Feast of the Epiphany January 3, 2016 Homily Steve Zwettler I do not write my homilies verbatim…….I speak from notes and an outline and allow for the free movement of speech to dominate. The following is a close rendition of my homily for the feast of the Epiphany but it may lose some of its energy going from the spoken word back into the written word. So be it. Once again, welcome and good morning to all of you. It is always so good to pray with you and to celebrate this Eucharist together here at Holy …
Libby Caes’ Homily, December 27, 2015
Sunday after Christmas December 27, 2015 Luke 2:40-52; I Samuel 2:18-20,26; Col.3:12-17 At first hearing, today’s gospel reading seems out of place on the first Sunday after Christmas. Only 2 days ago we were hearing about shepherds and angels. What about the wise men or the flight into Egypt? What about the presentation in the temple? What about the prophecies of Simeon and Anna? We have waited so long for the birth of the Christ child, and it zooms by! Jesus is already 12 years old!! Today’s gospel reading is so down to earth: an adolescent who …
Lynne Smith’s Homily from Christmas Day, December 25, 2015
Christmas Day Homily – 12/25/2015 Lynne Smith, OSB When I was a child on Christmas Eve my family gathered at our crèche to sing Christmas carols before we went to bed. I liked to sit in front of our Christmas crèche in the dark and look at the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. I felt loved and peaceful. I wanted that peace and love to last all year, but I knew even as a child that the world was not all peaceful. Jesus was born in those days long ago, but I only imagined him in heaven in …
Leora Weitzman’s Homily, December 20, 2015
4th Sunday of Advent • 12/20/15 • Leora Weitzman Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-55 Today’s readings are full of comfort and encouragement, a welcome contrast to the not-so-good news heaped on us by the media. This very contrast invites us into a theme present in all three readings, which could be called the theme of the two covenants. I prefer to call them two orders or levels of experience. At the first level, the media have it right. The mighty get mightier, and there is no such thing as mercy or a free lunch. Everything is win-lose, …
Paul Knitter’s Homily, December 6, 2015
Second Sunday of Advent Dec. 6, 2015 – Holy Wisdom Monastery Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4; Philippians 1: 3-11; Luke 3:1-6 Paul Knitter “WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!” If I had to give a title to the reflections I’m sharing with you this morning, I think it would be: “What are we waiting for?!” I don’t know if it’s the case for many of you, but that’s a question I can’t avoid as I heard the readings for last week and as I pondered the readings I have to preach on today. They’re typical Advent texts, full of promise and hope: …
Patti LaCross’ Homily, November 22, 2015
Grace and Peace indeed to each of you, and to our assembly as a whole this morning! This greeting twins the ancient Jewish salutation of Peace – expressing hope that the promise given Abraham will bear fruit; and Grace – the early Christian statement of new life …through the mercy of Jesus. We are the heirs to both. Today’s short selection from Revelation omits a further three part blessing that precedes and gives contexts to this passage: Verse 3: Blessed the One who Reads this aloud ; Blessed are those who Listen; and Blessed those who Take to Heart …
Joseph Wiesenfarth’s Homily, November 15, 2015
Joseph Wiesenfarth 15 November 2015 Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8 “[I have been] blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd.” Now this, of course, is not me, though I can suggest how it might be. But it is quite recognizably Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice once she realizes how badly she has misjudged Fitzwilliam Darcy. But these words could be mine if I pretended to talk any way but tentatively about the Last Things, which is what so much in today’s readings are about. Daniel speaks of “a time of anguish such as has never occurred since nations …
Libby Caes’ Homily from November 8, 2015
November 8, 2015 I Kings 17: 8-16; Mark 12:38-44 Ah, the widow’s mite! I suspect this story triggers all sorts of reactions. Because this widow has given all at great cost to herself, I am left feeling guilty because my life and gifts have not been as sacrificial as hers. Do any of you share this feeling? In my past life I worked in the nonprofit sector. At least in evangelical circles, the teeny, tiny gifts, the widow’s mite, are extolled as being the most virtuous one. But, let’s be real, aren’t the bigger gifts what allow non-profits to survive …
Roberta Felker’s Homily, November 29, 2015
Holy Wisdom Monastery First Sunday of Advent November 29, 2015 Jeremiah 33: 14-16 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Luke 21: 25-36 Advent. At no other time in the year does the church’s proclamation of the gospel stand at such apparent cross-purposes to the culture in which we live. In the midst of the catalogs and Amazon orders and the babble of holiday crowds, we are preparing to celebrate the day of the mystery, of the promise and coming of Jesus. And yet just as the festive time of Advent’s expectation and fulfillment is beginning, as the writer of Jeremiah assures …
Stephen Zwettler’s Homily, October 11, 2015
Solidarity Sunday By Stephen J. Zwettler “Solidarity With the Marginalized Especially Our LGBT Sisters and Brothers” It is good to be together on this beautiful autumn day to celebrate the Eucharist and to support each other in prayer. I am always moved by the beauty of the two maple trees at the top of the parking lot when I pull into the Monastery grounds-such brilliant red and orange and golds. What a gift for us! Many of you know that in preaching I often lean on the arts to provide strong images that connect with the Scriptures and give flesh …