St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for November 14, 2019

So often, in literature and in movies, the presence of God is presented to us in dramatic fashion – through miracles or incredibly earth-shattering events. The reality is, as Jesus points out in today’s Gospel passage, that God is already present among us; His kingdom is already coming to fruition among us, in the ordinariness of our everyday lives.

Jesus warns that we will hear people announcing that the LORD is present in all sorts of phenomena and that we should pay attention to these things if we really want to encounter God.

It is important for us to remember that we are all created by God and in God’s image. God is as close to us as our hearts and souls and God is found in every moment of our lives, even in the most mundane of things.

May our eyes always be fixed on the presence of the LORD, who is with us in all things and through all things. +

Homily for November 13, 2019

In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom talks about a time in her life that taught her to be grateful to God for everything. During the Second World War, Corrie and her sister had been hiding Jewish people in their home to keep them from the grasp of the Nazis. At one point, the Nazis discovered this and arrested them and imprisoned them at Ravensbrück, a concentration camp for women located in northern Germany.

Their barracks were extremely overcrowded and infested with fleas. One day, while reading the Bible, they read that they should rejoice in all things.

Corrie’s sister, Betsy, said, "Corrie, we've got to give thanks for this barracks and even for these fleas."

Corrie answered, "There is no way that am I going to thank God for fleas!" But Betsy was convincing, and, in the end, they did thank God for the fleas.

During the next several months, they discovered that the guards pretty much ignored their barracks and they were free to study the Bible, talk openly among themselves, and even pray together. It was their only place of refuge from the atrocities of the camp. Quite some time later, they learned that the reason the guards never entered their barracks was because of those pesky fleas!

Gratitude is an easy thing for us to forget, especially in a culture that seems to tell us that we deserve everything. Listen to how many times advertisements tell us that we deserve whatever it is they are trying to sell.

Our Gospel passage today shows us both gratitude and a lack of gratitude. The Samaritan leper recognized that his healing was a gift from God and came back to praise God and give thanks for this new lease on life. May his sense of thankfulness be an example to us that we should give thanks and praise to God for all that we have and all that we are. +

Homily for November 12, 2019

Excessive self-worth and pride are things that many of us must struggle with from time to time. The parable in today’s gospel passage 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 another parable that we find in Luke’s Gospel, 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. 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 November 11, 2019

It is quite common among people who are overly idealistic to be easily scandalized, offended, or intolerant. It can certainly be argued that, perhaps, they need to be more streetwise, a little more in touch with the realities of life; maybe they need to develop a thicker skin, becoming a bit more resistant to the imperfections of this life. At the same time, though, Jesus warns against giving people, however hardened they may or may not be to life, a reason to be scandalized.

Sadly, idealistic people can find it difficult to forgive the weakness and failings of others. While virtue may be second nature to them, it can be very difficult for them to understand strength of temptation; sometimes their idealism causes them to be blind to the goodness in other people. Indeed, the inability of pious people to forgive may actually be a scandal to unbelievers, causing them to stay away from the family of the Church.

Jesus acknowledges that sin and failure will inevitably occur. He doesn’t call the holy people of the Church to look down on those who sin. He shows that one’s quest for holiness needs to be balanced by faith in God’s activity in the lives of others, even those who sin (which would include pretty much most of us). +

Homily for November 10, 2019

There is a story about a hardened criminal serving a life sentence, who felt such despair that life no longer had any hope for him.  His behavior got so mean that he was sent to solitary confinement for three weeks to what was known as "The Hole."

One day while in "The Hole," a significant thing happened.  He was doing sit-ups on the cold cement floor when he noticed something was wedged behind the sleeping platform.  He wiggled it out and saw that it was a copy of the New Testament, and he began to read it.

As he was reading, he began to wonder what would have happened if he had he used his power and energy for good rather than for evil.  For a long time, he lay there thinking: "Why did God create me?  Why did God create someone who would end up behind bars?  Why did God create someone who would die to goodness and love and be buried in a tomb of evil and hate in a prison cell?"

Then a surprising thought entered his mind: “The greatest event in history began in a tomb — a tomb just as secure and guarded as his prison cell.”  That event, of course, was the Resurrection of Jesus and he realized that Jesus still lives.

Another thought came to him:  What happened to Jesus in the tomb could happen to him too, in "The Hole."  Because of Jesus' new life and glory, he too could be reborn; he too could be re-created; he too could rise from the dead.

At that moment he asked Jesus to come to him and raise him to new life, to re-create him into a new person.  And what happened to Jesus in the tomb happened to the prisoner in his “tomb,” "The Hole."  The resurrection power of God brought him to new life.

That man was named Starr Dailey, who, after being released from prison during the Great Depression, became a voice of faith and one of the pioneers of prison reform in the United States. For the rest of his time on earth, he lived a faithful and productive life.

In so many ways, our life on this earth has many tombs that imprison parts of our souls.  The Good News that we hear in our readings today is that Jesus wants to give us the power to rise from our tombs and out of our holes.  That is the Good News of the Resurrection: that no tomb can hold us anymore — not the tombs of despair, discouragement, or doubt; not even the tomb of death itself 

We are God's holy people; we are called to be one with God in this life and in the life to come.  God promises us that the Resurrection experienced by Jesus will one day be ours.  God calls us to hold on to this promise regardless of what we experience in this life.  May we ask God to make us aware of His presence whenever we feel discouraged, despairing, alone, or without hope.  May our faith in God's love always turn our sorrow into joy. +

Homily for November 9, 2019

The earliest days of the Church saw the beginning of the official persecution of Christians with the words of Emperor Nero, who said, "Let there be no more Christians." After Nero’s death, persecutions continued on and off for the next 240 years until 313 AD, when, about a year after he converted to Christianity, Emperor Constantine granted religious liberty to Christians and all people of good will. To the Pope, Constantine gave the Lateran Palace that had been seized by Nero from an early Christian family named Laterani.

