30 January 2026 - Friday of the 3rd week in Ordinary Time - Psalm 51

In our psalm today, we hear a raw and honest look at repentance. This psalm is written from the perspective of King David after his confrontation with the prophet Nathan regarding his sins with Bathsheba. The psalm reveals the depth of David’s remorse and sorrow and the scope of God’s mercy. In a verse we do not hear in our psalm today, the psalm starts out by saying:  “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.”

David doesn’t give any excuses for what he has done. He doesn’t try to put the blame on someone else or something else. He puts himself before God’s mercy. David knows that only God's mercy and compassion can reach the depths of his failure.

We have the sacrament of reconciliation in the Catholic Church to offer us God’s mercy and forgiveness when we sins. It is important that we are contrite and remorseful for our sins, to repent and to turn away from our sins. May we avail ourselves of God’s love and mercy. 

30 January 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus, you are our savior and our redeemer. 

Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary.

Lord Jesus, you forgive the sins of the contrite. 

Priest: Lord God of mercy and love, as you reveal yourself to us in your incarnate son, we bring our prayers to you this morning:

1. For Pope Leo XIV and the leaders of our Church. For wisdom and courage. 

2. May we deepen our awareness of our responsibility to care for the earth in a spirit of good stewardship. 

3. For healing within churches. That God will help us work together as the body of Christ. 

4. For families who are experiencing struggle and brokenness. That God will guide them through difficult times, 

5. For all who are recovering from natural disasters and who are experiencing harsh winter weather. That God will give them courage and strength,. 

6. For greater attention to God’s Word: that we may recognize the words of scripture as sources of spirit and life. 

7. For the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: With joy and hope, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

28 January 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus, you are the savior of the world. 

Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary.

Lord Jesus, you are lamb of God. 

Priest: Lord God of mercy and love, as you reveal yourself to us in your incarnate son, we bring our prayers to you this morning:

1. May we Christians manifest the Good News in our lives, our families, and our workplaces.

2. May we work together to build the kingdom of God here on earth in our service to others. 

3. For the gift of discernment. That we may discern where God is calling us in our lives. 

4. For all teachers, catechists, and preachers of God’s word. That God will inspire them with words that will renew the faith of others. 

5. For those whose lives are broken by anger or violence. For hearing and wholeness. 

6. For all who struggle with emotional and mental illness: that they may come to know a time of God’s favor. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: With joy and hope, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

28 January 2026 - homily for Wednesday of the 3rd week in Ordinary Time - Thomas Aquinas - Mark 4:1-20

Today, we commemorate the memorial of St Thomas Aquinas, one of the great theologians and thinkers of the Catholic faith, Born in the year 1225 near the city of Naples, Italy to a noble family, he disappointed them by joining the Dominican order. Due to his sharp intellect, he ended up studying at the renowned University of Paris, where his professor and mentor was the important theologian Albert the Great. He later retuned to the University of Paris to teach. He pioneered the use of the Greek philosophy by synthesizing it in Christian theology,  Aquinas used the power of reason to demonstrate that God and the universe could be understood by reason guided by faith. Beside his many well known works of theology, he is also the composer of several important Latin hymns, including O Salutaris Hostia and Pange LIngua. The Summa Theologica written between 1267-1273, was intended to be a textbook for students of theology. Written in a question and answer format, it covers topics such as God, creation, human nature, Christian morality, Jesus, and the sacraments of the Church. Aquinas died in 1274. He was the fifth person to be named as a Doctor of the Church, having received that distinction in 1567. 

We hear a familiar parable in the Gospel today, of a sower sowing seeds in different types of ground. We may be able to identify with this parable in different stages in our lives. At times, God’s word seems to fall in our lives and take root easily, but at other times, it seems as though God’s word has been snatched up from our lives like birds grabbing seeds off the ground. Just as Thomas Aquinas dedicated his life to the study of theology and God’s word, may God’s word be a constant presence in our lives of faith. 

27 January 2026 - homily for Tuesday of the 3rd week in Ordinary Time - St Angela Merici - Mark 3:31-35

Jesus is in the midst of his ministry in today’s Gospel. He is at work in his ministry and in his proclamation of God’s kingdom. Perhaps his mother and his family are concerned for his welfare.  Perhaps they want to make sure that he is ok and well taken care of.  Yet, Jesus knows he needs to be occupied with his Father’s work, so he declares that his true mother and his true brothers and sisters, are those who do the will of his Father in their lives. 

St Angela Merici is the saint we celebrate today. Born in 1474, she was a ground breaking and influential figure in the Church in her era, having the distinction of founding the first secular institute and the first teaching order of women in the Church. When we see the influence Catholic sisters and consecrated Catholic lay women have had in Catholic schools and in the field of education throughout the centuries, we can appreciate the contributions of Angela Merici. She was orphaned as a child and faced a lot of obstacles in her life. She joined the third order Franciscans as a young woman, but later, at the age of 60, with twelve other women, she founded the Company of St. Ursula, which was named for a patroness of universities in medieval Europe.  The Company of St Ursula constituted a new way of life, of single women consecrated to Christ and living in the world rather than as nuns in a convent. These women did not live in community, wore no special clothing, and made no formal vows, so it was quite different from living the life of a nun. Four years after her death in 1540, the rule of life that St Angela wrote for this group of women was approved; it prescribed for them the practices of chastity, poverty, and obedience. 

27 January 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace. 

Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary.

Lord Jesus, you are Word made incarnate. 

Priest: Lord God of wonder and awe, as you reveal yourself to us in your incarnate son, we bring our prayers to you this evening:

1. That we in the Church may recognize our identity as members of the Body of Christ. 

2. May we be more open to the Holy Spirit in our lives and be willing to nurture and develop the gifts that the Spirit has given us. 

3. That we may work together with evangelizers and missionaries to proclaim the Gospel message to the world. 

4. For a greater openness to God’s word and to the message it brings us. 

5. For first responders, veterans, the men and women serving in the military, and medical professionals. 

6. That those who are struggling may find peace in their hearts. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. 

Priest: With joy and hope, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

29 January 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 3rd week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus, you the Prince of Peace. 

Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God and Son of Mary: Christ. 

Lord Jesus, you are Word of God made incarnate. 

Prayers of the faithful:  

PRIEST:  God graciously blesses us in his love and mercy.  We now bring forward our needs to God with confidence:

1. For Pope Leo XIV and the leaders of our Church. For our elected officials.  For wisdom and courage.

2. That we may be better stewards of the earth’s resources, recognizing all of  God’s creation as gifts to us. 

3. For those who are in hospice and those who are dying. May they feel God’s loving embrace. 

4. For peace for those parts of the world torn apart by war and violence. 

5. For the men and women in the military. For our veterans. For our first responders. And for our medical professions. 

6. For all who are sick or afflicted. May the light of Christ lead them out of darkness and into healing and wholeness. 

7. For the prayers we hold today in the silence of our hearts.  

Priest: With joy and hope, we present our prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.