Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Hello once again! Yes, I know I promised to be more regular with my postings. There have been some personal issues that required attention, but it is not quite time yet to discuss. But other than that…

I was able to rise early enough to watch the funeral Mass for Pope Francis. It was amazing to see the crowds of people, both clergy, religious and lay who came to pray for the repose of his soul. The new camera technology has added what we are able to see and experience. One sight that thrilled my heart was seeing so many vested deacons with the rest of the clergy. As I am typing this, I suddenly realized that some of them, maybe all of them, were transitional deacons, on their way to priestly ordination. Which is fine, but I really hope that some of them were my brothers in the permanent diaconate.

I have lived through many papacies, each one unique in their own way. I was a youngster when Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council. I am 71 years old now, as I witness the passing of Pope Francis. I have witnessed, joyfully, changes in the liturgical life of the Church. I witnessed debates among clergy and laity on how best to implement Vatican II, how involved should the laity be. ( A lot!). I have seen some of these debates done respectfully; others, not so much.

Because of the way my health is right now, and the changes in where we are living; I have not been as active as a deacon as I would like to be. We shall see what the future holds. Looking forward to seeing the white smoke!

Pax et Bonum to all!!

Homily – Pentecost 2023

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The Easter season of 2023 is rapidly drawing to a close. Before this, we had the season of Lent and of Holy Week. And today, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. We commemorate, we celebrate the day when the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, descended upon the Apostles, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the other disciples.

Now keep in mind, that these early disciples of Jesus were also in hiding. They still feared the power of the Sanhedrin, and Roman authorities. And they did not know exactly what was about to happen, or when it would happen. It was one thing to feel courage when they could see our Risen Lord in front of them. It was another thing when they are in hiding, fearing that the Jerusalem authorities may find them.

Then something happened, something wondrous. The fierce wind, the tongues of flame settling on top of each head. The people in that were no longer simple fishermen, homemakers, a tax collector. They became proclaimers of the Good News of our Risen Lord. They were promising a healing, a peace that could only come through the name of Jesus.

This is the story that has been told; that is being told, being proclaimed in so many homes, street corners, churches; throughout this country, throughout this world, and in this place, here, now!

But I am finding it necessary to ask if this, the greatest story ever told; this Good News, still has the power to move hearts; to move souls? I mean we have all heard the reports of declining numbers of members, in our parishes, in our dioceses. Religious orders are fading away, in this country, and in Europe. We have all heard the stories of churches closing down. And it can be discouraging.

But there is reason to hope. In what has been called the Global South, we see a rebirth of faith communities; communities fired up by the Holy Spirit. And we see the efforts being made here is our own parish. And we are called to be in one way or another, evangelizers, bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ. As Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

We each have a role in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ; by word or by action, we bring the Gospel message to life, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily

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“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish is were already blazing!” Luke 12: 49


Listening or reading this Gospel verse can be very jarring! We are so used to the gentle Jesus; not the one revealed in today’s Gospel. This Jesus wants to set the world ablaze. We look at this statement from the point of view of a country that has already been ablaze from numerous, destructive forest fires. We have witnessed numerous, fierce house fires in our neighborhoods. Fire is destructive, so how can Jesus say he wants to set the world blazing?


Let us look at this another way; that Jesus wishes to set the world ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit! Jesus wants to transform the world, with the Holy Spirit working through us. We need to accept the Holy Spirit within us; to guide us; to energize us. All of us, in what ever way Jesus calls us, are to help bring the transformative fire of God, to our communities, our workplaces, our churches, our homes, and within ourselves!


Now, we maybe all called to various levels of works or actions, and for many us, it was a call to just daily living of the Gospel, of lives of prayer, of acts of simple charity is all what is demanded of us. And it does not matter if our actions are big or small; simple or very involved; have you ever seen a steel wielder’s torch? It may produce a small flame, but it’s heat is so intense that it melts metal, cuts through steel. No matter what God may ask of us; whether it is large or small; we share what we have received. Whether by word or action, whether with a large group or small. We perform the work we have been given; we do the best we can to proclaim the Good News, by our works, our words, and yes, even just by our prayers.
Now, there may be disappointments, especially in the times we finds ourselves in, church attendance is dropping, many of our friends and family members no longer practice the faith, indeed, they are thuise who are hostile to the Church. But so was the experience of the early disciples, and the early Christians. Within their own families, they found discord, disputes, and divisions. But just as our Risen Lord was with the Apostles, the first disciple; He is with us here and now, and into the future.


I have a favorite story about a Desert Father that I would like share in closing. Now the Desert Fathers and Mothers were early Christian hermits who lived in the Egyptian wilderness. They lived in simple huts, prayed and fasted often. Now, one day, one of these hermits approached Abba Joseph, who was known for his holiness, with a question. “I have followed my rule of life faithfully, what more is required of me?” Abba Joseph lifted his hands into the air, and spread his fingers. Suddenly, each of his fingertips was aflame. Abba Joseph said to the young hermit, “If you will, you can become flame!” Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will help become flame, to shine the light of the Gospel throughout our community, Commonwealth, our Nation!

In the Morning We Praise You, O Lord!

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“Behold, the fiery sun is rising; may blindness at last depart-let us speak nothing underhanded, let us consider nothing dark. To God the Father be glory, and to his only Son, with the Spirit, the Paraclete, for everlasting ages. Amen!” *

*The Little Book of Hours”, Paraclete Press.

The Power of a Nor’easter!

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“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him forever….All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever…Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever!” (Daniel 3: 57, 65, 78)

I went with my wife to spend Easter Sunday on Cape Code with her mother, some of her siblings and nieces and nephews. Now the Cape, especially the seashore, has been battered by several nor’easter’s. A walk along the beach shows how wind, and waves can effect change on the landscape.

Reflecting on this, I am thinking about how much change God can effect in our lives when we allow the breath of the Holy Spirit to blow into us!

A Happy and Blessed Easter to all!