3rd Sunday of Easter 2016

I. Introduction: Business as Usual A. In his mercy, God grants us moments when we sense how close he is to us. In a moment of prayer, we might feel the personal presence of Christ in our souls. When we receive Holy Communion, the magnitude and beauty of Jesus’ gift of self might dawn upon...
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Divine Mercy Sunday

I. Doubting Thomas A. The Gospel just proclaimed depicts the image of the “doubting Thomas.” Absent when the Risen Lord appeared to the eleven, Thomas refused to believe that the Master was alive unless he put his hand in the wounded side of Christ. B. A week later, the Risen Lord appears again – and...
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Mercy Sunday Vigil Mass

I. Introduction A. Eleven years ago tonight, on the eve of Mercy Sunday, St. John Paul II went “to the house of his heavenly Father”. There he encountered the Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus Christ in whose light our humanity, our dignity, and our destiny is fully revealed. B. Now, in the joy of Easter,...
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Friday in the Octave of Easter

I. Introduction: Business as Usual A. In his mercy, God grants us moments when we sense how close he is to us. In a moment of prayer, we might feel the personal presence of Christ in our souls. When we receive Holy Communion, the magnitude and beauty of Jesus’ gift of self might dawn upon...
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Easter Sunday 2016

I. Introduction A. On this particular Easter Sunday, taking place during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, I can’t help but think of Msgr. Art Valenzano. As many of you know, Msgr. Art served as Rector of this historic Basilica until his death last September. When I met him for the first time, in March 2012,...
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Holy Saturday Vigil 2016

I. Introduction A. This night, a tiny, flickering light entered this Cathedral church. The deacon proclaimed three times, “Christ our light!” and gradually the light spread from person to person until its glow enveloped the whole Cathedral. And with the Church throughout the world, we gave thanks for the light that fills the dark night...
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Good Friday 2016

I. Introduction A. Shortly after I was ordained, the Pastor of my first parish asked me to go to the hospital to visit an ailing parishioner. “Did they teach you how to do this in seminary?” my Pastor asked dubiously. And with all the confidence of my youth, I replied in the affirmative. And so,...
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Holy Thursday 2016

I. Introduction A. For nearly 18 years, I worked on a daily basis with James Cardinal Hickey, formerly the Archbishop of Washington. After he retired and I was serving as Bishop of Bridgeport, I regularly visited the Cardinal, my mentor and my friend. We had conversed and dined together on countless occasions but as his...
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Wednesday in Holy Week

I. Introduction A. Well, dear sisters and dear friends, it’s been quite the day. If you attended the oral arguments in the chambers of the Supreme Court, you heard high level argumentation and questioning. For those of us who are non-lawyers, it is glimpse at the complexities of the law. I can only imagine the...
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Chrism Mass 2016

I. Introduction: A Year of Favor from the Lord A. When people have lost their way or feel downtrodden, they look for a word of encouragement. They seek something or someone they can put their hopes in. So it was that, as the people of Israel were nearing the end of their exile in Babylon,...
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Palm Sunday 2016

I. Introduction: A Royal Entrance A. We have just celebrated the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. He arrives on a donkey to the acclaim of many people. And while a donkey strikes us as a humble animal, Jesus makes an important claim by entering Jerusalem on a donkey as yet unridden. It is a signal...
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