St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary time

There is a devout tradition that when two Jewish people sit together to discuss the words of the Torah, God's presence is with them. Jesus makes a related but different claim. He declares that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there among them. Matthew has already presented Jesus as Emmanuel, "God-is-with-us." He is God's presence among us. Whenever His followers gather in His name, worshipfully aware of Him, He is there as Emmanuel, "God-is-with-us."
 
Only two followers are needed to ensure Emmanuel's presence. When we gather in the Lord's name to pray, whether it is the prayer of the Eucharist or some other form of prayer, the Lord is always present with us. We don't just enter into the Lord's presence on such occasions; we are already in it. We only have to become aware of the One who is present among us. That is why attention, or consciousness, is always at the heart of all our prayers, whether we pray privately or communally.

Homily for Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time

People's questions often reveal their priorities. In today's Gospel passage, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" This question indicates their interest in status and rank.

In response, Jesus called a child over and placed the child in their midst. He told them that they must become like that child merely to enter the kingdom of heaven, let alone strive to be the greatest in it. 

Jesus instructed His disciples to adopt a child-like attitude, characterized by trust in a loving parent. This trust depends on God for everything and does not seek status or rank. 

True greatness, according to Jesus, belongs to those who rely on God as children rely on adults for their well-being. His response to the disciples' question echoes the first beatitude He mentioned earlier in Matthew's Gospel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Homily for the Memorial of St. Clare of Assisi

In today's Gospel, Jesus and His disciples continue their journey, even after Jesus has foretold His death and Resurrection. They arrive in Capernaum, Simon Peter's home, where an interesting incident occurs. During this time, every Jewish person was required to pay a half-shekel tax annually for the maintenance of the Temple. Jesus explains that He and His followers are exempt from this tax, as He is the "New Temple." 

However, to avoid offending the religious leaders, Jesus tells Peter to pay the tax. Essentially, He emphasizes freedom from this obligation but advises temporarily setting aside that freedom to prevent unnecessary conflict. This serves as a potent reminder that while we may have the freedom to act in certain situations, it is wise to forgo that freedom when it could jeopardize the well-being of others and the common good.

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Several years ago, CBS's 60 Minutes aired a story that illustrates the profound satisfaction of returning to your roots after achieving success and giving back to your community.

For the late Dikembe Mutombo, who played center for the Atlanta Hawks, his roots were in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. He made a significant contribution by funding a $29 million, 300-bed hospital—a dream he pursued after witnessing the devastating loss of life in his community. Of that total, $15 million came from his own funds.

While in high school, Mutombo aspired to attend medical school in the United States and eventually practice medicine back home. He only began playing basketball during his senior year. Georgetown University recognized his potential as a seven-foot basketball star and offered him both athletic and academic scholarships. After three years at Georgetown, he shifted his focus from a medical career to the NBA, realizing he could make a greater impact with a multi-million dollar salary.

In his homeland, one in five children dies before reaching their fifth birthday, and one in fourteen women does not survive childbirth. Diseases like measles and polio—conditions that have long been controlled or eradicated in many countries—continue to claim numerous lives and cause significant suffering each year. Mutombo said, “Whatever you accomplish in your life, your heart still stays here.”

Beyond building the hospital, Mutombo established a foundation to recruit and train medical staff for the African continent. His efforts aim to eradicate polio, build elementary and technical schools in the Congo, and sponsor exchange programs for medical students and professionals. He traveled globally to raise awareness and funds for his people’s struggles.

When asked by a 60 Minutes correspondent about his work, Mutombo responded: “We have an obligation to give something back to the place where we come from… [My mother] instilled in me a strong faith that God would support you in whatever you try to achieve. She taught me, ‘Do whatever you can, as much as you can, and God will give you more.’”

Mutombo added, “I’m investing in my people so they can have a better life because I have already found a better life.”

Before God, the gifts we possess hold little significance. What truly matters is how we use our talents and wealth to build the kingdom of God. Some of us may have the intellect to unlock the mysteries of medical science, while others may excel in sports. God has entrusted each of us with unique gifts, talents, and blessings—not for our own benefit, but to selflessly and lovingly assist others without seeking personal gain.

A faithful disciple will take the time to assess their gifts and talents and determine how best to use them for the glory of God, ensuring that God's kingdom of peace, justice, compassion, and love is advanced through our offerings.
 

Homily for Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

When Jesus chides His disciples, it's not for their lack of faith but for their struggle with having too little faith. Their attempt to heal a sick child fell short, and Jesus attributed this to their faith not being as strong as it could be. This is a struggle we all face. Our faith, while present, often isn't as strong as it could be, and we don't always trust the Lord as much as we should.

In response, Jesus offers encouraging words: even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. He desires for His disciples—and for all of us—to not just have faith, but to grow in it. We can echo the prayer of the father of the sick child, as described in Mark's version of the story: "I do believe; help my unbelief!"

