Enter the Silence of Holy Week - April 2, 2023
This week as we enter into this holiest of weeks, we are called to enter into this week in silence and to take in all the cursing and hatred in the world; all the ugliness; all the bitterness; all the envy and we are called to hold it, transform it and give back, give back beauty, blessings, gentleness, kindness, love and forgiveness. (Read More…)
My prayers are with you as we enter this Holy Week. I look forward to seeing you at all of our special Liturgies and at Mass on Easter Sunday!
Show Up - March 26, 2023
What can we do to live today's gospel? We can show up. We can show up when somebody is suffering whether it be physical or emotional or mental; or whether they are in fact are dying themselves. We can be there and accompany them and assure them of our love by our presence and by our silence. (Read more…)
I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you at Mass next Sunday as we begin Holy Week!
Darkness Can Be Our Friend - March 19, 2023
What helps us keep the faith? I hope that coming here is one part of it. But it must be more than just coming here. It must be more than receiving Jesus. It must be about becoming Christ to others; that we become the light of the world for others. We become the body of Christ broken for others. That is what we promise to do when we come here. (Read more…)
I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you at Mass next Sunday!
I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For - March 12, 2023
The question is we ask ourselves in this Lenten time, "What am I searching for? How am I spending my time?" Often times, we go into an auto-pilot mode. then we realize maybe this Lent is a time to pause and reflect “What am I searching for? And is it the living water? And if I have the source of living water within me then how can I live that more, more completely, more clearly? How can I live that more authentically in my own life?” (Read more…)
Here is my homily from this past Sunday and for the first Scrutiny. Please feel free to share it with others.
And as a way of keeping this Lent a time of conversion, a time of renewal, a time of healing, a time of prayer, a time of fasting, a time of giving alms … a sacred time, please join us either in person or via Livestream us on the Lenten journey with a retreat titled:
“Keeping Time … Sacred” with Fr. Brendan and John Angotti.
Each evening session is from 7:00-8:30pm
Monday, March 13 LiveStream Link
Tuesday, March 14 LiveStream Link
Wednesday, March 15 LiveStream Link
I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you the next three evenings and then at Mass next Sunday!
Half-Way There - March 5, 2023
My friends, as we come to the Eucharist, this high point of our moment together, in our mountain-top experience, we must cooperate with the Lord and his grace. May we allow the Lord to transform us, to metamorphosize us into an even deeper disciple than before. (Read more…)
Here is my homily from this pas Sunday as I gave a mission in southern California. Please feel free to share it with others.
I hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you next Sunday!
Divine Memory Dividends - February 24, 2023
Every year the Church offers us these 40 days of Lent. It is a time of metanoia, a time of renewal, a time of reflection, a time to do justice and time of conversion. Yes, it is a time to pray, a time to fast and time to give alms. It is a time to recommit to our Christian values. (Read more…)
Here is a bonus homily from the celebration of the Celtic Liturgy at the LA Religious Congress on February 24, 2030. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. Additionally, you can view the entire Mass by selecting this link. The music is stunning for this celebration and in my opinion worth the time.
Don Not Believe the Lies - February 26, 2023
Today, when we come to the table, we are smashing the lies; we are not going to believe them; and we are going to hear what the Lord says, “You are my precious child. I created you. I sustain you. And I alone will complete you. Focus on me. Look at me. And I will always, always love you. Do not believe the lies.” (Read more…)
Here is my homily for this past weekend. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. Later this week, I will send out my homily from the LA Religious Conference where I had the honor to celebrate the Friday evening Celtic Mass. I will include with that homily the link to the full Mass as well.
I hope you have a great start to Lent and I look forward to seeing you next Sunday!
Collective Time-Out - February 22, 2023
Lent is not a time-out for individuals. It’s a collective time-out that we willingly take, knowing that we need to pause. We need to pause and look at our lives and ask: "What have I done wrong?" We pause in particular on Ash Wednesday; and with humility, we remember how sacred this time is; we acknowledge this is a time of renewal. (Read more…)
Here is my homily for Ash Wednesday. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. Later this week, I will send out my homily from this past Sunday as I was away at the LA Religious Conference. And as an added reflection for this week, I will also send out the homily I gave at the conference for the Friday evening Celtic Mass
I hope you have a great start to Lent and I look forward to seeing you next Sunday!
Master Kintsugi - February 19, 2023
Every one of us has weakness and brokenness in some way, shape or form. Some of them are very small and some are very large. Sometimes we have done these things to ourselves and sometimes they have been caused by others. The way we deal with these wounds or imperfections is often determined by our personality types and how we interact with each other.
