Homilies

Homily for the thirty-third Wednesday of Ordinary Time.

Do you remember what St. Francis did? Not only did he not want anything to do with the family’s rich man’s clothing business, he decided to not wear any clothes. He created his own category for living. The result was the Fransican movement which has had enourmously positive impact down through time. Through his dying on the cross and rising three days later, Jesus also opened a new category for living for us. He showed us that we don’t have to live under oppression and domination. He invites us into a different way of seeing the world, and it’s up to us to say, “How am I going to live in it.” 

Gospel Luke 19 11-28

Homily for the Memorial of St. Leo the Great.

Maybe follow Jesus and know that you’ve been given an entire human life to lead and one that won’t end at death, an immortal life. If ever you had the temptation to say “I’m only human,” stop because that’s never true. You have the divine spark, and you can rise to greatness when the Holy Spirit enters and does the transformative thing about to happen on the altar. Who knows what great things the Lord wants to do for you because the Lord is not finished with you or me yet. 

Gospel Matthew 16:13-20

Homily for the thirtieth Wednesday of Ordinary Time.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, it wasn’t easy for those who were told to go out and tell the good news. They were living in a tumultuous period of history. People get nervous whenever there’s a lot of upset like there has been with us in our pandemic, political strife, climate change, and whatever you want to add to the basket. We handle our fears by asking what’s next. The message of the Gospel is to be still, calm down, stay at your post, do your duty, and trust that all things will work for good for those who love God and know that God is with you always until the end, whenever that is. 

Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Homily for the twenty-ninth Tuesday of Ordinary Times.

The servant doesn’t have to know the mind of the master all the time to be a good servant. You just have a task to perform. If it’s important that you understand all the mysteries, I’m sure there is time for that. But it isn’t right now. Be attentive but not idle; we need you at the top of your game. 

Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

Homily for the twenty-seventh Wednesday of Ordinary Time.

In the story of Jonah, God commissions Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites. Jonah doesn’t see any value in the Ninevites and makes a bare minimum effort. Nevertheless, the King of Ninevah proclaims that not only all the citizens but the sheep and cattle were to repent and put on sackcloths and ashes. Then Jonah, waiting for God to destroy Ninevah, is fit to be tied when a plant that provides him shade dies. The story is preposterous, but so are we. We too can harden our hearts. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray because they noticed how peaceful he seemed after praying. The Our Father, a short prayer, right at the heart of mercy says “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those whose indebted to us.”  

Gospel: Luke 11:1-4

Homily for the fourteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time.

The harvest is abundant, but you have to labor hard to bring it in. Jesus invites us to join him. We are encouraged to remember God is with us in everything. Every struggle we undergo, we might look back and say, I’m glad I was there. I belonged to the great unfolding story about God’s presence in our midst.

Gospel: Mattthew 9:32-38

Homily for the twelfth Wednesday of Ordinary Time.

In the book of Gensis, Abraham and God have a heart-to-heart about what he really wants: an heir. Have you ever been locked up in your thoughts, head, and emotions like Abraham? God takes Abraham outside to count the stars. Have kind people around you tried to get you to move one way or another? What might it mean to you to hear the voice of God directed to you? Can you step away from your certitudes, grievances, sadness, and self-assurance and risk going outside with the Lord and see what might happen in the ensuing conversation?

Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20

Homily for the Feast Day of St. Thomas Moore.

No one could make Jesus afraid; he had a peace that was larger than the turmoil around him. St. Thomas Moore lived during tumultuous times. He had the same calm that Jesus and St. Paul had. If you understand to whom you belong and who lives inside you, you can be immunized from all that turmoil. You can let all that stuff happen around you and go in one ear and out the other, saying, “You do whatever you need to do. I’m just going to stand here and love.”

Gospel: Matthew 10:34-39

Homily for the eleventh Thursday of Ordinary Time.

When people have a vocation to promote change, they often run into trouble, some un-welcomeness. But it doesn’t have to matter. Can you understand that you’re loved and that you’re one apostolic mission is to magnify and spread love? Simple as that. 

Gospel: Matthew  6:7-15

Homily for the eleventh Wednesday of Ordinary Time.

As long as you keep paying attention to what others think of you, there will always be some of your energy sucked away into dead ends. There is a fundamental truth that the Lord wants us to understand, and it is at the heart of everything. You are loved beyond measure by the absolute lover who created the entire universe. If you embrace this fundamental truth, many things in your life will fall into place. With this understanding, do you need approval from anyone else?

Gospel: Matthew 6 1-6, 16-18

Homily for the tenth Wednesday in Ordinary Time.

Remember, the law is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the law can create unity and a common good where we all can thrive. On the other hand, the law can make us feel superior or inferior to one another and separated. Let’s be in love with each other, and let’s create an orderly way of relating to one another so that we all thrive. Everyone will be uplifted. 

Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Homily for the Feast of Corpus Christi.

In the story of The Feeding of the Five Thousand, as told in Matthew 14:20, it is written that “They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over, twelve baskets full.” Why is that important? Because we are the fragments. Haven’t you ever felt like a fragment? When you know you are loved by the Creator of the whole universe, who is going to take that away from you? Just as Christ washed the feet of the disciple’s, would you get down on your hands and knees and show everybody how important they are? Christ wants to raise everybody to their full dignity. 

Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26