A homily for the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Terrance Klein

If we understand that self-centeredness, occupying the position where God should properly stand, blinds us to the real, then we can begin to appreciate the Beatitudes as avenues of access to God.

Before faith becomes a list of what is believed, it is an actual experience of the living God. Our emotions, desires, joys or sorrows are, as we say, touched by grace.

No one escapes the suffering that sin brought into the world. And there are no comparisons to be made between the sorrows of one person and those of another. It wouldn’t be suffering if it did not strike each one of us at the core of our being.

Epiphany is a feast of light, “the shining forth” of the newborn Christ. It prompts a thought experiment, a mental realignment, if you will.

A Homily for the Octave Day of Christmas, Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God by Father Terrance Klein