Voice In The Wilderness

“Marley was dead: to being with… There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.” With these famous lines from the beginning of “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens goes to great pain to repeat and make clear that […] The post Homily 447 – Why We Care About ‘A Christmas Carol’ appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

St. Joseph doesn’t speak a word that is recorded in Sacred Scripture. Yet, in today’s gospel St. Matthew gives us plenty of insight into this incredible man. In particular, St. Joseph is described as being a “righteous man.” This along with many other little details would have had great significance to the Jewish audience for […] The post Homily 446 – Joseph the Righteous – 4th Sunday of Advent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Today is the day we finally get to light that rose candle on our Advent wreaths. But have you ever wondered why the rose candle comes on the third Sunday of Advent? Why not the fourth? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the lightest candle right before Christmas? Now we have to go back […] The post Homily 445 – A Rose Among the Violets – 3rd Sunday of Advent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Practice makes perfect, or so we sometimes hear. Today the Church offers us another “p” word on the path to perfection… “preparation.” The entire season of Advent is really about preparation. We are preparing for the coming, the “Advent,” of the Lord. But how do we prepare? In today’s gospel, John the Baptist gives us […] The post Homily 444 – Construction Ahead – 2nd Sunday of Advent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Christmas is one holiday that the rest of society likes to celebrate with us as Christians. Well, at least kind of. The secular celebration of Christmas is a bit different from the religious meaning of Christmas. The season of Advent is all but forgotten, sometimes even by Catholics. Today’s readings give us three important points […] The post Homily 443 – Be Prepared – 1st Sunday of Advent appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

This is the last Sunday of the year… but next week is the first. It’s the end, but also the beginning. The last Sunday of Ordinary Time each year is now celebrated as the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. In giving us this feast, the Church is helping to remind us where […] The post Homily 442 – The End and the Beginning – Christ the King appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

This week’s homily was given to the archdiocesan permanent diaconate aspirants and their families during their weekend of formation. Marriage and the end of the world… the classic combination. While this thought may create some light-hearted jokes among spouses, our readings today take this connection very seriously. As beautiful as marriage is, it’s more of […] The post Homily 441 – One Marriage Forever – 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

When there is a job to be done, sometimes we ask for volunteers. “We need an usher… can anybody help?” What usually happens is the same people who volunteer for everything volunteer for one more thing. “Well, if the parish needs something… I’ll do it.” Those kind of people are amazing. However, a better approach […] The post Homily 440 – The Family Needs You – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Today’s gospel parable seems like a classic case of the the “good guy” vs. “the bad guy.” Jesus definitely seems to set it up with the Pharisee as an example of “what not to do.” Yet, there are some things that I think the Pharisee gets right. There are even some ways that perhaps the […] The post Homily 439 – What the Pharisee Got Right – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

In the middle of the 17th century, the first Jesuits came to what is today the United States and Canada. This weekend marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of 8 of these missionaries, known as the North American Martyrs or the Canadian Martyrs. Led by St. Isaac Jogues, and St. John de Brebeuf, they died […] The post Homily 438 – Missionary Faith – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Our readings today call attention to several issues of false business practices. In short, we’re dealing with a bunch of greedy cheaters. In the first reading, the prophet Amos is criticizing those who are fudging the numbers on the fair value of trades. If you want to sell a bushel of something, well, they’re using […] The post Homily 435 – Cheater Cheater Cheater – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” Whenever there is some tragedy we often find ourselves questioning God, wondering “Where was God?” Where was God in the midst of this shooting, or hurricane, or fill in the blank with whatever suffering you find unjust. Sometimes, the answer is that this world is just fallen […] The post Homily 434 – You Asked Him to Leave – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

The Washington Monument is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. At 555 feet in height, it was the tallest structure in the world until the construction of the Eiffel Tower. While most people look to the top of the monument soaring into the sky, there’s an even greater story to be found […] The post Homily 433 – A Monumental Life – 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Today’s Gospel describes the social intricacies of who gets invited to the best parties and where certain people have a seat at the table. It all seem so contrived. Everyone is out to move up “higher.” It reminds me of the title of an old book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” The point […] The post Homily 432 – Friends and Influence – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

When it gets to be over 100 degrees in Kansas in the summer, I like to go Alaska. For most of the last eight years I’ve volunteered to serve as Chaplain on a cruise ship heading to the northernmost state in the union (and westernmost… and easternmost… look that one up). In addition to the […] The post Homily 431 – Lessons from Alaska – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Paul Harvey was a famous reporter and political commentator who is perhaps best known for his weekly segment entitled, “The Rest of the Story.” In these short clips, Harvey would profile some famous person or incredible invention. But, here’s the twist, he wouldn’t tell you who or what he was describing until the very end. […] The post Homily 430 – The Rest of the Story – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” So the psalmist urges us in today’s Mass. Changing our hearts is important, but did you ever stop to think about the first part, hearing God’s voice? Even people who say they believe in God often think of him as some distant power. Perhaps he […] The post Homily 429 – Things Above – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.

Sometimes people will confess that they “didn’t get their prayers in” on certain occasions. When you think of “saying your prayers,” what come to mind? How to you pray? Probably a lot of people would naturally think of prayers they memorized as children, like the Our Father from today’s gospel. As good as these memorized […] The post Homily 428 – Getting Your Prayers In – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time appeared first on Voice in the Wilderness.