Sunday March 15, 2026 (4th Sunday of Lent)
March 8, 2026 (3rd Sunday of Lent)
John 4:5-42
Recently I received a note from a teenager I met years ago. He wrote, “Dear Father Muir, you probably do not remember me, but I wanted to thank you for your inspiring and humorous homilies at the parish. They helped me appreciate the beauty of Catholicism, which I have now.
embraced in a personal way.” That small note moved me more than he probably imagined. I had no idea my words had taken root in him. I was simply sowing seeds — week by week, Mass by Mass. Someone else — his parents, a youth minister, or God Himself — was doing the deeper work. Now this young man is joyfully reaping a harvest of faith.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers living water to a Samaritan woman whose life had been full of searching and disappointment. By the end of their encounter, she becomes a bold and joyful evangelist. Then Jesus turns to his disciples and says something easily overlooked: “One sows and another reaps” (John 4:37). He is helping them — and us — understand how evangelization works. Often, the one who sows the seeds of faith is not the one who sees the fruit.
This Lent, ask yourself: Are you in a sowing phase or a reaping phase? If you are sowing — raising children, praying for someone, mentoring — be patient. Your work matters. If you are reaping —seeing someone, come alive in faith — be grateful. You are standing on sacred ground, tilled and watered by others.
Lenten challenge: Thank someone who once sowed faith into your life. And keep sowing, even when the harvest is unseen.
— Father John Muir ©LPi
March 1, 2026 (2nd Sunday of Lent)
Matthew 17:1-9
When I sit down to answer emails or write a Gospel reflection or return a phone call, I sometimes wonder: Does any of this humdrum work matter? Maybe you ask the same thing about your daily labor. Today’s Gospel, the Transfiguration, offers a surprising answer. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, “his face shone like the sun face and his clothes become white as light” (Matthew 17:2). That detail regarding his clothes is worth considering.
We know Jesus’ body is inseparably united to the divine nature. But his clothing? That’s something made by human hands. It’s an artifact. And yet it shines with the same uncreated light. What does this detail mean? The early Church noted that Adam and Eve’s first act after the Fall was to make clothing. This clothing symbolizes all human labor that supports our dignity. In Jesus’ glorified garments, we see not just the redemption of our body, but of human effort to protect and uplift human dignity.
Parents, your family is your work. Baristas, plumbers, nurses, accountants — your labor, your emails, your phone calls, your spreadsheets — can all become radiant when offered to God in love. The question isn’t just do I believe in Jesus’ glory, but do I believe he can share it with the work of my hands?
Lenten Challenge: Identify the “artifact” you are making to uplift the dignity of others: your job, your home, your relationships. Consciously bring it to the Lord this Sunday at Mass. Offer it to share in His glory. It will begin to shine.
— Father John Muir ©LPi
February 22, 2026 (1st Sunday of Lent)
Matthew 4:1-11
In my second-to-last year of seminary, I woke up one September morning to devastating news: two beloved classmates had died in a car crash. I was overwhelmed with grief and anger like I had never known. I entered therapy for the first time and had intense conversations with my spiritual director. For months I felt lost in a spiritual wilderness. But something unexpected happened: I encountered Christ there. The fear and sorrow didn’t destroy me. In fact, that spiritual desert was a time of intense growth in faith.
Today’s Gospel begins: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). The word “led” denotes a gentle, humble submission to the Spirit. Jesus does not send himself into this desolate place where wild beasts roam and Satan tempt. Who wants to be around roaming, wild beasts? The Church Fathers saw them as symbols of our inner chaos: fears, temptations, wounds. The Spirit leads us there, sometimes against our wishes. But those same Fathers also saw that this deserted place is also where angels ministered to Jesus, amidst his great trial and temptation.
Lenten Challenge: This Lent and throughout life’s struggles, the Spirit leads you and me into the wilderness. Name one “desert” into which the Spirit has led you: perhaps grief, fear, silence, change, disappointment. Ask for the grace to go there willingly. The beasts may be real, but they will not harm you. There, the angels are waiting to minister to the Christ living in you, who always goes where the Spirit leads.
— Father John Muir
Deacon Ken’s Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday February 15, 2026
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The paradigm of good versus evil has plagued humankind since the beginning of the world. To this very day, it wiggles its way into our lives often unnoticeable. Evil, in its varying degrees, is often the easiest choice. It is the choice that at the outset appears to benefit us the most. It most often features the path of least resistance. It doesn’t seem to require much effort or energy to reap reward. It’s like having a weekend at Bernie’s or experiencing Hakuna Matada. No cares, no responsibilities, no worries, mate. Our concerns are only for ourselves; others can find their own way. The ugly truth of evil is that it benefits no one. The devil gives us a nod and a wink and welcomes us to the dark side, a place God never intended us to be. Good, on the other hand is quite costly in time and effort. It is the ying to evil’s yang. Good requires us to put the needs of others forefront of our own. It requires us to give to others from which we have excess. It beckons us to rescue the prostitute about to be stoned by society. Good tells us to reach down through the mire of life and offer a hand up to the drug addict who has overdosed again and again. Good tells us to feed the unfortunate family cast out into the streets, with no money, no home, and no hope.
There’s a word that is synonymous with doing good. It’s called discipleship. Discipleship is our vocation, our call from God. No one is precluded from being a disciple. Discipleship is rooted in the commandment to love God and love neighbor. It calls us to act with kindness, to practice integrity, to be humble and live generously. Make no mistake; discipleship is costly and at times ugly. Discipleship asks us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. It’s sweat on the brow, sweat burning your eyes… discipleship. It’s “do as I do” discipleship. Discipleship is drinking from the cup that Jesus drank from, and accepting it as the way to salvation.
Someday God forbid; it may cost us our very lives. What are the rewards for doing good? There’s a word for that too. It’s called grace: The love of God. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling one gets when they have listened to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and acted on it. It starts with the desire to serve another, and another, and then another. It is our realization that we are imperfect, but with God’s grace we can slowly and steadily move towards perfection. Little by little, we become blessed, God is glorified, and the world becomes a better place.
Cut off your hand! Gouge your eye out! Is this what Jesus really wants us to do? No, but Jesus uses exaggerated language to show us the importance of choosing between good and evil. Why is that important? Because God’s son paid a very high price that we might have eternal salvation. So, the question we must ask ourselves every day is: Which wolf am I feeding?
Deacon Ken Stewart
Sunday February 08, 2026
Sunday February 01, 2026
Sunday January 25, 2026
Sunday January 18,
