St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

Some good and conscientious (yet mistaken) people criticized John the Baptist, finding his austere lifestyle strange. Many of these same individuals also grumbled about Jesus and His associations with sinners and pagans. This tendency to filter reality through our own prejudices can lead us to reject what is genuinely of God.

This behavior is neither genuine faith nor sound reasoning; it seeks to fit God into our preconceived and limited understanding of reality. 

What we truly need is to be open and flexible in our faith, allowing ourselves to be shaped by God’s will rather than trying to shape it according to our own desires. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah:
 
…Lord, you are our father;
we are the clay and you our potter:
we are all the work of your hand.

Homily for the Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

In our Gospel reading, we encounter a widow who is mourning the loss of her only son. In the time and place of this scene, a widow had no means to provide for herself and had to rely on her son for support. With her only son now deceased, she finds herself in a vulnerable and desperate situation. Her mourning likely extends beyond her son's death; she may also lament the bleak future that awaits her, one without any means of support or protection.

When Jesus raises her son from the dead, it is not merely a miracle of life after death. It exemplifies Jesus' universal compassion for the poor, the suffering, and those who grieve—a compassion that often seems lacking in our world, yet we are all called to embody it.

Let us recognize our role in this divine plan. We should pray that Jesus' compassion fills our hearts and souls, as well as our words and actions, so that His love can be spread through us as His ambassadors in the world.

Homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

When someone we love experiences suffering and pain, we often feel it too. This is especially true for parents; when their sons or daughters struggle physically, emotionally, or mentally, parents endure that pain as well, sometimes even more acutely.

Loving someone always carries the risk of heartache. All forms of love involve some degree of suffering. The only way to avoid that suffering altogether is to shut our hearts off to others. While it might be tempting to refrain from opening our hearts to prevent pain, doing so means living only half a life. To truly live, we must be willing to love and accept the suffering that inevitably comes with it.

As she stood at the foot of the Cross, watching Jesus die, Mary's heart broke. Many years earlier, Simeon had prophesied this connection between Jesus' suffering and that of his mother when he said, "And you yourself a sword will pierce."

When our challenges feel overwhelming, we can look to Our Lady of Sorrows for inspiration and support.

Homily for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Burdens come in many varieties.

It could be the mountain of laundry you face every day or your child's tuition bill. It might come in the form of textbooks you use to teach your students, tools you rely on at the construction site, or the computer that generates the reports and graphics keeping your business running smoothly.

For some, it is the wheelchair necessary for navigating through life or the medication needed just to survive. For you, it might be the meal you prepare or deliver for "Take and Eat" or the soccer ball you use to coach a team of excited six- and seven-year-olds.

Some of the most profound burdens are the ear that always listens to another's troubles, the shoulder that is always available for someone to cry on, the smile that readily brings comfort, and the heart that breaks alongside another's pain.

Believe it or not, spouses can sometimes be significant burdens for one another, and good friends readily accept each other's struggles.

These are our crosses.

We often view crosses as burdens—things and people that demand so much of our energy and time. Many days, we would prefer to set those crosses aside and never pick them up again.

However, the true crosses—the ones God places on our shoulders and which Christ bears with us—are sources of hope, joy, discovery, life, and resurrection for both us and others. Yes, at times, they can be difficult to endure.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, also known as the Triumph of the Cross, an ancient observance commemorating the discovery of Christ's Cross in Jerusalem and the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which continues to house the sites of Calvary and Jesus’ burial place.

As we reflect on Jesus being "lifted up" on the Cross for the redemption of the world, let us celebrate the crosses we carry, the challenges we take on in our journeys to Calvary, and the burdens that transform into trees of life, turning our trials into triumphs of hope and new life—just as promised in the Easter message.

Homily for Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary time

Today's Gospel passage warns us about the dangers of hypocrisy and self-deception, particularly when it comes to judging others. We are called to engage in honest self-reflection and address our own faults first (the "wooden beam") before attempting to correct the minor faults (the "splinter") of others. This invitation to self-examination is presented as a necessary step for spiritual maturity and practical guidance, as faithful disciples will eventually become like their teacher, Christ, when they allow His grace to heal their spiritual blindness.

Therefore, we should take the time to examine our own faults. Instead of being quick to judge the actions or words of others, we should ask ourselves if we are overlooking similar, or even worse, flaws in our own lives.

Our focus should be on growing in virtue and striving to become more like Jesus by allowing Him to heal our own spiritual "wooden beams." This personal growth will enable us to be more effective and authentic guides for others.

Additionally, we should practice true discernment. When we are ready to help someone else, we will be able to see the splinter clearly and assist our brother or sister in removing it with love and clarity, rather than with judgment.

Homily for Thursday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

Our Gospel passage today reveals Jesus' call to radical mercy and love, contrasting worldly responses with His revolutionary teachings in the "Sermon on the Plain."

He challenges us, His followers, to love our enemies. This is not a natural inclination for most people and requires extraordinary grace from God, along with a conscious decision to avoid engaging in cycles of violence and negativity. The Golden Rule—treating others as we wish to be treated—is central to this calling. We must exercise compassion, just as God is compassionate towards the ungrateful and wicked. Moreover, we must maintain a strong faith that our generous acts will one day be rewarded, as we give freely without expecting anything in return.

