1st October 2023 - 26th Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Ezekiel 18:25-28. 2nd: Philippians 2:1-11.
Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32. Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

8th October 2023 - 27th Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Isaiah 5:1-7. 2nd: Philippians 4:6-9. Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43. This is the landlord's heir: come, let us kill him.

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

external link >> watch 'Becoming a brick wall of integrity?' sermon from Bishop Barron. 'We show God and the world who we are by the integrity of our moral acts. What we do defines who we are, and therefore we must cultivate the moral dimension of our life to avoid ethical calamity.'

external link >> watch 'The Key to Human Flourishing?' sermon from Bishop Barron. 'Friends, in biblical imagery, the vineyard symbolizes the people of God. The Lord nourishes us as our caretaker, but he desires (even demands) that we bear good fruit. The Mass, the Eucharist, the teaching office of the Church, priests and bishops—through these means and through the Church, God cultivates his vineyard."

15th October 2023 - 28th Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Isaiah 25:6-10. 2nd: Philippians 4:12-14,19-20. Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14. Invite everyone you can to the wedding

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

22nd October 2023 - 29th Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Isaiah 45:1,4-6. 2nd: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5. 
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21. Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

external link >> watch 'The Summit of the Christian Life' sermon from Bishop Barron. "Friends, the mountain is a great image throughout the Bible. It is the place where we go up and where God comes down to meet us. Today’s first reading from Isaiah orients us to three holy mountains of the Lord ..."

external link >> watch 'Does It Matter What You Believe?' sermon from Bishop Barron. "Friends, a great theme of the Bible is that of God’s chosen people. At the same time, we also see that God’s salvific plan has to do with all of humanity—and indeed with all of creation. God chooses Israel—and the New Israel, the Church—precisely for the sake of the whole world. Remembering this helps us keep the delicate balance between bland spiritual relativism and a dangerous religious tribalism."

29th October 2023 - 30th Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Exodus 22:20-26. 2nd: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10. Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40. The commandments of love

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

listen / download homily by Fr. Philip (with Gospel 11.47 mins)

external link >> watch 'God’s Rules for Life' sermon from Bishop Barron. "Friends, the Books of Moses teach that the three types of Israelite law—liturgical law, ritual law, and moral law—shape and direct God’s people toward holiness and purity. While the liturgical laws have been carried over and the ritual laws largely set aside, the moral laws remain unchanged, for they represent those great abiding intuitions by which our lives should be structured."

5th November 2023 - 31st Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10. 2nd: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13. Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12. They do not practice what they preach

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

12th November 2023 - 32nd Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Wisdom 6:12-16. 2nd: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13. The wise and foolish virgins

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

 external link >> watch 'Your Life is Not About You' sermon from Bishop Barron. "Friends, there’s only one real sadness in life—not to be a saint. But what does it mean to follow this path of righteousness? To follow the will of God, and God wills that we habitually direct our actions and thoughts to the good of others. Jesus says blessed are the merciful, the peacemakers, the pure in heart. Following Christ’s Sermon on the Mount leads to our beatitude; living in this way leads to sainthood."

external link >> watch 'You Must Rethink Your Spiritual Life' sermon esp. on 1st reading, from Bishop Barron. "Friends, there’s a great temptation for us to turn the Lord into a distant spiritual entity or a difficult moral taskmaster. We incorrectly believe that we have to crawl our way to the divine by our own heroism, merit, and effort. But this is not the case. In actuality, God, in his wisdom, hastens to make himself known. He reveals himself to us, even before we’ve begun to see. In fact, our seeking is predicated upon the fact that we’ve already been found. To understand this is to understand the Bible as the story of God’s quest for us."

19th November 2023 - 33rd Sunday in ordinary time

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31. 2nd: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30. You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

26th November 2023 - Christ the King

Readings: (Yr A): 1st: Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17. 2nd: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28. Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46. I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes

3rd December 2023 - 1st Sunday of Advent

Readings: (Year B): 1st: Isaiah 63:16-17,64:1,3-8. 2nd: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. Gospel: Mark 13:33-37. If he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep

read / download Fr. Philip's homily notes