I was away from the Parish giving a retreat last weekend and this is my homily for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time from that retreat. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)
Get Out of Autopilot - February 12, 2023
We retain free will at all times; that we respond, if you would, by free choice to whatever happens to us. Now we do not always get to choose what happens to us. But we do get to choose how to react to what happens to us. And that is what makes all the difference. (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Salt of the Earth - February 5, 2023
We hear in the first reading about how the light comes into the world when we do actions of goodness; feed the hungry; shelter the unhoused. You see the Lord is trying to tell us it is not how much time, talent or treasure we have but it is how we use that time, talent, or treasure to add flavor to the whole world; to light the darkened world; to give meaning to the world; to give joy to the world. (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today we begin our Annual Diocesan Appeal and the message of today is very appropriate for the appeal.
I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Change Places - January 29, 2023
We are meant to do something different. We are meant to change our mind, our heart. And that is what this liturgy every Sunday is always about; it is to receive Christ, to become Christ; to become what we receive. In a sense, we are meant to change our seats; to come back a completely different, different way.
Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)
Metanoia Moments: Existential Experiences - January 22, 2023
How will you open yourself to the conversion experience?Will you wait for a new pain or suffering to come; some new wound to open you up? Or will you allow the Lord now by willful decision; by a choice of your own will that you will be open to a new way of looking at things; to let a light shine in your darkness now and not wait for the darkness to get deeper or more profound? (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. It was given as the opening of a Parish retreat in Rocklin, California. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Have a great week and see you next Sunday!
Aspen Roots: Our Roots are Christ - January 15, 2023
We are called to witness to our faith; that we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We testify by what and how we do the work that we do. We are called to serve. Serve one another and love one another. That will be the testimony of our community. Today, we are a stand of Aspens that remain connected in the one Lord, in the one Church, at the one Table, in the one Faith. (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Our Guiding Star - January 8, 2023
What is our work today as we come to this table to be refreshed and strengthened? It is to be a little bit keener to see and to understand what God is communicating to me; to you; today. He is going to communicate to every one of us in our life not talking to somebody else.
Here is my homily for the Epiphany of the Lord I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)
Have a great week and see you next Sunday!
Mother of God and Our Mother-January 1, 2023
As we celebrate this great feast of Mary, can we in a practical way acknowledge our mothers in our life; the love that has sustained us over the many years; the love that has held us; the love that has completed us because that love is from God and when we return it to God, it is a certain level of completion. (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Happy New Year to you all and I pray God blesses you with love and joy this Christmas season.
Make Room in Your Heart - December 25, 2022
Can we make room for someone in our lives on this Christmas? Is there an uncle, aunt, grandparent that you can reach out to today and call? And tell them how much you love them. Maybe there is a person in your neighborhood who you never see but you are worried about them. Can you make a phone call today? Or go and knock on the door and say, “Merry Christmas! Here is some food. I was just thinking of you.” (Read more…)
Here is my homily for the the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others.
Merry Christmas. I pray God blesses you with love and joy this Christmas season.
Listening to God - December 18, 2022
We hear over and over again in the Gospels, how many disciples and religious people, especially, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and religious leaders block God out by talking at God, saying all the multitude of prayers nonstop. Just to keep God away.
Here is my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)
Please join us for the fourth and final session of our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer tonight, December 20 at 7pm. We have been reflecting on the laws of behavior change and how to pray.
Previous weeks are available at this link and tonight's session will be livestreamed at this same link.
Waiting Patiently - December 11, 2022
We all have false expectations, which is why we get frustrated with one another
whether it be with our spouse over doing this or doing that; or whether it be at the Costco line or some other cashier’s line for food or TSA. We tend to get caught up in our own little world, which is fed by really small pieces of information and mostly self-centered. (Read more…)
Finally, please join us for the third session of our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer tonight, December 13 at 7pm. We have been reflecting on the laws of behavior change and this week we will talk about the third law of Making it Easy.
Previous weeks are available at this link. It would be great if you could join in person but if not, it will be livestreamed at the same link.
Icon of Christ - December 04, 2022
The whole purpose of Advent is to pause and reflect asking “Is the pattern of my life in fact as a disciple or have I moved into the periphery and no longer reflect the face of Christ?” John the Baptist calls us today to pause and to not only not lose hope but to gain hope and to be focused on how our actions are reflecting the face of Christ.
Here is my homily for the Second Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)
Finally, please join us for our Advent Prayer Retreat: The Atomic habits of prayer starting tonight, November 29th at 7-8pm. Live stream information will be available at this link.
Hope that Inspires - November 27, 2022
Hope is a metaphor for light. St. Paul says the hope is the light of the world; we are called to be this hope. We are called to be the light in the middle of the world; we are called to be the one to bring the light to others. And when we believe, we give hope to others. When we believe, we trust and believe in others; we give them this hope to be.
Happy New Liturgical Year and Advent. Here is my homily for the First Sunday of Advent. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to share it with others. (Read more…)