Spiritual Directions for the Journey
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 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 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 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 on Feb 9th, 2012
This year at our meetings for our local St. Patrick’s Friends of Dismas group we have been exploring what it means to live a life of compassion, one of the great Christian virtues. Below is talked called Reconnecting with Compassion: by Krista Tippett on TED.com . A good place to start any discussion is at the [...]
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 [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 31st, 2011
After the shepherds departed having told them what the angels had said we are told that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Mary “pondered” (to think about (something) carefully, esp. before deciding or concluding.) – What did she really know? Here is a song called: Mary Did you know? I [...]
Posted in Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 28th, 2011
If I were to write down everything I know about liturgical music it would be one of the shortest articles in history. About all that I can offer is that for the most part I like it! Recently I have started to listen to Gregorian chant. There is no way I understand it but it [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers on Dec 24th, 2011
This is a re-post from last Christmas Eve, when I shared the following about my favorite movies about the season. It is A Christmas Carol, the story of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge written by Charles Dickens in 1843 during the industrial revolution in England. It was a dirty era and the plight of the poor was [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 17th, 2011
One of the truly amazing gifts of being Catholic is the rich theology and teachings we have been given through the years about the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through the ages we have come to understand the role of Mary through the teachings of the Church, by numerous masterpieces of art and in a special way [...]
Posted in Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Dec 15th, 2011
I admire people who understand art. It is not a gift I have been given. I enjoy art, especially art that tells a story which is one reason I favour Icons. Marian art has a long history within the Christian community. It dates back to the catacombs where the earliest followers of the Christ hid [...]
Posted in Big Questions, Reflections from Fellow Wanderers, Reflections from the Pulpit - Wandering with Deacon Mike on Nov 25th, 2011
Here is a comment I received about my November 20th Homily: Lord when did we see you!. The e-mail below is responding to my story about Nancy, a young woman who did time for a car crash that left a young mother dead. Dear Deacon Mike, I have to say your homily on Nov 20 [...]
