St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Friday of the 7th Week of Easter

After Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Him three times. However, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter and asked him three times, "Do you love me?" This question focused not on Peter's past actions but his present love for Jesus. 

Jesus asks us the same question: "Do you love me?" This question invites us to make Jesus the center of our affection and devotion. In the Gospel of John, Jesus states, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; remain in my love." This love relationship between us and the Lord is fundamental to our faith, and everything we do in His name relies on it.

Peter could not be entrusted with caring for the Lord's flock until he publicly declared his love for Him. Similarly, our personal relationship with the Lord must come before any work we might do in His name. Our life of faith and our participation in the Lord's work of caring for His flock are the results of our personal relationship of love with Him.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Boniface

The Resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christianity. If He truly rose from the dead, we can believe in all that He said and did. However, as Saint Paul reminds us, if He did not rise, our faith would be in vain.

Following His Resurrection, Jesus did not appear to the Pharisees or the general public; He only revealed Himself to His Apostles and a select few followers. The Apostles were the only witnesses to the fact that His body was not in the tomb on the third day. Despite their grave danger, these ordinary and fallible humans did not deny the Resurrection. Instead, they bravely offered their lives in martyrdom as a testament to their unwavering belief in what they had witnessed.

At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for His Apostles and all those who would believe in Him through their message. Although the world may not have known Jesus, these chosen individuals did. He entrusted them with the mission of sharing this knowledge so that all who believe in Him could be united on earth and in the presence of God in heaven.

Jesus relied heavily on His Apostles, and now He relies on us. Our sharing of the faith continues the work that the Apostles began after Jesus's death, Resurrection, and Ascension. May we remain faithful to that mission, guiding others to the same belief.

Homily for Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter

Jesus has always been a guide and protector for His disciples. In today's Gospel, He continues to care for them through His intercessory prayer. This prayer is a natural extension of the many ways He has served them since they began following Him. Similarly, when we pray for others, we demonstrate our care and serve them as Jesus did.

Jesus taught us the importance of intercessory prayer by praying for His disciples. Since then, praying for others has become integral to the Church's prayer life. The Apostle Paul also mentions praying for his congregations and encourages his followers to pray for him. This form of prayer has a long history in the Jewish tradition. Through intercessory prayer, we express our unity and connection with others in Christ.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions

Today's Scripture readings convey some "famous last words" from St. Paul and Jesus. Each expresses the idea that most of their work has been completed. St. Paul prepares to go to Jerusalem, praying that he will travel to Rome and Spain if he emerges from the city alive. Jesus, on the other hand, declares that He has fulfilled the work assigned to Him by His Father and prays, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your Son." St. Paul offers guidance regarding the responsibilities of pastors and religious leaders, while Jesus prays for them and all those who will join the ministry throughout future generations.

St. Paul's address and Jesus' prayer emphasize a hopeful future grounded in faith; they openly acknowledge that they have given their best in their endeavors. St. Paul reflects, "You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came here. I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me." Jesus affirms the identity of His followers, saying to His Father, "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word." 

St. Paul faces an uncertain future, with possible imprisonment awaiting him in Jerusalem. Jesus does not predict the exact challenges ahead; instead, He prays that His disciples will remain faithful to Him and His teachings.

Our situation today is no different as priests, religious, and committed laypeople. We, too, should confront the uncertain future with faith and peace, knowing that when we complete the work given to us by the Father, God will welcome us to Himself.

Homily for Monday of the 7th Week of Easter

Jesus invites us to turn away from sin and believe in the Good News. Doing this means continually renewing our repentance and commitment to Jesus throughout our lives. John the Baptist baptized people as a sign of repentance, while Jesus offered hope and redemption through His baptism. Saint Paul said that John's baptism was for those who wanted to turn back to God. In contrast, Jesus' baptism gives the Holy Spirit and the promise of eternal life.

If we want to overcome the world and find authentic life, we must go through Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not just a teacher but also our source of strength and hope. Only through Him can we find true redemption and life. So, let us work on building our relationship with Him, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Homily for the 7th Sunday of Easter

The Gospel passage we just heard tells of the final segment of Jesus' prayer to His Father. He prays for the oneness of all believers—those from the past, present, and future. He longs for us to be united in the same way He and the Father are united so that we may understand that the Father sent Him and loves us just as He loves His Son.

