by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Oct 14, 2021 | Homily
Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 35-45 The first reading for Mass today, from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, was written some six centuries before the birth of Christ. The prophesy announces the victory of the Suffering Servant, who is put to death...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Oct 6, 2021 | Homily
Scripture: Wisdom 7:7-11; Letter to the Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-31 In the Gospel passage this Sunday, an unnamed man meets Jesus and asks what he must do to possess everlasting life. Jesus replies with emphasis on the true meaning of “treasures,” that is, not...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 29, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 One of the saddest realities of modern society is the high rate of divorce. We hear about it frequently and often it is even glamorized with fascination by how often some of the rich and famous are...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 23, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of Numbers 11:25-29; Letter of James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-48 In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus advocates a spirit of humility and gentleness in a concrete case of someone expelling demons in Jesus’ name. Though not an identifiable follower of Jesus,...
by MCID | Sep 16, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20; James 3:16-4:3; Mark 9:30-37 A very human trait that often leads to problems is comparing oneself to others. We may wish to be more like others or maybe less like them. We may wish we had what they have or glad that we do...
by MCID Accounting | Sep 7, 2021 | Homily
Isaiah 50:4-9; James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35 A moment came in the public ministry of Jesus when he asked his disciples what others were saying about him, and who they thought he was. Jesus asked not because he did not know the answer, but to elicit a stance from his...
by MCID Accounting | Sep 3, 2021 | Homily
Scripture readings: Isaiah 35:4-7; Letter of James 2:1-5; Gospel According to Saint Mark 7:31-37 In the Gospel today, Jesus cures a deaf man who also has a speech impediment. Freedom from bondage of various kinds is an important sign of the Messianic age which Jesus...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 26, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; Letter of James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-22 This may be rather far-fetched, but suppose you gave a big feast, rented a banquet room in a very fancy restaurant and all your invited guests just happened to...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 19, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Joshua 24:1-2, 15-17, 18; Ephesians 5:21-32; Gospel of John 6:60-69 Life is filled with choices, to say the least, and perhaps more in America than anywhere else. Have you ever been in a restaurant with a first-time visitor to this Country, and...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 5, 2021 | Homily
First Kings 19:4-8; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; Gospel of John 6:41-51 Today’s Gospel passage continues the discourse on the Bread of Life from last Sunday. Who is the Bread of Life? Jesus himself, of course. The fact that Jesus claimed to be the heavenly bread indicated the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 26, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35 The essence of the Gospel message, the heart of what Jesus is trying to say to us, might be put in the form of a question. Jesus often used questions in his public ministry: “Who do you say...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 19, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Second Book of Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15 We are told in the Gospel today that Jesus “went up the mountain.” Which mountain, we do not actually know, but the crowds followed him on foot. The setting is outside Jerusalem, on the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 14, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Gospel According to Mark 6:30-34 The emphasis in the Gospel text this Sunday on Jesus and his disciples going by themselves to an out-of-way place for prayer and rest. It is something that Christians throughout...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 9, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Amos 7:12-15, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:7-13 Behind every good sports team or individual athletic competitor there is usually a competent trainer or coach. That person indicates and even insists on what must be done in order for the athlete to be...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 30, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Gospel According to Mark 6:1-6 The first reading for Mass this Sunday is from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, who addressed the people of Israel while they were in forced exile, far from home, around the year...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 28, 2021 | Homily
Readings: Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 Every year on June 29th the Church remembers the lives of Saints Peter and Paul, two of the greatest saints of our Christian tradition. So important were they both for the spread of Gospel of Jesus...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 25, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15; Mark 5:21-43 The first reading for this Sunday, from the Book of Wisdom, was written about 100 years before the birth of Christ and expresses a developed thinking...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 23, 2021 | Homily
Every year on June 24th the Church remembers in a special way the birth of the great prophet, John the Baptist. So important is his commemoration that when June 24th falls on a Sunday, the Church likewise keeps the feast. This is also the day of our yearly recalling...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 17, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Texts: Job 38: 1, 8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41 We might all agree that in daily life there are circumstances, events and realities that make us feel happy or joyful: getting a vacation, for example, or seeing old friends and family after a long...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 11, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24; Second Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:21-34 Of late we have been celebrating a number of festive Sundays: Pentecost, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, as well as non-Sunday ones, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary....
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 2, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of Exodus 24:3-8; Letter to the Hebrews 9:11-15; Gospel According to Saint Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 On the night before giving His life on the cross, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, the gift of his Body and Blood, in the form of bread and wine, as...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 11, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 1:17-23; Gospel According to Saint Mark 16:15-20 We celebrate our Lord’s Ascension, taking place forty days after his resurrection. We recount with joy the day Christ completed his...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 3, 2021 | Homily
Acts of the Apostles 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; First Letter of John 4:7-10; Gospel of John 15:9-17 In our popular language, the word “love” is so often used and misused, that it has almost become devoid of meaning. Love is a word so frequently exploited in the media of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Apr 28, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 9:26-31; First Letter of Saint John 18-24; Gospel of Saint John 15:1-8 Perhaps few or none who read this have grown grapes, though perhaps some have. Even if we have not grown grapes, we are familiar with the notion of a tree...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Apr 23, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12; First Letter of Saint John 3:1-2; Gospel of Saint John 10:11-18 Our Lord Jesus Christ, during his earthly ministry, knew very well how to speak to the people about his person and his mission, using simple and direct...
