St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Religious leaders during Jesus' time were more focused on adhering to precise religious practices than on understanding their origins and spiritual significance. This often led to clashes with Jesus, and they frequently distrusted Him.

One Sabbath, Jesus and His hungry disciples walked through a field, and His disciples were picking and eating heads of grain to satisfy their hunger. The Pharisees, who adhered to a strict interpretation of the Sabbath laws, viewed this as a violation of the regulations prohibiting work on the Sabbath.

While Jesus did not disregard the traditions, He emphasized that the Pharisees' rigid interpretation was not aligned with the Scriptures or the spirit of the Law. According to Jesus, the Sabbath should be honored by more than merely following detailed rituals; people's well-being takes precedence over temple regulations. Thus, the actions of the disciples were justified in the name of preserving life.

In our worship and in following the will and Law of the Lord, let us always remember that practicing our faith is not just about fulfilling requirements, but about celebrating and living out the love of the Lord.

Homily for Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus calls us to take on the "yoke," the "burden" of service, imitating His example of selflessness and compassion towards the hungry, needy, and those facing challenges in our communities. We are encouraged to be like "eagles' wings" for the weary, despairing, and struggling individuals we encounter on our journey.

The "yoke" of the Gospel of Jesus is "easy" in the joy it brings to a generous heart, and it feels "light" because of the love of God reflected in our lives and the lives we touch through our selfless compassion.

Let us pray to learn from Jesus' humility and generosity. By His grace, may we reflect His selflessness in the compassion and love we extend to those experiencing poverty, the lost, and the struggling.

Homily for Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Close relationships with family and friends are among the things we value most in life, along with our health. Relationships and friendships are priceless; without them, navigating life would be a daunting task.

In a significant moment, Jesus revealed the most crucial relationship in His life: His relationship with His Father in heaven. He spoke of this connection in terms of mutual knowing: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him." This relationship exhibits a profound and unique intimacy, yet it is not exclusive.

We are all invited into this relationship of trust and love between Jesus and His Father in heaven. He reveals the Father to us and shares this bond with us. They welcome us into their mutual relationship—a relationship that nurtures and protects. The Father and the Son draw us into their shared love so that we can reflect that love to others. In response to this invitation, our spirits need to be open like those of children, rather than closed off by the overconfidence of the learned.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Bonaventure

The warnings directed at Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum compel us to examine the meaning and purpose of miracles. The inhabitants of these lakeside towns in northwest Galilee witnessed numerous miraculous signs and healings performed by Jesus, yet they remained unmoved by His message. In response, Jesus, filled with prophetic anger, criticized their hardened hearts. His miracles were meant to inspire conversion, encouraging a new perspective and lifestyle that would steer people away from selfishness and toward caring for those in need. His healings were demonstrations of His love for suffering humanity, rather than spectacles for His own glory. They aimed to illustrate God's desire for us to form a healthy and compassionate community.

Centuries earlier, Moses confronted Pharaoh, warning him of impending plagues in Egypt. Like Jesus, Moses did not wield his miraculous power for personal glory; in fact, he had to flee into the desert to save his life.

Although he was raised in the luxury of Pharaoh's palace, Moses displayed a strong sense of justice as a young man. His aversion to oppression and mistreatment, along with his refusal to remain idle in the face of abuse, exemplified a deep commitment to justice that would prepare him for his later role as a liberator.

We, too, are called to be liberators, serving those in greatest need and helping them live as God's children in freedom. This is not just a call, but a responsibility we must embrace. Therefore, let us pray for the desire and courage to assist those in greatest need.

Homily for the Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Our Gospel passage today concludes an important sermon known as the Missionary Discourse, which Jesus delivered to those who would carry on His work. The Scriptures remind us that following God's will can be challenging and may even disrupt our peace. Jesus states, "I have come not to bring peace, but the sword."

In this statement, Jesus refers to the suffering and conflict we may experience in our lives. We can recall Simeon's words to Mary as he held the infant Jesus: "This child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and will be a sign that will be contradicted." Throughout history, many incidents have shown God's people facing oppression due to racial bias and nationalistic envy.

Similar to politics, disagreements about religion can create tensions within families. What the Lord offers is not "peace at any price," but a unique peace that comes from being close to Jesus. If there is conflict within our families, let it arise from personal conscience rather than from any dominating or judgmental attitudes. We are called to be sincere rather than authoritarian. Jesus encourages us to welcome others and appreciate the gifts they offer. Even something as simple as a cup of cold water will be recorded in the Book of Life as a commendable action.

Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Young Dylan hated going to bed each night. He was terrified, like many children, of the monsters that lived under his bed. But Dylan's room also had a door that led up the creaky stairs to the attic. And as everyone knows, the attic is where the replacement monsters for under the bed come from.

Each night, Dylan grew increasingly anxious as the shadows lengthened at bedtime; the four-year-old was beside himself with fear.

Dylan's older brother's friend, Aiden, learned about his problem. Aiden shared that when he was Dylan's age, he was also afraid of monsters. However, one night, Aiden made a remarkable discovery: he found that his bed sheet was bulletproof. He said he could not be harmed as long as he stayed underneath that sheet each night. In fact, he claimed that the power of the bulletproof sheet was so strong that simply pulling it up to his neck would protect his head, too. Aiden told Dylan that this miraculous sheet had saved his life and helped him sleep soundly ever since.

That very night, Dylan discovered that his sheet was bulletproof, too. He burrowed underneath its folds and was never bothered by monsters again.

Aiden embodies the compassion and kindness of the Good Samaritan we encounter in today's Gospel reading. He didn't make fun of Dylan or tell him to grow up or stop acting like a baby. Instead, he showed Dylan that he cared and understood. He helped a frightened child find a way to cope with his fears.

"Good Samaritans" like Aiden possess compassion and kindness that surpass the tendency to judge, assign blame, or look down on someone. They recognize that understanding and mercy go beyond legalistic arguments and rationalizations. They demonstrate the essential Gospel truth that extraordinary things can be accomplished with the ordinary gifts we possess for the love of our neighbors.

Homily for Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus tells us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God's knowledge. He tells us that God watches over the life and death of even the smallest creatures with great love and care. So, how much more is God watching over us?

Despite our vast numbers, Jesus affirms God's individual concern for each of us. This reassurance is not just a comforting thought but a call to action. God invites us into a personal relationship with Him and also into a communal relationship with Him as the Church, the Body of Christ on earth.

God's care for us is not just a general concern but a meticulous attention to the details of our lives. Jesus assures us of this, saying, "There is no need to be afraid." This is the kind of relationship Jesus Himself had with His Father. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Father was concerned about the details of His life. As a result, He entrusted Himself to the Father, even when His enemies seemed to have triumphed over Him.

Jesus tells us that we can have the same relationship with the Father. He invites us to share in His relationship with the Father, with and in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus is straightforward about the kind of reception we might face when sharing our faith. The response could be hostile, and this opposition may even come from our closest relationships. However, Jesus assures us that we will not face this rejection alone; the Holy Spirit will be there to provide guidance and support.

Contemporary society may be less hostile towards faith than it was during Jesus' time with the first disciples. Nevertheless, Gospel values are often rejected in today's culture, with some people perceiving these values as a threat, particularly to human freedom.

Just as it was during the time of the first disciples, we need the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the Lord and His mission today. The Holy Spirit serves as our source of inspiration, guiding us in our faith and strengthening our resolve. The Church's reliance on the Holy Spirit remains constant, and His inspiration is just as accessible to us now as it was in the early days of the Church.

Homily for Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus is the most complete revelation possible of God's tender and merciful love for humankind. Yet, He experienced people rejecting this love, refusing to respond meaningfully.
When He sends out His disciples in today's Gospel, Jesus warns them to expect the same. They are to proclaim the Good News that the kingdom of God is at hand —the reign of God's life-giving love —but they will face those who will not welcome them or listen to what they have to say. This response is not meant to prevent them from fulfilling their mission of proclaiming God's loving presence through what they say and do, just as it did not stop Jesus when He suffered the ultimate rejection on the Cross. He even announced the same Good News as the Risen Lord to those who had turned away from Him and rejected Him.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to demonstrate the loving presence of God, regardless of how others react to us. When we are not welcomed, we should ask ourselves: Are they rejecting the message or the way it is being communicated? Everything we say and do in the name of the Lord should reflect God's tender mercies.

Homily for Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus sends the Apostles to continue His work. He gives them a clear directive, and as faithful followers, they carry out His commands, with most of them ultimately sacrificing their lives in the process. 

Through our baptism, each of us is personally charged with the same directive. This is not a call to be judgmental, nagging, or disagreeable, but rather a call to express our faith through our words and actions. Sometimes, this involves sharing our faith stories, while at other times, it means quietly living out our faith, even in the most ordinary moments, fulfilling our responsibility in evangelization. 

So today, let us pray for the wisdom and courage to respond to the call to be evangelists of the Good News of Jesus Christ.