What if you knew then what you know now?

Despite great wisdom and vision, often the clearest sight is when we look back on our lives and learn from experience.  Hindsight can teach us what we need to know about the future.  We do not look back in a spirit of regret or condemnation, but with a spirit of wisdom and hope.

02/14/21 Hindsight 20/20: The Cost

Every choice comes at a cost.

Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Looking back, there are some things we could have known. And looking back, there are some things we could never have known. But one thing is unfailingly true when seen through hindsight: every decision comes at a price and every choice has a cost. Making the decision is risky, but there are things that are more important than staying safe.

Mass Readings from February 14, 2021:
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11
1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1
Mark 1:40-45

02/07/21 Hindsight 20/20: In Good Times and In Bad

Good times don’t last…and neither do bad times.

Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

One of the many things that life teaches us is that life is always changing. To grow is to change. There are times that are good and there are times that are bad. All of us go through good times and bad times and neither of them are permanent. In both good times and bad, Jesus is Lord and He loves the person in a desperate situation and the person in a bright situation.

Mass Readings from February 7, 2021:
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 147:1-6
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39

01/31/21 Hindsight 20/20: Worthless Knowledge

Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Knowledge is powerful. Having lived through this past year, and looking back on what we have been through is essential. We can have learned a great number of things over 2020. But unless we are willing to act on that knowledge, hindsight will be powerless.

Mass Readings from January 31, 2021:
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Mark 1:21-28

01/24/21 Hindsight 20/20: The Whole Story

Editing is the enemy of how we remember the story.

Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We look back so that we can see clearly and learn from our past. But we also have a temptation to edit the story we tell ourselves. We might edit how we tell the story, but we must not edit how we remember the story.

Mass Readings from January 24, 2021:
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 25:4-9
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20

01/17/21 Hindsight 20/20: The Moment Before the Moment

We can’t predict The Moment, but we can prepare in the moment before The Moment.

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

While no one can predict the future, all of us can learn from the past. While none of us can control when the big moments of our lives are going to happen, all of us can choose what we are doing in the moments before The Moment.

Mass Readings from January 17, 2021:
1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19
Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10
1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20
John 1:35-42

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