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The Song of Mary

On the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos to the Temple, Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon preaches on Mary's canticle of thanksgiving, found in Luke Chapter 1.




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The Humanization of Reality

In the Incarnation, God assumes not only human nature, but also human experience. With respect to this, Fr. Pat Reardon talks about human memory, human speech, and human resolve




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To Cut, To Give, To Establish

In Jesus’ circumcision, God’s own flesh is marked by the sign of the covenant; Jesus' circumcision was the ratification and fulfillment of the prophetic dimension of the rite. Fr. Pat discusses three verbs associated with the Hebrew word Berith (covenant).




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Coming to Terms with the Beyond

An abiding sense of the beyond is utterly native to human experience. Fr. Pat Reardon makes three points about this experience.




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The Man of the Hour

John the Baptist is a man caught in the tectonic crisis of the major shift in world history. Fr. Pat considers the three answers Jesus gives to his own question about John: "What went ye out into the wilderness to see?”




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What is Jesus Worth?

In our society, worth usually has some connection with what is called “market value.” However, worth or value is not ultimately an absolute thing. Worth is always “worth to whom?” Fr. Pat Reardon makes three points concerning this question.




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The Mystery of Monotheism

Many religions believe there is only one God. But do they worship the same God as us? Fr. Pat looks at Biblical monotheism, what it is, and what it means to our worship.




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The Invisible God Painted His Own Portrait

Fr. Pat considers with us the Icon of the invisible God from three perspectives that Christ Himself gave to us when He declared "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”




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An Icon of Christ

In today’s very short story from Mark 2, we perceive a firm and complex portrait of Christ, who is clearly the central figure in the text—it’s all about what He sees, what He says, what He does.




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Presence of Mind

Fr. Pat talks to us about an important theme from the Epistle to the Hebrews, namely “today”, beginning with the question: “what does it mean for a human being to “be present”?




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What Did John NOT Say?

In the prologue to his Gospel, the Apostle John says “And the Word became flesh.” Fr. Pat considers three things, regarding the Word, that John did NOT say.




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What Does the Cross Mean to the Believer?

In this homily from Palm Sunday Fr. Pat asks what the Cross means for each believer—what it does mean and what it should mean.




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Thomas and the Crossword Puzzle

In this homily from St. Thomas Sunday, Fr. Pat considers a person with a Stoic personality facing the great puzzle presented in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes.




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The Three-Stranded Cord

The tensile integrity of a three-stranded cord is far greater than the sum of each of the strands within it. In rhetoric and in literature, there’s something about three-ness that suggests strength, stability, and finality. Fr. Pat looks at a very famous tripodic construction from the Bible.




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Revelation and Obedience

In this homily given on the Sunday of the Paralytic, Fr. Pat explores three aspects of our obedience to God in response to God’s self-revelation to us.




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What's the Solution to Blindness?

It is imperative always to follow the light—never the darkness. The light is given to us in Christ our Lord and conveyed through the teaching of the Church.




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Vignettes from Luke

Using stories found only in Luke, Fr. Pat looks at features quite prominent to this Gospel. (From October 18, 2015, the Feast of St. Luke)




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What is it Like to Be a Human Being?

Paul's explanation of what it means to be a human being as expounded in the Book of Romans should be the key to everything we do.




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The Gift and Task of Hope

In the opening verses of Romans 5, Paul says we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Fr. Pat examines the characteristics of Christian hope.




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It's Time Already To Wake From Sleep

Preaching from Romans 13, Fr. Pat looks at what Paul has to say about the political, social, and economic life of the Christian in the world.




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Members to Each Other

In Romans 12, Paul reminds us that we are all members of one body. Fr. Pat offers reflections on how we are to live with respect to one another.




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Practical Rules for How to Live the Life in Christ

Fr. Pat expounds upon Paul’s exhortations in Romans 12:6-14.




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Too Smart for their Britches

Preaching from 1 Corinthians 3:18 through 4:8, Fr. Pat discusses wisdom and knowledge, intellectual self-deception and the wisdom of God.




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Traction

Preaching from the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Fr. Pat discusses what is attractive in the Church, what distracts us from Christ, and the importance of resistance if one is to make progress.




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The Syntax and the Grammar of the Gospel

Does the world have coherent structure? Does reality make sense? If it does, what is that structure? Father Pat looks at three answers to these questions.




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The Vigilant Care of the Soul

A certain mindset of vigilance is an essential part of the transmission of the Gospel. We do not simply hand on the Gospel, but we hand on that sense of vigilance and care that is essential to its reception. Fr. Pat Reardon compares Biblical vigilance with that of other traditions.