Jesus prays for His closest disciples and all who will come to believe in Him through their teachings. He wants us all to be united, mirroring the oneness shared between Him and the Father.

He believes that people worldwide will recognize the reality of God's love and His mission through the unity of His believers. This unity is a strong witness to others that the Father has sent the Son to us and deeply cares for and loves us.

Indeed, Tertullian, a 3rd-century Christian writer, said that many non-believers noted the early Christians' love and unity, saying, "Behold how these Christians love one another, and how they are ready to die for one another."

Jesus stresses that the unity He seeks finds its source in God's love for His Son and His affection for us. Jesus wants this love to dwell within us and for Him to be within us, mirroring the close bond between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ prayer encourages us to contemplate how to live out the unity that He desires. It should compel us to pursue unity in our homes, communities, schools, workplaces, and our Church, to love one another as Christ loves us, and to be a visible expression of God's love in the world, thus drawing others into that same love.

Homily for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Part of Elizabeth's greeting to Mary, which we hear in today's Gospel passage, has become a part of the Hail Mary: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she recognizes that she is the mother of the Lord. 

She also calls Mary blessed because of her faith, saying, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." Because of Mary's faith in God, she became the mother of God's Son. Her faithful response to God's call confirmed her role as the mother of the Lord. 

We are called to imitate Mary's faith not only in our prayers and worship but also in our daily lives. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul speaks of faith that is expressed through love. Mary's life and influence guide us toward such a faith, a faith that should shape our interactions with others, influence our decisions, and inform our priorities as we journey together toward God.

Homily for Friday of the 6th Week of Easter

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus, knowing the grief and sadness His disciples would experience after His departure, offered them a promise of lasting joy. He assured them that their current sorrow would not be permanent. His resurrection and the promise of His return would transform their grief into an everlasting joy.

When we place our trust in Jesus, we can find comfort in the assurance that our sorrows are temporary. He is not a distant figure; rather, He is a present reality in our lives, and His risen life empowers us. This transformation from sorrow to joy is not just a hope for the future; it is a present reality in our journey through life.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

As we celebrate today, the Solemnity of our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, we might wonder why this event ever took place. Would it not have been better for Jesus to stay around, continue to preach, work wonders, and heal the brokenhearted? Would it not have been better for us if He had stayed, led the Church, and conducted all the business of saving souls?

We might think things would be better if Jesus had stayed around, but this was not a part of God’s plan. Part of that plan was to give us the freedom to follow Him. Part of God’s plan was that we might become the presence of Jesus on earth as we continue His work and help one another to experience God's love and presence in our lives. Were Jesus to remain, the dignity of our mission would have been diminished. And we must remember that Jesus’ ministry was primarily tasked with preparing us to take up our crosses and follow in His footsteps.

For whatever reason, God wants our cooperation; God wants us to play an active and free role in bringing His Kingdom to earth. Our contribution to God’s plan is not some nice addition; it is indispensable, and it is something that God planned from the beginning of time.

And so, while we might question why the Ascension happened, we celebrate it because it completes the Resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead and has now entered upon His eternal glory. He has returned to God the Father and yet remains with us in God’s Spirit, in our celebration of the Eucharist — He is in our midst whenever we gather to pray together or whenever we reach out to others in charity, compassion, and love.

We also celebrate this Solemnity for what it says about ourselves — that ours is a great dignity and responsibility: to carry on the work of Jesus Christ. God depends on us. The Solemnity of the Ascension reminds us that we have work to do; the work Jesus started and left to us to complete.

Homily for Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter

Learning life’s profound truths is a gradual process. Faith is not an instant revelation; rather, it is a journey that unfolds over time. In today’s Gospel, Jesus acknowledges He has many things He wants to share, but the disciples are not yet ready to receive them.

The Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, will be sent to them in the future to reveal these truths and guide them toward complete understanding. The Holy Spirit, our divine guide, will lead us to a deeper understanding of Jesus, His Father, our world, and ourselves.

This journey is lifelong and requires humility. We will never attain complete truth in this life; we are always in the process of learning. We can never honestly say, “I know it all.” Instead, we must remain open to being guided by the Spirit as we move closer to the complete truth — towards the One who proclaimed, “I am the truth.”