Fr. Bill NIcholas

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PATRICK & JOSPEH and the CATHOLIC CHURCH in the U.S.

Part of the Legacy of St. Patrick is that the Irish helped to maintain the Church in the U.S. for decades.  As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day two days apart, what are the lessons to be learned from both men, and the influence they have had on the Church in the United States?

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ENTERING THE HEART OF DARKNESS – The Transfiguration of Abraham

Homily
2nd Sunday of Lent – C
The Transfiguration

Abraham’s Sacrifice of the Covenant and the Transfiguration have something in common. Fr. Bill talks about the experience of Prayer, its ultimate goal, and how one can grow in Prayer during the Season of Lent.

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TEMPTATION? BRING IT ON

The Spiritual Strain of Lenten Spiritual Exercses
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Homily – 1st Sunday of Lent (Year C)
Luke 4:1-13 – The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert

What is the point of Spiritual Exercise without the Strain of Temptation?

Fr. Bill preaches about the Individual and Communal Observances of Lent and how they fit into the experience Jesus had in the Temptation in the Desert.

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IS THE OLD TESTAMENT HISTORICAL OR NOT?

Some people insist that the Bible is an accurate historical account.  Others claim it is only Mythology.  Fr. Bill discusses how it is both, why it is both and to what purpose it serves as a “historical” for the ancient Kingdom of Israel, as well as to people of faith today.

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“BIG-PLANK” CATHOLICISM

Sunday Homily
8th Sunday of the Year – C

Luke 6:39-45

Remove the Plank, then Remove the Speck — Luke 6:39-45

Fr. Bill talks about how we remove one another’s specks in small and very big ways.

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WARS & PESTILENCE – Is the End Near?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine comes on the heels of the Covid Pandemic around the World, and of Civil Unrest, inflation and Economic Uncertainty in the US. Some would insist that it is the sign that the End is coming.

Fr. Bill discusses the words of Jesus regarding Wars, Pestilence and the End of the World and how Catholics are called to react to events that are being reported from home and throughout the World

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DO ONLY SINNERS FEAR COVID?

Sunday Homily
7th Sunday of the Year
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Luke 6:27-38

Followers of Christ do not do what sinners do, or tax collectors, or pagans, or popular opinion, or “the majority of people.”

Fr. Bill reflects on the Catholic response to the Pandemic and how Catholics can redeem themselves in how they move on from its immanent end.

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REASON VS. EMOTION

The End of the Pandemic

As eager as people were to mask up and get vaxed at the height of the pandemic because “we were all going to die” if we didn’t.  How eager are people now to move on, maskless and unafraid, now that the Pandemic is beginning to wane?

Fr. Bill reflects upon the experience of the Covid Pandemic and what we could and should expect from people as the world begins to return to normal.

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A GOOD SWIFT KICK IN THE PANTS!

Jesus Pulls No Punches
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Sunday Homily
6th Sunday of the Year – C
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Luke 6:17, 20-26

The Gospel of Luke features the most compassionate portrayal of Jesus, and also the most brutally honest.

Fr. Bill discusses this quality of Luke’s Gospel and how the Beatitudes are adjusted and presented accordingly by this particular evangelist.

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SHOULD CHRISTIANITY BE FORCED?

The Miracle of the Great Catch of Fish
Homily
5th Sunday of the Year C
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Luke 5:1-11

“Go out and MAKE disciples of all the nations!”
“Do not be afraid. From now on you will be CATCHING men.”

Fr. Bill talks about the nature of the miracle of the Great Catch of Fish and what it means for followers of Christ who are given the same call to be “Fishers of men”.