St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for the Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus

Experience teaches us that people have different priorities and values. What is essential to me may be unimportant to someone else. We can become upset when something we believe is necessary is not taken seriously by someone else.

Observance of prescribed washing before meals was more critical for his host than for Jesus. They had conflicting priorities. Certain rituals and practices, like prescribed washings, were less important to Jesus than the values and attitudes of our minds and souls. 

Jesus then discusses almsgiving, caring for those living in poverty, as a way to purify one's deepest self. Love takes precedence over human-made rituals.

It's important to remember that what we consider vital may only sometimes align with Jesus' values. To be like Him, we must allow Him to shape us more than we shape ourselves. Our ultimate goal should be to align our priorities with His, as this is the path to spiritual growth, guiding us on our journey.

Homily for Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus often appeared frustrated with people who sought signs but were unwilling to put their faith in the power given to Him by His Father in heaven. He knew that, in reality, no sign would give them faith; they would be entertained by the "magic" of the sign and then move on to something else, completely missing the power and authority behind such a sign.

Jesus referred to the sign of Jonah and how, as a "mere" prophet, Jonah led the Ninevites to repentance. However, Jesus pointed out that someone far greater than Jonah was among them, but they couldn't see Him for who He was or understand His purpose because He seemed too ordinary.

Let's earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance to help us discern when Jesus's power and presence are at work in the seemingly ordinary moments of our lives. This recognition can serve as a gateway to a more profound faith in God's boundless love, unending mercy, and His active presence in our daily lives.

Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of my favorite classic movies is "The Bells of St. Mary's," starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. In the movie, Bing Crosby plays a priest, Fr. O'Malley, who is working to save the dilapidated St. Mary's School. The only answer to the problem, according to the sisters who run the school, is for a very wealthy man, Mr. Bogartis, who has been erecting a new office building next to the school, to give the building to the school. Fr. O’Malley thinks the sisters are crazy, but their persistence and faith begin to convince him that this could be a possibility.

Mr. Bogartis prides himself on his business savvy, and the idea of giving anything away is abhorrent to him. As he faces poor health and a failing heart, Fr. O'Malley convinces him that he can give new life to his physical heart by building up his metaphorical and spiritual heart. And so, Mr. Bogartis begins to do things for others.

One scene in particular is very telling when Fr. O'Malley and Mr. Bogartis are discussing the virtues of generosity on a city street. There is a blind man selling pencils, and the very wealthy Mr. Bogartis, to prove that he is generous, drops a coin into the man's tin cup and then carefully picks out a pencil. As Fr. O'Malley looks on somewhat disapprovingly, Mr. Bogartis shamefully returns the pencil to the man, recognizing that the point is to be generous and not to buy a pencil.[1]

While our livelihood is certainly very important to us, sometimes we can unconsciously let money and wealth, or the prospect of it, rule our budgets and our hearts and spirits. Jesus' warning about wealth in today's Gospel is right on target: Mr. Bogartis' expectation of always getting something for his money, even a pittance, keeps him from the true spirit of generosity. Fortunately for him, he recognized this, albeit a bit late.

The mindless, unconscious quest for wealth can keep us from recognizing the love of those around us and lessen the value of compassion, forgiveness, hope, and joy, the real treasures of the kingdom of God.

Let us ask God to be with us as we seek to provide for our families and ourselves. Let us pray for open minds and hearts to understand how we are to share the gifts that God has given us, thus being faithful stewards of Creation.

[1] "The Bells of St. Mary's", Republic Pictures Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, 1945.

 

Homily for Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel reading is the shortest in the Lectionary, with only two verses. In it, we witness a brief exchange between Jesus and a woman so moved by His teaching that she spontaneously called Jesus' mother blessed for being His mother. But Jesus extended the blessing to a broader group, saying, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

In this broader group, Jesus' mother played a prominent part. Mary, a shining example of devotion, heard the word of God and kept it more than anyone else. Her attitude was always, "Let it be done to me according to your word." Mary is blessed not only because of her motherhood but also because she devoted herself to hearing and doing God's word. Her unwavering commitment to God's word inspires us all, encouraging us to follow in her footsteps.

Homily for Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Some people tested Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven, a miracle, to prove His place in His Father's plans. They were oblivious to God's presence and action in Jesus' ministry. Jesus explained that if it was by the finger of God that he drove demons out of people, then God's power was at certainly at work in His ministry, if only people could see it. There was no need for Jesus to perform a miracle to prove it.

Some people, even today, seem captivated by the phenomenal, the sensational, and the miraculous. It would be tragic if we failed to notice how the Lord is present among us through the charity, good works, and prayers of others. It is easy to miss these more profound realities amid the everyday and the ordinary.

On a war memorial in Kilkenny, Ireland, are engraved the words of Irish Republican, poet, and journalist Joseph Mary Plunkett: "I see His blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of His eyes." He recognized the presence of Jesus in nature. The finest of human nature and human relationships can convey to us even more profoundly the presence and action of God in our lives.