Homily for the Memorial of St. Dominic

Jesus often spoke in paradoxes, and one of the most striking is when he said, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." In essence, this means that if we focus solely on ourselves, our needs, and our desires, we will lose our true selves. However, if we look beyond ourselves to the Lord and to the needs of those around us, we will discover our true identity.

Jesus also conveyed this fundamental paradox in a different way when he said, "Give, and gifts will be given to you." This implies that it is through giving that we actually receive.

Our own experiences may have shown us that when we turn our attention to others and recognize the Lord present in them, we encounter the joy and life of the Lord. This, in turn, reflects the joy and life of the kingdom of heaven.

Homily for Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel reveals two sides of Peter. Initially, he shows a remarkable understanding of Jesus by identifying Him as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God." In response, Jesus calls him the rock on which He would build His Church.

However, later on, Peter rebukes Jesus for speaking about His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. At this point, Jesus refers to him as Satan and describes him as an obstacle in His path. This represents a significant contradiction: from being called the rock to becoming a stumbling stone.

We can see a similar contradiction in our own relationship with the Lord. There are times when we align with His will and moments when we stray from it. Yet, the Lord continues to have faith in us despite our shortcomings, just as He did with Peter.

This narrative illustrates that Jesus founded His Church on a somewhat imperfect rock, which has the potential to become a source of scandal. When Jesus refers to Peter as the rock, He is speaking of the Church as "my Church." It will endure because it is Jesus' Church, even when those responsible for pastoral leadership falter. Since the Church carries the presence of the Risen Lord until the end of time, the gates of the netherworld—the powers of evil and death—will never prevail against it.

Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Peter, James, and John had the extraordinary opportunity to accompany Jesus to the mountaintop, where He underwent a transformation before their eyes. It must have been an incredible sight: Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah right in front of them. They were filled with amazement and wonder at what was taking place.

Jesus is present with each of us as well. When we least expect it, He blesses us with great experiences of His grace to support us on our journey with Him. This grace is not merely something to admire; it is a call to respond to His invitation to love. Jesus invited these three Apostles to deepen their love and trust in Him, and He offers the same invitation to us.

The Apostles were so amazed that they found themselves at a loss for words. Nevertheless, Peter felt the urge to say something, even though he wasn't entirely sure about what to say.

In our spiritual journeys, we often wrestle with the temptation to speak excessively. In our Gospel reading, we hear the Father proclaiming: "This is my chosen Son; listen to Him." God encourages us to carefully heed Jesus' words rather than feeling compelled to speak. He often seeks a response through our actions rather than our words.

Homily for Tuesday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel reading today, Peter calls out to Jesus, asking Him to invite him to walk on the water. Jesus calls to Peter, and he steps out onto the water. However, when Peter becomes fearful, he begins to sink. He immediately cries out to Jesus, who catches him and brings him to safety.

What caused Peter to sink was not fear itself, but doubt. He doubted the ability God had given him to perform this remarkable feat, as well as the reality of the miracle taking place. Despite his doubt, Peter displayed wisdom by calling out to Jesus the moment he began to sink.

Today's Gospel teaches us about having faith in God and in ourselves when He calls us to take action. It's about believing that we can accomplish the tasks God sets before us in life. This includes living out the Gospel by preaching the Good News of our salvation, forgiving others who have wronged us, feeding the hungry, providing shelter and clothing to the homeless, comforting the sick, visiting and offering hope to prisoners, and standing firm in our faith in the face of ridicule and scorn.

These are the actions Jesus calls us to take, and we have been given the ability to carry them out. It requires confidence and faith to truly live the Gospel in our lives. However, there will be times when we may sense we lack these qualities. In those moments, may we emulate Peter's wisdom by turning to Jesus and seeking His help, so that He can reassure us and extend His hand to keep us from sinking.

Homily for the Memorial of Saint John Vianney

Different people react differently to the same situation. In today's Gospel, we observe a significant contrast between Jesus's and the disciples' responses when faced with a large, hungry crowd in the wilderness. While the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowd away, Jesus encouraged them to feed the crowd instead. He said, "Give them some food yourselves."

Initially, the disciples contended that they didn't have enough food to feed the crowd. However, Jesus persisted and asked them to bring the little food they could find to Him. Despite their doubts, the disciples obeyed Jesus' command and presented the food to Him. With those meager resources, the Lord was able to feed the crowd, assisted by His obedient disciples.

The Gospel message suggests that the Lord always motivates us to help others, even when we feel we lack sufficient resources. These resources are not limited to material possessions but also include our time, talents, and spiritual gifts. If we are generous with all we have, the Lord can use our contributions in remarkable ways.

The Lord can accomplish wonders through the ordinary and sometimes seemingly inadequate resources and gifts that we possess. Like the disciples in the Gospel, we must do our part, but the Lord works even greater miracles. However, if we are unwilling to contribute what we can with what we have, the Lord's ability to minister to others is limited. The Lord needs our resources, however small or inadequate they may seem, to continue His good work in our lives and in the world.