Browsing the 2022 archive of Father's Homilies
Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent December 18, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 12/19/22
Being with the God who wants to be with us
A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom in his affluent neighborhood for the parents to give the graduate a car as a graduation present. Bill and his ... Read More »
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent December 11, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 12/12/22
Taming the Wildness
In today’s gospel passage we have John the Baptist out in the wilderness, trying to get people’s attention, so that they could change, and thus be ready for the coming of God.
I happened to come across a little story whose title intrigued ... Read More »
Homily for the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King November 20, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/20/22
Do not love from a safe distance!
The story is told of a boy named Sparky. For Sparky school was impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics, Latin, algebra and English in high school. He didn’t do well in sports. He was ... Read More »
Homily for the Thirty-Third Sunday of the Year November 13, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/14/22
Learning to Notice
Our gospel reading begins with some people noticing something. So, I’d like to focus our reflections on what we notice, what we see, and what we don’t notice.
Let me share a story that gives an example of what I mean. It’s a story about ... Read More »
Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time November 6, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/08/22
Resurrection is real!
Many years ago I went on a tour of beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France. At one of the churches a guide shared a story I never forgot…Back in the Middle Ages a visitor to the area went to the construction site. He asked one ... Read More »
Homily for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday of the Year October 16, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 10/17/22
Persistence in Prayer
Inasmuch as prayer runs through our readings as a common theme today, I want to share some favorite stories about prayer…One summer a young family came back home for a vacation. The little girl’s grandfather looked into her room one evening, and found his granddaughter ... Read More »
Homily for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 9, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 10/11/22
Remembering to Give Thanks
Several years ago, there was a successful businessman who reflected on his life and decided to write to all the people who had been influential in helping him become who he was.
His fourth grade teacher quickly came to mind because she ... Read More »
Homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time October 2, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 10/03/22
A Mustard Seed Faith
When I was a boy, I was impressed with Jesus statement in today’s gospel that, if we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could say to a sycamore tree, “Be uprooted and transplanted into the ocean” it would obey you. We had ... Read More »
Homily for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time September 18, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 9/20/22
Putting God First
In 1912, Henry Ford visited Ireland, the home of his ancestors. The story goes that, while he was staying in Cork, a couple of trustees of the local hospital paid him a call. “Mr. Ford, we’re building a hospital here in Cork. We think it ... Read More »
Homily for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time September 4, 2022
Posted by marguerite noga on 9/06/22
Following Jesus and renouncing our possessions
This gospel is pretty harsh sounding and dramatic, isn’t it. Can you imagine, Jesus asking that we renounce all our possessions? Can you imagine doing that! A demanding challenge such as this is best handled indirectly. And so…let me share some stories…
One day an Indian boy found a large pearl that he thought to be priceless. Now he knew his worries were over. He would never have to work again in his ... Read More »