Homily for Thursday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Perseverance is rooted in the trust that we will ultimately find what we seek. Luke uses the term "persistence" instead of "perseverance," which suggests a stubborn toughness. This concept aligns with the Jewish cultural value of offering hospitality, even to someone who arrives at an inconvenient time. While it may not be normal to disturb a neighbor at midnight for something we need, Jesus' parable emphasizes the idea that if we persist, the door will be opened. This imagery illustrates the willingness of God to provide for us, much like parents care for their children. According to Jesus, the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, which is considered the highest gift from God by the Gospel writers, particularly St. Luke.

Homily for Wednesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus was dedicated to prayer, even during busy and presumably stressful times in His life. His prayerfulness made His disciples want to do the same, saying, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." They sensed that if they were to pray effectively, they would need tremendous help. Prayer is not just a human activity; it is God's activity in us as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.

The disciples' appeal, "Lord teach us to pray," is itself a prayer. He gave them the Lord's Prayer, which introduces some basic principles of prayer. It starts with an act of worship, focusing on God's glory and will before asking for all we need. It's a pattern for all of our prayers. We first worship  God and then entrust Him with our needs, a practice that instills in us a sense of reverence and humility.

Homily for Tuesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's familiar story, Martha works hard to prepare a meal for Jesus and His friends. When she questions whether Jesus cares that her sister Mary is not helping her, He declares that Mary has chosen the better part and will not be taken from her. That seems rather unjust to Martha.

Jesus supported hard work in the service of others. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he praised the man's compassion when he helped a victim of robbers. However, as the book of Ecclesiastes says, "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1)." We need to find the balance between being active and being reflective, and being open to hearing the Lord's voice.

Jesus saw His visit as a time for them to listen to what He had to say. Mary realized that this was what Jesus wanted on this occasion: to be listened to rather than being waited on. Mary was more attuned to what the Lord wanted than Martha. Wisdom consists in understanding when it's time to be active and busy in the Lord's service and when it is time to sit and listen to His Word.

Homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

As we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, we are reminded that the Rosary calls us to reflect on the great mysteries of Jesus' life, death, and Resurrection, deepening our relationship with Him. 

St. Luke represents Mary as a meditative person who deeply reflects on all that is happening in the life of her Son. Mary demonstrates the manner of mind and heart that we are invited to bring to the praying of the Rosary.

In praying the Rosary, we treasure and contemplate the key moments in the life of Jesus in this world and His going from this world to God the Father. Mary not only contemplated what God was doing in the words and deeds of Jesus, but she surrendered herself to what God was doing, as shown by her response to the visit of the angel Gabriel when she says, "May it be done to me according to your word." This spirit of surrender transformed her life and can do the same for us, making us more fully the people God created us to be.

Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Steve Goodier wrote about the first time he met his wife. He said it was love at first sight. He ran home after their first kiss and, running into the house, shouted out to his father, "Dad, I'm in love!" Steve's father asked him, "How do you know it's love?" He answered, "Her dog bit me, and I didn't even feel it until I was almost home!"

Steve's future bride thought it was love at first sight as well. But about six weeks after they met, Steve noticed something strange about her love. She told him, "I love you too much to hold on to you. I want you to be happy, and if that means we don't marry, that's okay."

This sounded strange. Steve's love for her was different. His love said, "I love you so much. I want to make you mine, and I'm never letting go." Steve's love was a hanging-on kind, and hers was a letting-go kind. His love worried about what might happen if he lost the object of his desire. Her love worried about what it might do if she hung on too tight.

Shortly before they were to be married, she visited Steve on her way home from a doctor's appointment, distraught. Her eyes were swollen with tears, and she said that the doctor told her she couldn't have children. She said to Steve, "I know you want to have children. I'll understand if you don't want to marry me." I love you too much to keep you." And there it was again, that peculiar letting-go kind of love.

This happened more than fifty years ago, during which time Steve learned something about love. Love is letting go. It is as simple and difficult as that.

Steve learned something else, too. The doctor was wrong about the babies….. three times!

Thomas Merton wrote that "love seeks only one thing: the good of the one (who is) loved. It leaves all secondary effects to the care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward."

Such love is the true bond of marriage and even friendship. It is sacred and holy, mirroring God's great and limitless love.

A couple's life together – a life centered in trust, forgiveness, and love – and their generous response to the vocation of parenthood model the unfathomable and profound love of God, love that lets go rather than holds on, happily gives rather than takes, liberates rather than imprisons.

As Jesus taught, the Sacrament of Marriage should involve total giving and sharing by each spouse so that the line between "his" and "hers" disappears only into "ours."

This may sound very idealistic, and in a sense, it is. Many factors enter into the Sacrament of Marriage in today's world, and there are so many different parts of life that vie for our attention, things that can really get in the way. Sometimes, no matter how sincerely people try to work things out, it seems impossible, and, in some cases, it actually is.

But in today's Gospel, Jesus tells us the ideal of the sacramental commitment we find in marriage. In the life that they create together, a life that sometimes means taking on or letting go for the sake of the beloved, Christ wants to be the ever-present wedding guest who makes their simple, everyday life together a miracle: a miracle in which the love of God is revealed to all of us in a husband and wife's love for each other.