Spiritual Directions for the Journey
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on May 11th, 2013
Click here for a Printer Friendly Copy. “So what do we do now?” This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord. This is a special weekend to preach on this topic here at St. Patrick’s because of our large stain glass window that depicts this event in living and vibrant colour. [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on May 9th, 2013
I was at a funeral service recently, and it was led by Pastor Mike. At the two hour mark my Mennonite friend whispered in my ear, “Mike there is a lot to be said for the Catholic Mass.” The theme I am kicking around for this week’s homily on the Ascension of our Lord is: [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on May 8th, 2013
In a scene at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a “great commission” which in part answers the question raised by the disciple in the stain glass window who upon seeing Jesus ascend into heaven asks his friend , “What do we do now? The Great Commission Matthew 28 (16-20) Then the [...]
Posted in 1K Word Pictures, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on May 6th, 2013
This coming Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. This is also homily week for me and one of the unique things about preaching this weekend at St. Patrick’s is that the church is equipped with what is perhaps the world’s largest “PowerPoint” slide depicting the Ascension. If you look closely at the picture, [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Apr 1st, 2013
Please click here for Kelley Mooney’s spiritual lyrical adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” Please Click here for a Printer Friendly copy of the Homily. Please click here for the original version of Jeremy’s Easter Egg. Jeremy is one of my favorite theologians. He was a young man who had been born into a twisted and [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Jan 12th, 2013
When is a sign more than a sign? The reason for the question is the result of my reflecting back to my time in Grade 1, over 50 years ago, and the grueling preparation our class was going through to prepare for our First Holy Communion. Memories of the nuns in their black habits and [...]
Posted in 1K Word Pictures, Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Jan 12th, 2013
Fr. Richard Rohr in his book, Falling Upward, tells of a piece of advice he once received from Bishop Desmond Tutu. The Bishop looked at a Rohr and said,: “Richard, always remember we are simply the light bulb. Our job is to remain screwed in.”
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Jan 12th, 2013
Interesting how ‘baptism’ is usually into something that is perceived to be difficult. A question to ponder: Do we see following the way of Christ as something that is challenging and/or difficult?
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Jan 7th, 2013
Defining a word is always a good place to start when you need to prepare a 10-minute talk on the subject. Those of us old enough will remember, with either fondness or dread, the Baltimore Catechism. According to this website, this Catechism (last updated in 1941) has 38 Lessons and as near as I can [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 15th, 2012
Our world can at times seem to be a place that has lost all hope. We arrived home on Friday evening with the news of another senseless tragedy at a school in a peaceful town where these types of things are not supposed to happen. What makes the impact of this event so great is [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 15th, 2012
Mary did you know that your baby boy would….. is the theme of this song. This video is worth the 4 minutes as we prepare for the birth of this infant. Mary of course could not have known all these things were to happen to her baby boy, she ponder many of them in her [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Nov 24th, 2012
Please click here to download a Printer Friendly copy. “[The] wonderful irony at the heart of the Christian proclamation: the King of the Universe is a crucified criminal, who utterly spends himself in love.” Fr. Robert Barron If I was a brave person, I would end the homily right here with this quote. We could [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Nov 23rd, 2012
If you dropped by on Tuesday you would have noticed the “This Sunday” post. This week I encourage you, if you have not already done so, to listen to Fr. Robert Barron’s homily. Fr. Barron, as he often does, spends most of his reflection examining the link between the old testament reading about the anointing [...]
Posted in 1K Word Pictures, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, This Sunday on Nov 22nd, 2012
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike, This Sunday on Nov 21st, 2012
Below is an extended clip from the movie The Gospel of John. The first 2 minutes or so deals with our reading for this weekend which I have included below the clip. The entire 7 minutes is worth watching as we prepare to explore the story of a king like no other. Gospel John 18:33b-37 [...]
