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 These are text versions of the sermons I have prepared for the Sundays of the calendar year. I am a Catholic priest of the diocese of Gaylord (Michigan), ordained in 1997. 

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Fifth Sunday of Lent [C]

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FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C] Jesus wins a reprieve for the woman caught in adultery. He sends her on her way with the words: “sin no more” (John 8:11). Does she comply? We don’t know. But let’s suppose that she does comply; she takes the message to heart. What will this signify? As far as St. Paul is concerned, this signifies a type of liberation. She’s no longer carrying the burden of sin. Now she can run freely. In pursuit of what? Paul refers to it as “the finish line” (Phil. 3:14, original NAB translation). It’s “the prize” (revised NAB translation). In other words, it’s something very desirable, something appealing. It’s appealing in the same way that a river would hold appeal for someone journeying in the desert (see Isaiah 43:16-19). Isaiah looks forward to the day when God will transform the desert into a place of vitality. A river will be released, providing satisfaction for those who are in need of refreshment. God has had enough of the old; now a new plan will be unfolding....
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Third Sunday of Lent [C]

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  THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT [C] You’ve heard the expression: Don’t go there!! Essentially that’s what we’re hearing from Jesus in the Gospel of Luke chapter thirteen. The disciples are being warned not to speculate. Yes, a tower did collapse in Siloam (a district located just south of Jerusalem). Yes, eighteen people died as a result. And yes, the reports are true about a council of Galilean conspirators; they have been apprehended and they also have been put to death.  For your part, you’re thinking this has to do with unconfessed sin. You’re seeing two cases of divine retribution. These untimely deaths have occurred because transgressions were being committed. I’m saying: Think again!! Concentrate on your own transgressions, your own level of culpability! The call for repentance is universal. It’s not as if your purity exceeds the purity of those who died in Siloam or those who died at the hands of Pilate (see Luke 13:1-9).   In other words, don’t act superior; don’t ...
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Fourth Sunday of Lent [C]

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  FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C] Perhaps you’ve seen the character “Dr. Jekyll” portrayed on film. The performance of Frederic March stands out (1931), along with the performance of John Barrymore (1920). Prior to appearing on screen, the character first appears as the subject of a Gothic novel, a novel authored by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886). He presents Henry Jekyll as a physician, who enjoys spending time in the laboratory, conducting experiments. The day arrives when he conducts a particular risky experiment—upon himself. As a result, suddenly he’s changing. Before long, he establishes himself as his own worst enemy. His savage persona will become known as “Mr. Hyde.”  The two identities contend with each other, vying for supremacy. The cycle continues to repeat itself, until the story brings us to a tragic ending—typical within the category of Gothic fiction.  Your heart goes out to Dr. Jekyll. It’s a tormenting experience when you find that you are acting as your own w...
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