From the Ambon

From the Ambon is our parish blog, a place for sharing homilies and reflections from the life of Holy Wisdom Convergent Catholic Cathedral. Here you’ll find musings on Scripture, tradition, and faith as they meet the challenges of daily life.

All Posts

When the Locked Places Open

Lessons: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-15; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 We enter this fifth week of Advent with a theme that feels almost tailor-made for the moment we’re living in. This is the week shaped by the ancient cry of the Church for the One who opens what is closed, who frees what is bound, who breaks through the places that feel sealed shut. Every reading today is speaking to hearts that feel stuck, strained, or carried to the edge. And I don’t know that there h

Met. John Gregory

4 days ago5 min read

Wake. Watch. Walk. An Advent Reflection

This Advent reflection invites readers into three movements: wake, watch, and walk. Fr. Columba calls the church to break out of spiritual numbness, stay alert to God’s presence, and resist the pull of routine. He urges vigilance in a world marked by uncertainty and suffering, not with fear but with hope rooted in Christ’s promise to restore creation. Finally, he reminds us that the Christian walk is imperfect but always possible through grace. Advent becomes a season of smal

Fr. Columba

Dec 13 min read

The Shepherd Who Gathers, the Savior Who Holds, the King Who Suffers

Christ the King does not rule from a throne of power but from a cross of mercy. This homily explores three movements in the readings. Christ gathers the scattered like a shepherd. Christ holds a shaking world as the still point of peace. Christ reveals his true reign through nonviolent love as he forgives from the cross. The kingdom grows through compassion, presence, and sacrificial love.

Met. John Gregory

Nov 235 min read

Advent and the Work of Staying Awake

Advent trains us to look in two directions at once. We remember the first coming of Christ. We hold hope for the second. This season asks us to stay honest about the world we live in and the world God promised. That tension is holy. It keeps us awake.

Fr. Columba

Nov 183 min read

Advent Begins with Wisdom

Advent begins not with angels or shepherds but with Wisdom. Before the manger and the miracle, there is the Word that shaped creation, the voice that speaks order into chaos and gives meaning to life.

Met. John Gregory

Nov 96 min read

Honoring the Living and the Dead: A Reflection for All Saints and All Souls

Preacher: Fr. Columba Lessons: Ecc 44:1-14 or Rev 7:9-17; Ps 149; Eph 1:(11-14)15-23; Lk 6:20-26(27-36) Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, and by happy coincidence, it aligns with All Souls Day. These two observances belong together, inviting us to remember the holy ones of every age, the martyrs and mystics, and the faithful who lived quiet, uncelebrated lives of love and devotion. In the early Church, there were so many saints, so many martyrs, and so many local fe

Fr. Columba

Nov 34 min read

To Reform Is to Remember

We did not gather this past Sunday, but I have found that even when the church is scattered, the Spirit is not idle. There are weeks when the work of worship happens in the heart rather than in the sanctuary.

Met. John Gregory

Oct 284 min read

When Prayer Gets Stubborn

Preacher: Fr. Columba Lessons: Gen 32:398,22-30; Ps 121; 2 Tim 3:14-4:5; Lk 18:1-8 Today’s Gospel gives us what is often called the parable of the unjust judge, or the parable of the widow and the judge. On the surface, it seems clear. Most people read it and immediately think it is about prayer. Keep praying. Do not give up. Bring your requests to God and stay faithful. And yes, that is part of it. But when you start digging deeper, when you read it in context and look at ho

Fr. Columba

Oct 196 min read