Within a few years, a baptistry dedicated to John the Baptist, and a large basilica dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, were built next to the palace. Pope Sylvester consecrated it on November 9, 324 AD. Our freedom to worship in this church of St. Thomas the Apostle and every parish church began on that November day so long ago.

Since that time, the Roman empire rose and fell. The Coliseum, where Christians died for their faith was abandoned. Throughout the centuries, wars, earthquakes, and fires severely damaged or entirely destroyed the cathedral church and the palace six times. Each time they were restored with even greater magnificence. The empire is gone, but Christians still celebrate the Eucharist in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

The Lateran church reminds us how great it is to have religious freedom. Sometimes, though, that freedom is taken away in some parts of our world. When persecutors say, "Let there be no more Christians," the grace of the early Church is needed again, the grace of martyrdom and courage to publicly embrace the Cross of Christ is needed once again. For we know that the future of Christians is not in palaces like that of the Laterani Family, nor in hidden catacombs where early Christians would worship, but in heavenly places, in the full presence of God, where the Church will truly be free. +

Homily for November 8, 2019

In the parable that we hear in today’s Gospel reading, we find a rich man confronting his steward about misusing the man’s property. He commands him to make a full accounting, telling him that he will no longer be employed by him.

The steward recognizes that he will need the help of his master’s many debtors, and so he calls each of them and lowers the debt that each on carries. While this does bear a little bit of dishonesty, it points to a much greater message 

We see that the master is no longer quite so angry with the steward after he lowers the burden of the debtors. Perhaps, in seeing the mercy with which the steward treated the debtors, he also tempered his response with mercy.

In the LORD’s Prayer, we ask God to be merciful just as we are merciful. May the story of the dishonest steward guide us in our response to people in our lives. +

Homily for November 7, 2019

Again, today, in our Gospel reading, we encounter the tenacious propensity of the Scribes and Pharisees to exclude those whom they see as imperfect and to criticize Jesus for eating with them and spending time with them.

But Jesus, using parables, tells His critics that His focus (and theirs) should be on exactly the people with whom He is eating. Elsewhere, He reminds them that it is not for the righteous that He has come but to save the lost and forsaken. To do this, He must meet them on their level and not wait for them to redeem themselves. This means that Jesus will eat with them, speak with them, spend time with them, and love them.

We, too, are called to seek out the lost and forsaken, to serve those who are in need: the sick, the oppressed, the poor, and, yes, even the sinner.

May our lives be an example of the true teaching of Jesus as we seek to be His voice, His hands, His feet, and His instruments in our world. +

Homily for November 6, 2019

A lot of people have difficulty with today’s Gospel passage, especially about people needing to “hate” members of their family. Not only does this rub us the wrong way on a personal level, it also seems to fly in the face of other things that Jesus has said, that the Scriptures have said, and that even the Ten Commandments have said: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” So, what is Jesus really saying here?

Well, Jesus is not really speaking about “hate” as we usually understand it; He is saying that we must love Him and our heavenly Father even more than we love our own parents, our own family members. He is saying that when we are faced with a choice to follow Him or not, we must always choose Him, even when it involves a choice between Him and family.

It does sound harsh as Jesus said it in our Gospel passage, and sometimes Jesus said things in a harsh way to get the attention of those who were listening to Him. But He wanted to acknowledge that, at times, following Him can be very difficult and, at rarer times, put us at odds with even those we love most, and we must be willing to choose Him over them.

Let us pray that our faith and trust in Jesus may be strong, even when following Him means taking up some very painful crosses and burdens. +

Homily for November 5, 2019

A few years ago, there was a Super Bowl™ ad for the Chevy Silverado™ pickup truck. In just over thirty seconds, the ad shows a man using his truck to save his young accident-prone son, named Tommy, from five different life-threatening situations. 

First, it shows the dad pulling Tommy out of a deep well, using his truck and a winch. Next, it shows someone telling the dad that Tommy is stuck in a cave. Then it shows the dad pulling home a hot air balloon that is a few yards off the ground, presumably with Tommy in the basket. The fourth scenario shows the dad carrying Tommy as he runs down a dock asking Tommy how he got into the belly of a whale. Finally, it shows the dad running from his house toward his truck and calling back to his wife, saying, “I didn’t even know this town had a volcano!” Click here to see the ad.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus tells a parable about a man who invited people to a dinner, but they are too busy to come. He dispatches his servants to find others, but the home is still far from full. So, the man dispatches his servants again to keep inviting people until the home is full.

That’s the way it is with God. Just like the man in the parable and just like the father in that ad, God continually seeks us out to save us and to invite us to his heavenly home. Sometimes we refuse the invitation because we are too busy or too focused on other things; sometimes it is because we find ourselves in situations that keep us from accepting the love of God. But God is persistent in His attempts to rescue us from sin and danger.

May we cooperate with the grace of God in our lives, that we may reach out in our need and find ourselves, one day, at the eternal banquet of heaven.+