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Three Temptations that are Opposed to the Holy Spirit

The Christian must guard against anything antithetical to the Holy Spirit, whom, in 2 Corinthians 1, Paul calls the downpayment and guarantee of salvation. Fr. Pat considers three such things which should be of special concern given the world in which we live.




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Bearing the Cross a Good Long Time

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. But one cannot say this without having experienced and known the cross. Fr. Pat reflects upon three ways in which we experience the cross in our lives.




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The Spirit of Deceit

Deception is a major phenomenon of our own times. There have always been deceivers. But deception has become a far more integral part of modern life. Fr. Pat discusses the psychology and theology of deception, as well as the solution to the problem.




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The Concealed Presence of a New Reality

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the angelic announcement of a conception is a special sign of some new resolve of God; a resolve of God to alter the course of history. Fr. Pat's reflections given on the Feast of the Conception of the Forerunner and Baptist John.




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Loving One's Enemies and Forgiving Offenses

The Christian love of one’s enemies is not ultimately rooted in the quest for inner peace. It is rooted in the life we have in Christ. Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 6:31-36.




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The Final Outcome is Not in Doubt

In the raising of the son of the widow of Nain, a liturgical parallel to the raising of Lazarus, Luke declares Jesus as Lord and Victor not only over death, but over everything.




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Seated at the Feet of Jesus, Clothed and in Our Right Mind

The story of the Gadarene Demoniac in Luke 8 provokes three questions which are important for us to ask today.




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He Touches Our Flesh

The sacraments are not just the sign that something is happening, they are the means by which it is happening; they are not just signs of an inner grace, but the effective means by which the grace of justification is imparted. Fr. Pat meditates with us on the thesis that holiness is something physical.




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One God, One Hope, One Ark

Preaching on the first seven verses of Ephesians 4, Fr. Pat considers one God, the one hope of our calling, and the Christian lifestyle.




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The Hinge of Moral History

Were the new Gentile converts obliged to observe all the mandates of the Torah? As the Apostle Paul contemplated this, he came to the understanding that history not only matures, but had a pivotal point. Fr. Pat preaches from Galatians 3:23-4:5.




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Christian Moral Responsibility

The Christian life is one of effort. Faith in Christ is not something that simply can be attached to a secular lifestyle. In this homily preached in 2008, Fr. Pat reflects upon Ephesians 4:1-6.




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Three Sanctified Ones of the Old Testament

Using 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 as his text, Fr. Pat looks at three qualities of the Thessalonian Church, and finds these qualities exemplified in the lives of three Old Testament saints.




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The Harp, the Book, and the Bed

On the Sunday before the Nativity, Fr. Pat looks for the Biblical David in two works of Western art: Michelangelo’s David and Rembrandt’s sketch of David in prayer. The works can be seen here: Michelangelo's "David" and here: Rembrandt's "David in Prayer"




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The Flood, the Exodus, and the Cross

On the Feast of the Theophany, Fr. Pat looks at three figures of baptism.




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In the Service of God

In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul talks about Christian service. But what does it mean that we serve God? Fr. Pat examines the life of the Prophet Samuel and considers three lessons for us today.




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The Moral Education of Josiah

Fr. Pat looks at three stages and three sources of Josiah's moral instruction.




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Hosea and the Fabric of Prophecy

Fr. Pat offers reflections on the life of Hosea and what his example teaches us about the character of God.




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The God of the Prophets

Can God be hurt? Can he be offended? Is God sensitive? Can he be disappointed? Fr. Pat offers reflections on the Parable of Talents and the nature of God.




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Soldier, Athlete, Tiller of Soil

In 2 Timothy 2:1-10, Paul holds out three models for Timothy’s life which are three metaphors for the life in Christ. Timothy is not free to choose which one he wants; he must follow all three.




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The Education of Timothy

Timothy’s mother and grandmother not only raised him in the faith, but they instructed him in the study of sacred grammar. Fr. Pat suggests three blessings that came to young Timothy through this study, which pertain to all of us, not just those raising children.




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Where is the King of the Jews?

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Fr. Pat reflects upon the most important question ever posed to the mind of man.




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The Works of Lent

Fr. Pat considers three aspects of the works that are traditionally associated with the Great Fast: prayer, fasting, and deeds of mercy.




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Sin and the Sin Offering

On the second Sunday of Lent Fr. Pat looks at our Lord’s passion, the power of His blood, and the authority of the Church.




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The Testing of Faith

There are times in our lives when we make our own the petition of the father in Mark 9: “Help my unbelief.” But faith is increased only by being tested. Fr. Pat offers reflections on this.