by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 8, 2022 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Prophet Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 The Christmas season comes to an end with the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord. We still have a glimpse of the season when we celebrate the Presentation of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 27, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-6; Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 2:1-12 The Solemnity of the Epiphany, literally the “manifestation” or “showing” of the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations, is...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 23, 2021 | Homily
Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10; Letter to the Hebrews 1:1-6; Gospel of Saint John 1:1-18 The scripture readings assigned for the Mass of Christmas day emphasize an attitude of child-like wonder at all that is taking place. In the text from the prophet Isaiah, the city of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 16, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Prophet Micah 5:1-4; Letter to the Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Christmas Day draws near, less than a week from now. People are shopping, cooking, cleaning, sending cards and gifts, and trying to breath a sigh of relief that maybe, just maybe, the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 9, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Gospel According to Luke 3:10-18 We have reached the half-way point in Advent. The celebration of Christmas draws near, just two weeks away. On this Sunday the Church invites us to rejoice, the opening words of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 29, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:3-11; Gospel According to Saint Luke 3:1-6 On the Second Sunday of Advent the Church has us contemplate the person and mission of Saint John the Baptist, the great prophet of the coming of Christ. Considered more than a...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 24, 2021 | Homily
Prophet Jeremiah 33:14-16, First Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Gospel According to Saint Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Every Advent, the Church reflects in her Liturgy—the Mass and the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours–the threefold coming of Jesus Christ into the world....
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 16, 2021 | Homily
Readings: Prophet Daniel 7:12-14; Revelation 1:5-8; Gospel of John 18:33-37 In the Liturgical Calendar of the Church, this Sunday is celebrated as the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, dedicated to Christ the King. Next Sunday a new Liturgical Year begins with the First...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 9, 2021 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of Daniel 12:1-3; Letter to the Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Gospel According to Mark 13:24-32 We are nearly at the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year. Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and the Sunday after that begins the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 5, 2021 | Homily
Readings: First Book of Kings 17:10-16; Letter to the Hebrews 9:24-28; Gospel According to Saint Mark 12:38-44 In the Gospel passage for this Sunday’s Mass, Jesus gives a clear warning against the very human tendency of seeking our own glory. In other words, parading...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Oct 28, 2021 | Homily
Readings: Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Gospel According to Saint Mark 12:28-32 Before the coming of Christ as man, God gave to the people, through Moses, a great commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and...
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...
