
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 5th Sunday of Easter
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So, last week Jesus told us that he ws the Good Shepherd. This week he tells us he is the true vine. I wonder what he will be next Week.
Again, Jesus is using farming metaphors. Last week he
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 4th Sunday of Easter
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So, Today is called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” It’s called that because of the Gospel, we hear from St. John telling us all about Jesus referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd. Farming is a little different today than it was 2000 years ago, so the reference to shepherding...
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Fr. Timothy Kalange OSB Homily - 3rd Sunday Easter
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When I was a newly ordained priest several years ago, an older, experienced priest who I look up to as a
mentor told me something straightforward about the Christian life: it’s all about relationships.
Our culture has a problem with sin. People don’t want to hear about it.
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Rev. Mr. Don Murdy's Homily - 2nd Sunday of Easter
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The second Sunday of Easter always has the same Gospel. It's more than just a narrative about Thomas' initial lack of faith in Jesus' resurrection. When Jesus appeared to the disciples who were behind locked doors, his first words were....
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - Easter Sunday
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Oh, Glorious Day. Day when Jesus was raised from the dead. Day when Christ destroyed death. Day on which God opened the gates of heaven which had been closed since Adam’s sin.
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - for Easter Vigil
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - for Holy Thursday
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As we move into the most holy days of the year in the Church, we begin with Holy Thursday. And the most important thing that happens on Holy Thursday is the institution of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus trans-substantiates bread ...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - for Palm Sunday
with Passion Reading-
Today we begin the most important time of the liturgical calendar, as we remember and re-live the most important week in history. The time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday; the week when Jesus entered Jerusalem,
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 5th Sunday in Lent
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One critical lesson I learned about reading and understanding the Scriptures is to put it in context. What happened before the reading you are looking at, and what happens after?
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 4th Sunday in Lent
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Today is called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is Latin for “Rejoice”. That’s why we wear Rose today, as a reprieve of the dreary Lenten purple.
Listen again to the Entrance Antiphon. “(Laetare)Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 3rd Sunday in Lent
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Are you all familiar with the phrase, “Pushing somebody’s buttons”? It means the things that will evoke a reaction from someone, usually anger. I think kids use this a lot. They know how to get a reaction out of their parents.
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Rev Mr Don Murdy's Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Lent
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In our Gospel, we heard how Jesus was transfigured in the presence of three of the disciples.
Transfiguration is defined as a "metamorphosis" ...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 1st Sunday in Lent
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So, just when you thought we were done with the first chapter of Mark, we double back and pick up the four verses that we left out earlier. The reason we didn’t hear this part of the gospel in sequence is because the Church...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Have you ever had a rash break out on your body? Athlete’s foot, ringworm, shingles, or even poison ivy, would have probably all been suspected as “leprosy” 2000 years ago. And in the first reading...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Today in Mark’s gospel, we pick up precisely where we left off last week, except for one word. The Missal skipped telling us that “IMMEDIATELY” on leaving the synagogue, ...
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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I just have to laugh when I hear this passage of St. Paul to the Corinthians. He wants us to be free of anxieties. He makes it sound like celibate men and women haven’t a care in the world, except to pray and contemplate, with their heads always in the clouds.
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Today we hear in the Gospel, the familiar story of Jesus calling his first disciples. Simon and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John. These men were fishermen. The sons of fishermen.
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Rev. Fr. Ralph Recker's Homily - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Last Sunday, Jesus was revealed to the Gentiles, and on Monday, Jesus was baptized, so now it’s time to get to work. And Jesus will need some help, so in today’s Gospel, he is recruiting workers.
John recommended two men to him, Andrew...
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany
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There was a movie that came out about 20 years ago already called “The Kingdom of Heaven.” It was a period drama which depicted the 3rd Crusade of the Templer Knights of the 12th century in the Holy Land. After a long siege on the City of Jerusalem, the wall is breached, and many brave men on both sides give up their lives in the battle, which is won by the Sultan Saladin.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Christmastide
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So, our readings begin today, way back at the beginning; The Book of Genesis. And God is talking to Abram, back before he was even Abraham, and telling him how he is going to bless him. It doesn’t go into too much detail, but God is probably telling him about all of the Land that he will give him and all of the Camels and Sheep and Cattle with which he will fill it……
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Fr Ralph's Homily for Christmas Day 2023
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 4th Sunday in Advent
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I hope you all enjoyed celebrating the Eucharist with Fr. Charles and getting a little break from my last week. It’s a joy just to witness that first zeal of a priest after his ordination. We can only pray that it lasts forever.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Advent
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If you were here last week, you remember that we talked about the Eucharist and all of the prefiguration of it in the Old Testament. We talked about Cain and Abel’s sacrifice, Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine;
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 1st Sunday in Advent
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As many of you probably already know, the U.S. Bishops have created an initiative of Eucharistic Revival here in this country, in response to what some are seeing as a crisis of faith in the Eucharist among Catholics.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King
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Viva El Christo Rey!
Well, we’ve been warning you for over a month now to stay awake! Stay sober and Alert! Have plenty of oil for your lamp! The end is coming. Jesus is Coming Back!
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Well, today we hear another of Jesus’s famous parables. This time it’s about a Master passing out Talents before a journey. The Gospel doesn’t say specifically what metal they are, so, let’s go with gold.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Besides being a parable, today’s story from Jesus is also an allegory, as most of his parables are, which means they have a deeper meaning, usually a moral message.
So, let’s decipher just what Jesus is trying to say...
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
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I know what y’all are thinking….. “I know a priest like that!”
OUCH! Today’s readings really have it in for the clergy. It starts with Malaki, eh Old Testament prophet who would have been talking to the Priests of the 3rd or 4th century before Christ.
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Rev Mr Don Murdy's Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
…words from today’s Gospel. This Gospel passage from Matthew reminds us that: Love must be the core motivation for all that we do.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Throughout human history, there have always been those egotistical and powerful few who have wanted to take over and rule the entire world. Some of the most recent have been Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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How many of you know the movie “Babbette’s Feast”?
It’s about a poor servant woman who wins a lot of money in a lottery. Not millions, but a significant amount. She spends a lot of time preparing a great banquet for the people of the small Puritan town where she lives in Denmark.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Since we live in the Willamette Valley, today’s readings about vineyards and their harvest are very timely. The leaves are now turning a beautiful blazing gold, and the vines hang heavy with plentiful pinot grapes. It’s a beautiful sight.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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My sister, Mary, taught 2nd grade at St. Peter and Paul school back in Ohio where I grew up, for many years. One day, in Math class, she asked one of the little boys, “If you had 5 dollars, and asked your father for 5 more dollars…. To read more CLICK
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Rev Mr. Dcn Don's Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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We heard the Gospel today of the laborers, who all got paid the same amount, even though some worked all day and some only worked an hour.
It’s so easy to say “that’s not fair”.
I think, many of us believe that we can earn God’s favor. We work hard and think that God will be obliged to give us His love, because we earned it.
“Not so.” says this Gospel.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Wrath…. And Anger…. Are HATEFUL things.
Yet, the Sinner hugs them tight.
These are the first words we heard from the book of Sirach from our readings today. And that somewhat sets the whole tone for the rest.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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So, how many of you here have selective hearing? Or at least know someone who does? I know a lot of people who think their spouses have this impairment. I ask because today’s readings are about hearing… and listening… and thereby being saved.
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Fr Ralph's Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
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How many of you have been duped?
Well, I’m sure we all have been, although it’s a term we don’t use much anymore. It means being coerced or even tricked into something.
When I tried to think of a story of DUPING….
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