At the heart of Christianity is an experience of the forgiveness of sins. We can’t say that we have begun to understand the Gospel if we do not have a profound sense of our need for God’s forgiveness. When we hold onto resentment and unforgiveness we wound ourselves and prevent our own healing and peace.

Our Lady of Good Hope, pray for us. Pray for this parish, that it may be a true community of missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Pray for each of us, that the grace which transformed you may go on transforming us, until we, too, come to share in the glory you already enjoy.

Imagine what would change if we actually believed that the Messiah is among us - that Christ is present in the person next to us, however irritating or wrong they may be. We are responsible for each other. The Christian journey is not a solo flight; we travel it together, as fellow pilgrims.

To be human is to long for meaning and purpose. We are deeply spiritual beings and our souls long for that which truly satisfies.

There is a hunger in the human heart to know where we come from — whose son we are, whose daughter, whose line we continue.

The deeper question is not only where we come from, but who God says we are when he calls us by name. Not the identity we construct for ourselves, but the name Jesus already speaks over us.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

We can fall into the trap of thinking that God has gone silent. Really, we have been listening for a shout, while God often chooses to whisper. The question is not whether God is speaking. It’s whether we've made room to hear him. The step of faith doesn't have to be perfect. It only has to be taken.

We are a people made for the heart of God and our true purpose is a heart relationship with God. In the Eucharist the Lord of the universe so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under a morsel of bread and invites us back to the bread which truly satisfies so that it is the food we are asked today to become for others.

We discover we have found something infinitely valuable in a personal relationship with Jesus, a relationship that is our treasure and pearl and alone can give us the joy and satisfaction we yearn for in the depths of our hearts.

Small kindnesses — a smile, a phone call, a prayer for someone in need, a small offering for the work of the poor — all contribute to the growth of the Kingdom.

Soil is not prepared by better methods of sowing, but by a life visibly changed by the Gospel. When people see what Christians are like, then they want to be Christians themselves

All of us have our burdens and our worries, and Jesus invites us to come to him and find rest in him. It is true that we might find that in coming to Jesus with our burdens that they are not automatically taken away, but they will be easier to bear with the love and help of God.