Wednesday's Wink from Above 03-04-2026 Homily Cycle A 03-01-26 Offered at OLPH

 

A deacon was preaching on the evils of Alcohol at a Lenten Prayer Service he ended his homily, with emphasis, “If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it & pour it into the river.”

With increased emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd  take it & pour it into the river.”

He concluded, “And if I had all the whiskey in the  world, I'd take it & pour it into the river.”

Finished, he sat down.

Then, the choir director sheepishly got up & announced, our next hymn is “Shall We Gather at the River.”

Well, I am not preaching on the evils of alcohol today, but I am preaching on three Lenten ideas: Prayer, Sacrifice & Fasting.

Lent offers us is a time filled with grace if we seek it.

Pope Francis offered us this suggestion for Lent:

“Do You Want To Fast This Lent?”

Fast from hurting words & say kind words.

Fast from sadness & be filled with gratitude.

Fast from anger & be filled with patience.

Fast from pessimism & be filled with hope.

Fast from worries & trust in God.

Fast from complaints & contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures & be prayerful.

Fast from bitterness & fill your heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness & be compassionate to others.

Fast from grudges & be reconciled.

Fast from words & be silent so you can listen.

In today’s Gospel Peter, James & John are told to “This is my Son; listen to him.” They couldn’t comprehend what happened on the mountain top. Some of life’s special moments are incomprehensible: the birth of one's own child or the loss of a loved.

These moments/events call us to be silent & to listen.

They teach us!

Many times we do not know what to say because we cannot understand the significance of the experience. Peter, James & John fell “prostrate” in fear – more accurately in “awe.”

The Greek Poet Aeschylus wrote: “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.” We should reflect on the “awful grace of God”  because awful in ancient Greek meant awe-inspiring/ awesome, that’s what grace is.

Choosing something to sacrifice by doing an action or refraining from an action can be a wonderful Lenten sacrifice. As many of you know that my son Joseph & his wife Amy, & their 3 daughters belong here; my daughter-in-law teaches 5^th grade in our school.

On Tuesdays & Thursdays after school my wife Joanne & I babysit their youngest Elin who is in kindergarten & is chatty & delightful. Last Tuesday she in informed me that she was carrying her backpack/bookbag as a sacrifice for Lent.

She also told me her twin sisters Abagail and Beatrice [8^th grade here at OLPH] were giving up chocolate, including Oreo cookies with milk for Lent.

Then she said, “Pop Pop they will never be able to do it.” Never at a loss for words, then, she said Pop Pop what are you giving up for Lent. I said, among other things I am not eating in between meals but most importantly I am saying a slightly longer Sign of the Cross, every time I bless myself.

“I am Baptized in the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. May I live as such. Amen.”

A reminder to me of my discipleship to Jesus Christ.

For a few moments, in silence, reflect on how you can strengthen your discipleship with Prayer, Sacrifice & Fasting

May God Be Praised!

 

 

Wednesday's Wink from Above 02/25/2026 - The Mystery of Following Jesus during Lent.

 

Ponder these three insights into being a disciple of Jesus Christ during this Lent. St. Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

St. Francis de Sales wrote, “Be who you are and be that well.”

Pope Francis offered, "The Son of God manifests his Lordship not ‘from the top down,’ not from a distance, but in bending down, stretching out his hand; he manifests his Lordship in closeness, in tenderness, in compassion. Closeness, tenderness, compassion are the style of God. God draws near, and he draws near with tenderness and compassion. How many times in the Gospel before a health problem or any problem do we read: ‘he had compassion.”’ Jesus’ compassion, God’s closeness in Jesus is God’s style."

As you reflect on “being who God wants you to be today,” and choose to act that way; remember when tomorrow gets here it will be today, so you can, again, choose to act on being “who God wants you to be.”

May God Be Praised.

 

 

Wednesday’s Wink from Above 02-18-2-026 Homily Cycle A 02-08-2026 Offered at OLPH

 God calls us to be both “light & salt” in the world. Isaiah reminds when we share our “bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed & the homeless …. Then [our] light shall break forth like the dawn ….” We prayed in our Responsorial psalm the just are “a light in the darkness.” In Corinthians St. Paul reminds us that our “… faith … rests on the power of God.”

Then in Matthew’s Gospel he instructs us to be “salt of the earth, light of the world.” He urges us to not lose our flavor as Christians & not to hide our light.

de Sales wrote, “Great occasions of serving God seldom present themselves, but little ones are frequent …. ‘Do all things in the name of God & you will do all things well.’ ” [Reflections of St. Francis deSales on Living Jesus, p.109]

Let me share a story with you,

“God Shows Through”

One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl said to her mother, “Mommy, there is something about today’s homily that I don’t understand.’

Mom said, “What is it?”

The little girl replied, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are.  He said God is so big that He could hold the whole world in His hand. 

Is that true?”

Mom replied, “Yes, that’s true ….”

“But Mommy, he also said that God lives inside us - Is that true, too?”

Again, Mom said that was true!

With a puzzled look the little asked,

“If God is bigger than us & He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”

The little girl is right about God showing through, when God shows though our actions – we are LIGHT for the world.

Our good works help God’s light to shine in the darkness of our world. Our faith is not a private affair, we shouldn’t hide under a basket. Jesus challenge us to be His disciples to be His missionaries “salt” for the Kingdom & “light” for the world. In Jesus’ time salt was a precious commodity; Jesus is telling you & me that we are precious. To be salt & light for the earth, is to “Do all things in the name of God & you will do all things well. ”  [St. Francis deSales]

Our Discipleship is our moral compass, in life. I want to share with you one of my favorite stories to aid us in realizing the cost of Discipleship.

The Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden played her best role for the Make-A-Wish Foundation portraying Snow White for Bonnie, a little girl dying of cancer.

Snow White was Bonnie’s favorite movie, & she wanted to meet Snow White, so the date was set. As Marcia was preparing for her bedside Performance, a casting agency called her to audition for a new Olive Stone movie. The auditions were scheduled for the same day as her Snow-White performance.

Neither could be changed, her hospital performance for Bonnie or her chance for the movie. After a sleepless night and many tears Marcia decided to keep her promise to the little girl. Marcia as Snow White entered Bonnie’s room - her face lit up. After the performance Bonnie asked Snow White, “When I die, will the prince kiss me & then I’ll wake up again?” The room fell silent as Marcia tried to think of what to say.

Finally, she said, “No, Bonnie, It is even better. When you get to heaven, God will kiss you & then you will wake up again.” Years later, Marcia reflected: “At that moment in the hospital room with Bonnie …. I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be, playing exactly the role, I was meant to play.”  [Connections, April 2008, pg2] Marcia was salt for Bonnie. Jesus teaches us today that following Him why we are here.

For a few minutes think about how you will be light & salt for God here on earth.

May God Be Praised.

 

Wednesday’s Wink from Above 02-11-2026 Homily Cycle II Offered at OLPH 01/15/2026

Homily Cycle II Offered at OLPH 01/15/2026 [Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011526.cfm]

 

Our 1^st Reading this morning tells us of Israel’s “disastrous defeat.” The concert musician Itzhak Perlman indicated two things that happened to him before he was four & they shaped his future:

1.     He was struck with polio.

2.     He heard Jascha Heiftez play.

For most of us there are probably two things that shaped our future:

1.     We were Baptized and became children of God.

2.     We learned to love from our parents.

Profound and important but not frequently reflected upon. In our Responsorial Psalm we prayed “Redeem us, Lord, because of Your mercy.”

People kept coming to Jesus and so should we, may God’s mercy fill us today and every day.

May God Be Praised.