St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Wednesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Many people struggle with today's Gospel passage, particularly the part about needing to "hate" family members. This concept can feel uncomfortable on a personal level, and it seems to contradict what Jesus and the Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments, say about honoring our parents. So, what is Jesus really trying to convey?

Jesus is not speaking about "hate" in the way we commonly understand it. Instead, He emphasizes that we must love Him and our heavenly Father even more than we love our parents or family members. He is teaching us that when we face a choice between following Him or our family, we must always prioritize Him, even if it creates tension.

While Jesus' expression of this can sound harsh, He often used strong language to capture the attention of His listeners. He aimed to highlight that, at times, following Him can be challenging and, in rare instances, may even put us at odds with those we love the most. We must be prepared to choose Him over family when necessary.

Let us pray for unwavering faith and trust in Jesus, even when following Him requires us to bear difficult crosses and burdens.

Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus shares a parable about a man who invited guests to a dinner, but they were too busy to attend. The man sent his servants to invite others, yet the house was still not full. So, he sent his servants again to continue inviting people until the home was filled.

This reflects God's nature. Just like the man in the parable, God continually seeks us out to save us and invites us to His heavenly home. Sometimes we refuse the invitation because we are too busy or preoccupied with other matters; other times, we struggle with situations that prevent us from accepting God's love. However, God is persistent in His efforts to rescue us from sin and danger.

May we be open to God's grace in our lives and reach out in our times of need, so that one day we may find ourselves at the eternal banquet of heaven.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo

In today's Gospel, a wealthy Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner, which is unusual because Pharisees typically only dined with those who shared their views. During the meal, Jesus suggests that His host should often invite people he wouldn't ordinarily welcome—those who are outsiders and those experiencing illness, hunger, and poverty.

Unlike the Pharisees, who limited their social circles, Jesus regularly shared meals with a diverse array of people, including the rich and poor, the educated and uneducated, the devout and the outsiders, and men and women. His choice of dining companions reflects His inclusive nature—no one was excluded from His presence or from His mission of preaching the kingdom of God. Jesus aimed to reveal God's generous welcome for everyone, especially those who were marginalized.

Through His authentic lifestyle and the company He kept, Jesus demonstrated the wide hospitality of His Father. In contrast, the Pharisees viewed God as exclusive rather than inclusive. 

While we are also called to practice hospitality, it can be tempting to limit ourselves to a small group of friends who share our attitudes and are able to reciprocate our kindness. However, God calls us to expand our circle and our compassion, to reflect the love of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

A high school teacher in Manhattan asked her students to write about poverty. A wealthy girl from the Upper East Side began her story like this: "Once there was a poor little girl. Her father was poor, her mother was poor, her chauffeur was poor, and her butler was poor. They were all very, very, very poor." This girl had never experienced material poverty; however, her story could reflect another type of poverty that Jesus describes in the Book of Revelation: "You say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.' You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." St. Ambrose reminds us that the entire human race, rich and poor alike, fell into the hands of thieves who took away our greatest treasure: the grace of eternal life.

A scribe approached Jesus, questioning Him. As a scholar of the Sacred Scriptures, he wanted to determine whether this wandering teacher truly understood the Law. Was Jesus qualified to be called Master and Rabbi? Having heard Jesus reply wisely to the Pharisees and Sadducees, he asked, "Which is the first of all the commandments??" Jesus responded with not one but two of the greatest commandments: love of God and love of neighbor.

His question is of the utmost importance. Recall the rich man who feasted extravagantly every day and ignored a starving person at his gate, wrongly believing the purpose of life was to eat, drink, and be merry. Yet, he was living in dire spiritual poverty, while the beggar, clothed in rags, was rich in what truly matters. Nonbelievers do not inquire about the way to eternal life because they lack hope. The scribe speaks for us when he asks, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Hearing Jesus' reply, the scribe says, "You are right…" He gives Jesus a stellar grade for His answer. More importantly, the scribe demonstrates that he is a good student by repeating Jesus' answer, even including what he did not specifically ask: the second commandment, which is "like the first," to love one's neighbor as oneself. 

Jesus shows us the way; He loved us so much that He became our neighbor, brother, and Savior. St. Paul expresses this beautifully: "While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… God proves His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus came to us to restore our lost inheritance and to teach us what is truly important in life.

Homily for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Today, we take a moment to remember those we have known and loved who have passed away. The entire month of November is dedicated to honoring our deceased in a special way.

