Jesus had to ascend so we could have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings conviction and a desire to do the Lord’s work.

When we have the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s work isn’t boring anymore. It is enlivening and exciting.

We celebrate Pentecost next week. Ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to baptise you with the Holy Spirit.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on May 27, 1990.

The Holy Spirit is an advocate, one who takes up our cause and works for us.

The Holy Spirit is an integral part of the Father’s plan. He’s important!

He’s not a bonus. He’s not a prize. He’s not an extra. He’s not for pious people only or for one segment of people. He is for all people.

His main purpose is to work among us filling our hearts with the fire of God. We are supposed to be a people on fire for God. That is God’s intended design.

What is the fire of God and how do you know if you’ve been touched by the fire of God?

• You will worship with enthusiasm. It will be anointed by God.

• It’s contagious.

• When you allow the Lord to work through you, the power of God will be evident. You will minister with power.

May we all be filled with the Holy Spirit and set on fire for God so he can use us to reach out and touch a world that desperately needs God.

If you want that, all you need to do is ask. God will give us the Holy Spirit.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on May 24, 1987.

We need to praise God. It is good for us to praise God.

If we don’t give praise to God, we are in danger of forgetting who we are. We will begin to think that we are in charge, that we are in control. This is the biggest problem in the world. We have taken control. God wants to be in charge. When we praise God, we are continually reminded that God is in charge.

Praising God is healthy and good for us. Praising God can help clear up the fog. That is why he encourages us to do it.

Praising God does not come naturally to us here on Earth. When something doesn’t come naturally, we have to work at it. We’ve got to make a decision and begin praising God. It is a skill. It’s something that we have to take on and practice.

If praising God is not part of your daily agenda, add it now. Take five minutes at the beginning of the day and praise God. Tell him how wonderful he is.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on May 13, 1990.

God is always calling. He is capable of communicating.

It’s not complicated to hear the call of the Lord.

He has plans for you and for me. It’s in tuning into his plan that we become the people of joy and peace.

Total Abandonment

We hear the Lord’s word through total abandonment. Give him your heart. Turn everything over to the Lord. Tell him you’ll do whatever he wants. When he wants to move you to something he’ll get through, he’ll write on your heart.

It is worth throwing your life away for him.

When You’re Ready

He will communicate his word to you when you need it. He will give you his word faithfully and truthfully.

Conclusion

There’s nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be worried about. The Good Shepherd wants to take care of his sheep.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on May 2, 1993.

Jesus wants us to pick up on a few things from today’s Gospel:

1. The Lord wants to come in. He wants to be the centre of our lives. He knows that’s how we were made. However, he doesn’t push himself in. He waits for an invitation.

2. Jesus has the capacity to reveal himself to us.

3. The revelation of Jesus took place at the table during the breaking of the bread. In other words, Mass is a good place to be, especially if we need the Lord to break in.

4. Once the Lord broke through, the disciples did something about it. They changed their plan. They didn’t stay put, their priorities changed. They involved themselves with the priorities of God.

5. The Scriptures have the same power to set our hearts burning, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, if we open up to what God will do through the scriptures.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on April 29, 1990.

The Lord wants to give people his mercy. He’s always ready to give us a break.

It doesn’t depend on his mood. God is always merciful. Mercy is his effective desire to dispose all circumstances so that everyone can come to know his love and his power in their lives.

The Lord is ready to touch our lives. He wants a relationship with us.

Open your heart to the merciful saviour that he may change you day by day.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on April 18, 1993.

We’re celebrating God’s intervention in human affairs.

God chose to change the definition of death from something that is an end to something that is a doorway leading to an incredible fullness of life.

We celebrate triumph, victory, and conquest. The tomb couldn’t hold him. The grave was not strong enough to keep him in. Jesus the Son of God, we celebrate his rising from the dead.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on April 14, 1990.

What is an appropriate response to Jesus’ death on the cross? Give away your life for the one who gave away his life for you.

“Jesus, you have given your life for me. So, I will do the same for you. I will give my life for you.”

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on April 9, 1993.

Sin is the problem. Jesus wasn’t afraid to name it.

If we’re in sin, we need to get out of it and get straight with God. We do that by the Sacrament of Confession.

The Sacrament of Confession is extremely important. It is a marvellous thing, something that the Holy Spirit has inspired over the centuries.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on March 22, 1987.

The Lord is ready to touch our lives in concrete and tangible ways. God will touch your life if you let him. He wants you to have things to report. All you have to do is allow him to intervene in your life.

He wants us to be attentive, ready, and faithful.

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on March 15, 1987.

God wants to be present to us. He wants to be at work in our lives. But, he can only work in our lives if we give him permission.

He never quits. He never backs down. He never stops trying to break through. He continues to try to get the truth of his Word across to everybody.

Are we still willing to give the Lord the green light to do what he wants to do in our lives?

*This homily was originally given at St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa, ON on February 14, 1993.