Spiritual Directions for the Journey
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 30th, 2012
(Please click here for Printer friendly copy.) This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak the folks at St. Patrick’s Church in Mississauga. They are a warm and welcoming community. We are hopeful that a Friends of Dismas Ministry will take root in the parish under the leadership of Deacon Silverio. Here is the [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 26th, 2012
Wandering the internet as I prepare for this week’s homily has led me to find a painter named Alfred Soord (1868-1915). It would seem that Alfred is one of the few people that does not seem to have a Wikipedia page. The folks at wiki. answers however, tell us that Alfred was a painter whose [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 25th, 2012
This is a second homily preparation week in a row. I have been invited to speak at the other St. Patrick’s in Toronto (you can never have too many St. Pat about the Friends of Dismas ministry. This weekend we have the scene of Jesus telling us as his disciples that he is the good [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 21st, 2012
(Click here for Printer Friendly Copy) It all comes back to the Upper Room. In today’s gospel from Luke, just as in last weeks from John, we are in the room where Jesus gathered his closest disciples on that Holy Thursday night. It is shortly after the death of our Lord and those who were [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Books/Movies/Podcasts for the Road, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 21st, 2012
Below is a scene we witnessed as we traveled with Jesus. Many of us might have wondered the same thing as the Pharisees; Why does Jesus keep hanging around with “THOSE” people? A second question to ponder- What did Jesus mean when he told us that he desires compassion, and not sacrifices? In case you [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Apr 20th, 2012
Luke gospel for this coming weekend wraps up with these words: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them… “You are witnesses of these things.” Here is a partial list of things we have witnessed: Jesus humbling himself to share in our humanity. He was born, lived a full [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Apr 19th, 2012
The disciples are locked in the Upper Room. In the readings below Jesus appears and greets his friends with the calming words, “peace be with you.” In Luke’s gospel this weekend, Jesus asks us a question: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? John 20:19-20 On the evening of that [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 18th, 2012
As I prepare this weekend’s homily I have been reflecting on last week’s Gospel reading from John and this week’s from Luke and one thing struck me. The disciples have retreated to the safety of the Upper Room, the scene of the their Last Supper with Jesus, where they find themselves on the “horns of [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 8th, 2012
Good Friday 2012 Homily (Please Click here for Printer Friendly copy) In March, I celebrated the 50th anniversary of my 8th birthday. I have been carrying a secret with me for most of these 50 years, and today I would like to share it with you as a confession of sorts. For most of my [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 5th, 2012
Tomorrow is Good Friday. Station 13- Jesus Dies on the Cross is the singular focus for this day. Below is a from movie the Passion of the Christ. It deals with the suffering of both our Lord and his mother. Take a moment to watch it and reflect on the question of suffering. Why in [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Feb 13th, 2012
As a follow-up to my homily – Looking up to God by reaching down, I wanted to post some more information about Fr. Greg and his book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. Here is a summary of the book: As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, Stuff for Wandering on Feb 11th, 2012
Looking up to God by reaching down is the title I have chosen for today’s homily. Many people pray by looking up to heaven. There is nothing wrong with this. However, we often fail to realize that our God is all around us and to see him we may well have to reach down with [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, This Sunday on Feb 8th, 2012
In yesterday’s “This Sunday” post we find two interpretations of this week’s reading from two priests, Fr. Robert Barron and Fr. Scott Lewis, whom I highlight each week. Fr. Robert Barron could be considered a Catholic apologist (for more (and I mean more) on Apologetics click here.). In this homily, Becoming Fit for Worship, Fr. [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Feb 8th, 2012
The story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy is found in all three of the synoptic gospels. This is a measure of the importance of this interaction in the minds of the evangelists. Mark is the only one, however, to include that Jesus was moved by compassion. Interesting? Mark 1: 40-42 And a leper [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, Stuff for Wandering on Dec 31st, 2011
Transform: 1. To change markedly the appearance or form of; 2. To change the nature, function, or condition of; convert. Ponder: 1. Think about (something) carefully, esp. before deciding or concluding. This weekend we continue our reflections on the transformation of the peasant girl from Nazareth named Mary. A few weeks ago we remembered the [...]
