St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent

Jesus came to proclaim a Gospel that is more than many bargained for. The reign of God Jesus proclaimed is founded on a concept of justice and an attitude of reconciliation that can scare some, that shatters our sometimes-self-centered approach to the world

To those who really understood him, Jesus’ teachings did not suggest comfort and joy; they objected to him as an idealistic radical who had no understanding of the complexities of the world.

And it's true: Jesus' Gospel is not one of comfort (at least to the comfortable), nor is it a Gospel of peace to those at war with themselves and those around them, nor is it a Gospel of love to those who are concerned only with themselves.

Love your enemies and pray for them, invite to your table the poor and those who cannot repay you, forgive seventy times seven, seek the lowest place, take up your cross and follow. To the Scribes and Pharisees back then (and to like-minded people today), these are dangerous, radical and revolutionary teachings that will definitely challenge comfortable and complacent lifestyles and threaten what the world often holds dear.

May we have the courage to look deep within our hearts and souls and look deeper into the Gospel message of Jesus and turn to Him for the support, help and guidance we need to follow in His ways.+

Homily for Friday of the 4th Week of Lent

Like the people in today’s Gospel passage, we sometimes become so obsessed trying to find God where God is not, that we fail to see God where He actually is. We want to know where God is hiding when tragedy befalls us; we live our lives falsely thinking that God is found only at certain times and in certain situations, and in certain pious practices.

The reality is that God is profoundly with us in the simple dimensions of life: in the kindness and love of others, in the same that we show to others, in life itself and in the gifts that sustain our lives and, yes, God is with us even as we live in the fear of this pandemic.

Let us pray that we may recognize the presence of God in every moment and circumstance and action of our lives and may our lives be a reflection of that presence.+

Homily for Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent

Our readings today help us to focus on the fact that God does not give up on us; God wants to have a relationship with us while we live on this earth and He wants us to live with Him in eternity in His kingdom of heaven.

We may fail to follow God’s will, but God is always trying to point out the true way to His kingdom.

Sometimes, our faith seems to focus a lot on the wrath of God but, that focus obscures the relationship that God truly desires to have with us.

Let us pray for an openness to God’s call, that we may with faith and wisdom, live out that call and truly become the people God has created us to be.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the LORD

Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the LORD – the moment when Mary learned about the LORD’S call to her to be the Mother of His Son.

What a scary time for Mary – to be visited by an angel and to put her reputation, and that of Joseph, in the crosshairs of those who would accuse them of wrongdoing.

Yet, despite her fears, she answered the call of God with all her heart, all her soul, all her mind, and all her body.

Let us pray that the example of Mary’s selfless giving over of her will to the will of God may inspire us to seek to follow God with all our hearts, even when doing so is difficult, unpopular, or puts us at odds with those around us.+

Homily for Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent

In the Gospel reading, Jesus faced the hypocrisy of the people who criticized Him because He performed a miracle on the Sabbath. There are other Scripture passages in which Jesus’ goodness and faithfulness are questioned for the same reason. The Scribes and Pharisees followed the precise letter of the law and ignored the spirit of the law. In doing so, they failed to see the greatness and goodness of Jesus’ actions.

It is easy to follow the letter of God's law and to ignore its spirit. In doing so, we fail to follow the two most important commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor.

Let us pray that we may be filled with the spirit of God’s law and that, in our adherence to that spirit, we may seek to be ambassadors of God’s love and grace in our world.+

Homily for Monday of the 4th Week of Lent

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

Jesus seems to express a little bit of frustration in our Gospel passage today; while He came to heal people’s souls, many people wanted only to see signs and wonders – miracles – either for their amusement or as proof of Jesus’ greatness.

However, he does seem to recognize the sincerity of the Capernaum official’s request.

He was concerned for his son; he wanted him to live; he wanted him to get well. Jesus healed the son without even going to the official’s house and, as we heard, all in the house came to believe.