As Christians, our remembrance of those who have died occurs within the context of faith and prayer. One of the ways we actively and spiritually connect with our beloved deceased is by praying to God for them. We take comfort in the belief that they are with God and that God is also present with us in this life. This shared connection with the Lord helps maintain our communion with our loved ones who have passed, and reassuring us of God’s constant presence.

In our prayers for our dearly departed, we ask God to grant them the fullness of life. We also express our deep gratitude for their time on Earth and for the many blessings they brought into our lives. Their presence has enriched us, and we are thankful for the love and joy they shared with us.

Today, we entrust our beloved deceased to God. As it is written in Romans 5:5, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” We trust in this love, and we pray that our departed loved ones may experience that love fully in God’s kingdom of everlasting love and peace. This hope sustains us in our grief, knowing that they are in His loving embrace.

Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints

All Saints Day, which we celebrate today, is not just a day to honor those who have attained sainthood; it is also a day to reflect on our call to follow and become disciples of Jesus, living lives that resemble those of the saints.

How does one become a saint? Usually,  it involves proof of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the candidate for sainthood and living a holy life. Technically, the Church does not make someone a saint; instead, it recognizes the sanctity of a person's life and the belief that they are in heaven.

However, sainthood is the byproduct of a larger goal: to know and love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Each of us, with our unique strengths and weaknesses, is called to embrace this intense and genuine desire. Those who embody this passion in every aspect of their lives, including us, can achieve the byproduct of sainthood.

Sanctity is something we should all strive for. The lives of the saints, which we celebrate today and throughout the year, serve as models of inspiration in our pursuit of unity with God. For instance, the humility of Saint Francis of Assisi or the courage of Saint Joan of Arc can guide us in our own spiritual journeys. 

As we celebrate All Saints Day, let us also take a moment to reflect on our own lives and actions and how we can emulate the virtues of the saints in our daily lives.

Homily for Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus compares Himself to a hen who longs to gather chicks under her wings. He wanted to unite the people of Jerusalem and lead them to salvation. However, His desire to gather and save them went unfulfilled because they chose not to listen.

Jesus doesn't force anyone to accept His message or invitation. God grants us the precious gift of human freedom, which means He seeks from us a genuine desire for salvation; He does not impose it upon us. We must make an effort and cooperate with God's grace.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with a genuine desire for closeness with God and the salvation offered by our Lord.

Homily for Wednesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

"Will only a few people be saved?" Jesus does not provide a direct answer but encourages us to enter through the narrow gate. Achieving salvation and a full life requires effort on our part—just as we must slim down and focus to pass through a narrow opening.

The idea of a narrow gate does not necessarily mean that only a few will succeed in entering. In fact, Jesus mentions that people from the east and west, as well as from the north and south, will take their places in the kingdom of God.

The Book of Revelation also indicates a vast multitude gathered around the throne. However, this understanding should lead us to something other than complacency. We still need to strive to enter through the narrow gate by following Jesus and seeking to do God's will.

Homily for Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Both scenarios in today’s gospel passage—one about a man gardening and the other about a woman baking—share a common theme: they compare the initial smallness of an object to the enormous impact it can have. A tiny mustard seed grows into a massive tree that provides a home for the birds of the air. Similarly, a small amount of yeast transforms flour into a large batch of bread. As images of the kingdom of God, Jesus seems to suggest that in God’s sight, what is very small can become highly significant.

Even our smallest acts of kindness can lead to results that exceed our imagination. Small acts of kindness, mercy, and acceptance, performed to serve the Lord, can allow His grace to work powerfully in our lives.

We might be tempted to believe that only significant, extraordinary events within the Church matter. However, today’s gospel passage indicates that it is often the small actions and little initiatives that may be overlooked by most people that can herald the coming of the kingdom of heaven.

Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

While all the Gospels recount the story of Jesus choosing His Apostles, only Luke mentions that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer to His Father before making His choice. This choice was a direct result of His prayer. Luke emphasizes that Jesus prayed during all the crucial moments of His life—right after His baptism, before He set out for Jerusalem, while in the Garden of Gethsemane as He approached His passion and death, and even on the Cross just moments before He died.

We, too, should turn to our Father in prayer during significant moments in our lives. It is essential to recognize our need for guidance, strength, and courage from God. However, our prayers do not guarantee that everything will work out perfectly for us. Although Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before selecting the Twelve, one of them ultimately betrayed Him. Nevertheless, we can be confident that our humble surrender to the Lord in such times will always create space for Him to act, even when outcomes do not align with our hopes.