Our goal is to emulate God's merciful nature and become children of the Most High by striving to love as God loves. This approach allows us to transcend mere reciprocal relationships and embody divine mercy for all.

Homily for Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

The Beatitudes may sound unusual to our ears. One might wonder: How can people be happy if they are poor, hungry, or weeping? These statements clash with our typical views on life. Often, the teachings of Jesus prompt us to rethink our perceptions. He revealed a God who stands with the distressed and downtrodden. Jesus calls these individuals blessed because God is on their side and desires a more just and shared world. Recognizing our needs can create space for God to work in our lives, whereas times of abundance can lead to self-satisfaction and a distancing from God.

People often seek God more fervently when their needs are greater. We come before the Lord in our poverty, hunger, and sadness precisely because these experiences remind us that we are not self-sufficient.

The Scriptures recount a poignant moment as Jesus hung from the Cross. One of the two thieves being executed alongside Him pleaded, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To this condemned man, Jesus replied, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." This exchange serves as a potent reminder that in our moments of greatest weakness, God's grace shines most brightly, offering hope and redemption to all.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Peter Claver

In a deeply spiritual act, Jesus climbed the mountain and spent the night in prayer. After this personal communion with His Father, He felt revitalized. In the morning, He called His disciples and chose twelve of them to be His Apostles. He then began teaching and healing those who came to Him. The Gospel tells us, "power came forth from Him and healed them all."

Jesus' experience teaches us the immense value of taking time to pray, rejuvenating our energy and inspiration, especially before making significant decisions. Prayer provides us with the direction and clarity we need in all aspects of our lives.

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

The Church's celebration of Mary's birth probably began at some point in the Sixth Century, possibly earlier. The Eastern Church begins its liturgical year every September and chose that month as the beginning of Mary's life on earth. With nine months as the traditionally understood time of pregnancy, September 8 determined the date for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Scripture does not tell us anything about the birth of Mary. However, the somewhat fictional Protoevangelium of James, while being rather dubious, possibly fills in the gap. While this work has no historical value, it shows us some of Christian piety's early development. According to this account, Mary's parents, Anna and Joachim, prayed for a child and received the promise of a child who would be an active participant in God's salvation plan. Much like many biblical stories, this one stresses God's remarkable presence in Mary's life from its beginning.

Saint Augustine connected Mary's birth with the salvific mission of Jesus. He said, “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” Indeed, her life and her cooperation with the plan of God opened the way for the one who would change our sinful nature forever, in this life and the next.

Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

It’s the nature of the human person to often refuse to “let go” of things that are making our lives so much less than we want them to be. We may often cling to the things that enable us to have the trappings of a lifestyle — but at the cost of a life in which joy, love, and fulfillment are the center.

This tendency is something that Jesus warns us about in today’s Gospel reading. He lets us know that we need to spend our lives preparing for the kingdom to come; that even though we say we are committed to the Good News that he brings, it takes much more than that:  It takes a lifetime of preparation and work; it takes a lifetime of letting go and giving our spirit and our very lives over to the mercy and the goodness of God.

A number of years ago, the LA Times ran a story about a man who followed the advice of Jesus and who put God as the absolute first priority in his life. His name was Charlie DeLeo.

Charlie grew up as a tough kid on New York’s Lower East Side. He served in Viet Nam and, after returning, he got a job as a maintenance worker at the Statue of Liberty.

Charlie told the reporter from the LA Times that part of his job was to take care of the torch in the statue’s hand and the crown on the statue’s head. It was his job to see that the sodium vapor lights were always working and that the 200 glass windows were clean.

Pointing to the torch, Charlie said proudly, “That’s my chapel. I dedicated it to the Lord, and I go up there and meditate on my breaks.”

But Charlie does other things for the Lord as well. He received a commendation from the Red Cross after donating his 65th pint of blood. Ever since he heard of the work that Mother Teresa and her Sisters were doing for the poor, he gave them several thousand dollars to help them in their work.

Charlie said to the reporter, “I don’t socialize much, don’t have fancy clothes but I have fun. The thing is, however, I don’t have enough money to get married. I don’t keep any of my money. After I got my job, I sponsored six orphans through those children’s organizations.”

Charlie ended the interview by telling the reporter that he calls himself “The Keeper of the Flame” of the Statue of Liberty. And that’s exactly what everyone who worked with Charlie saw him as too. But they saw the flame that he kept burning as something much more and much deeper than the torch on the Statue of Liberty.

Charlie is an example of the two points that Jesus makes in today’s Gospel: the decision to put God first in one’s life, and the decision to do whatever it takes to live out that choice. Each of us is called to live up to both of these challenges and to “let go” of that which keeps us from bringing these things to fulfillment in our lives.

I’d like to close with a prayer that Charlie DeLeo wrote:

O Lord, I don’t ever expect to have the faith of Abraham, Nor do I ever expect to have the leadership of Moses, nor the strength of Samson, nor the courage of David, nor the wisdom of Solomon… But what I do expect, O Lord, is your calling on me some day. What is your will, I shall do; what is your command shall be my joy. And I shall not fail you, O Lord, for you are all I seek to serve.”