Our challenge is to believe without seeing; to have true hope in the love, the grace, and the promise of everlasting life, without seeing signs and wonders, trusting that God is with us in the deepest recesses of our hearts, minds, and souls.+

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent

Several years ago, my sister Kelly sent me an email with a story about two brothers. You may have heard it. The brothers - Ryan, age 6 and Dan, age 4 - were sitting at the breakfast table one Saturday morning as their mother was preparing pancakes for them. Ryan and Dan began to argue about who would get the first pancake. As the argument escalated, the mother decided that this would be a good time to teach her sons a lesson in Christian charity.

She turned to her sons and said, "You boys should really think about how Jesus would act in this situation. Do you think Jesus would be arguing about who should get the first pancake? Of course not! Jesus would say, 'I don't need the first pancake. I can wait. I will let my brother have the first pancake.'"

The mother turned back toward the stove satisfied that she had put some food for thought in their heads. Then she heard Ryan turn to his younger brother and say, "She's right, Dan. You be Jesus."

You be Jesus - Ryan's three-word admonition to his younger brother, while funny, is the heart of our baptismal acceptance of the role of a disciple of the Risen Jesus, helping others to see God in all things and in all people; helping others to not be blinded to the presence, love, and providence of God in difficult times, especially during this time of crisis for our world.

So, as parents struggling to care for your children in these days of upheaval in our lives and in our homes: you be Jesus in your love and patience.

As neighbors and citizens: you be Jesus in your commitment to justice and the common good, helping those who are especially challenged by the coronavirus pandemic.

In seeking to bring the love of God into every life we touch: you be Jesus.

In seeking to do God’s will in all things: you be Jesus.

In embracing the Spirit of humility that opens up new possibilities for reconciliation and healing: you be Jesus.

God has not abandoned us; God is in all of us and acts through all of us if we allow Him to do so.

Each of us is called to be a messenger of the love and peace of Christ. Each of us is called to help others to see with the eyes of faith. We do this through our imitation of Christ in all things, in all situations, and toward all peoples.

Let us pray that our words and actions in imitation and on behalf of Jesus, may fill our hearts and our souls with the genuine and constant desire to bring Christ's presence to all people and that we may all be a part of leading others to the kingdom of God.+

Homily for Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

Most of us must struggle with pride from time to time. Today’s parable warns us that even when we do a great job at something, even when we have been dutiful in our work, we still must guard against pride. Jesus said, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

 In Luke’s gospel today, a Pharisee displays the pride that is sometimes typical of the dutiful person: bragging about how well he lived his life; telling God how he fasts twice per week and how he pays tithes, all while looking down his nose at the humble tax collector. He seems to think that his virtue gives him some claim on God. Yet, no matter how well we live, no matter how dutiful we have been, we never have a special claim on God.

The good news is that we don’t need to score points to be sure of God’s favor and love. God has blessed us and keeps blessing us by giving us His Son. In response, we try to serve God faithfully, by doing His will (to the extent that we can discern it). Our service of the Lord pales by comparison to the Lord’s faithful service to us. +

Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

I like that last line from our Gospel reading today: “And no one dared to ask him any more questions.” I think it shows the fear and hesitation we sometimes experience when we know that what God asks of us is the right thing to do, even when we believe it’s easier to go in another direction.

God asks us to love Him above all things and love one another as well. These are difficult challenges and perhaps ones to which we don’t always pay attention. But, as we hear from Jesus today, these are the greatest of all the commandments.

May we seek to be constantly aware of our need to experience and show our love for God and one another, that we may experience the kingdom of God on this earth and in the life to come.+

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We do not know a lot about the details of his life. We know that he was much older than Mary. We know that he was a carpenter. We know that he had dreams in which an angel appeared to him at crucial times in the time before the birth of Jesus and in His early life. And we know that because he listened to the angel in these times, and followed their guidance, he played a very important role in bringing to fruition the mission for which God came to earth in the person of Jesus.

So, while we do not know much about the details of Joseph’s life, we do know about the faith and character of this man, chosen for the role of foster father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His is a life, then, that we should emulate.

Through his intercession, may we be always aware of the ways in which God is calling to us and guiding us, and may we humbly act in accord with that call and guidance with the same trust and conviction as did St. Joseph.+