St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

The warnings to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum prompt us to question the reality and purpose of miracles. The residents of these lakeside towns in northwest Galilee witnessed numerous miraculous signs and healings by Jesus but remained unmoved by His message. In response, Jesus, with prophetic anger, criticized their hardened hearts. His miracles were intended to inspire conversion, a new perspective, and lifestyle, turning people away from selfishness and toward caring for those in need. His healings demonstrated His love for suffering humanity rather than serving as a spectacle for His own glory. The healings aimed to illustrate God's desire for us to form a healthy, wholesome community.

Centuries earlier, Moses confronted Pharaoh, warning of impending plagues in Egypt. Like Jesus, Moses did not use his miraculous power for personal glory and, in fact, had to flee for his life into the desert.

Although raised in the luxury of Pharaoh's palace, Moses exhibited a strong sense of justice as a young man. His aversion to oppression and mistreatment, as well as his refusal to stand by idly when witnessing abuse, illustrate a commitment to justice that would prepare him for his role as a liberator in later years.

We, too, are called to be liberators, serving those in greatest need and assisting them in living as God's children in freedom. This is not merely a call but a responsibility that we must embrace. Let us pray, therefore, for the desire and courage to aid those in greatest need.

Homily for the Memorial of Saint Bonaventure

Our Gospel passage today completes a significant sermon—the Missionary Discourse—spoken by Jesus to those who would continue His work. Today's Scriptures remind us that following the will of God can be challenging and even disruptive of peace. Jesus says, "I have come not to bring peace, but the sword."

In saying this, Jesus refers to the suffering and conflict in our lives. We may remember Simeon's "blessing" and words to Mary as she held the infant Jesus in her arms: "This child is destined to be the fall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted." And there are many documented incidents in which God's people were oppressed because of racial bias and nationalistic envy.

Much like politics, disagreements about religion can stir trouble in families. What the Lord gives is not "peace at any price" but a unique peace from staying close to Jesus. If there is conflict within our family, let it be for the sake of personal conscience and not from any dominating or judgmental spirit. We are called to be sincere, not authoritarian. Jesus wants us to welcome people and be thankful for what others may offer us. Even such a simple gift as a cup of cold water will be noted in the Book of Life to one's credit.

Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A little boy wrote a letter to God, asking Him for $1,000 to help his family buy food and clothing. His dad was out of work, and his mom was ill. Things were really tight. He addressed the envelope "God," put his return address and a stamp on it and dropped it in the mailbox.

The letter was intercepted by the local postmaster. She was so moved by the boy's selfless gesture and concern for his family that she forwarded his letter to the president. The president was so touched by the little boy's sincerity and concern for his family that he told his secretary to send the boy $500.

Upon receiving the money, the boy wrote the following thank-you letter: "Dear God, Thank you for the money. Next time, please send it to me directly. I noticed you sent it through Washington, D.C., and they deducted $500 for taxes."

Thomas Merton wrote that a child only begins to become an
adult when the child realizes they are not the center of the
universe. Christ calls us to embrace such moments of growth - precious moments when we manage to put aside our own needs,
problems, and wants for the sake of the more critical needs of
another; rare moments when we realize that we are not the center
of the world but a part of a world much more significant than ourselves,
that we are connected to everyone through the dignity we all share
as sons and daughters of God; holy moments when our disappointments and hurts at what life has handed us are transformed into gratitude to God for the gift of life itself.

As Jesus sends us forth to do the work of discipleship, may He open our hearts and minds to such moments of growth and selflessness, enabling us to be disciples of His compassion and healing along our journey to the dwelling place of God.

Homily for Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus tells us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God's knowledge. He tells us that God watches over the life and death of even the smallest creatures with great love and care. So, how much more is God watching over us?

Despite our vast numbers, Jesus affirms God's individual concern for each of us. This reassurance is not just a comforting thought but a call to action. God invites us into a personal relationship with Him and also into a communal relationship with Him as the Church, the Body of Christ on earth.

God's care for us is not just a general concern but a meticulous attention to the details of our lives. Jesus assures us of this, saying, "There is no need to be afraid." This is the kind of relationship Jesus Himself had with His Father. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Father was concerned about the details of His life. As a result, He entrusted Himself to the Father, even when His enemies seemed to have triumphed over Him.

Jesus tells us that we can have the same relationship with the Father. He invites us to share in His relationship with the Father, with and in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Homily for Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus is candid about the kind of welcome we may receive when we share our faith. The response may be hostile, and that may even come from those to whom we are the closest. However, Jesus tells us that we will not be alone in facing this kind of rejection; The Holy Spirit will be present to give us guidance and support.

Contemporary society is perhaps less hostile to the faith than when Jesus commissioned the first disciples. Yet, Gospel values are often rejected in today's culture. Some people interpret those values as a threat, especially to human freedom. 

Today, as in the time of the first disciples, we are in need of the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the LORD and His mission. The Holy Spirit is our source of inspiration, guiding us in our faith and strengthening our resolve. The Church's dependence on the Holy Spirit is unwavering, and His inspiration is as accessible to us now as It was in the earliest days of the Church.

Homily for the Memorial of St.Benedict

Jesus is the fullest revelation possible of God’s tender and merciful love for humankind. Yet, He experienced people rejecting this love, refusing to respond meaningfully.

When He sends out His disciples in today’s Gospel, Jesus warns them to expect the same. They are to proclaim the Good News that the kingdom of God is at hand, the reign of God’s life-giving love, but they will face those who will not welcome them or listen to what they have to say. This response is not to prevent them from their mission of proclaiming God’s loving presence by what they say and do, just as it did not prevent Jesus when He suffered the ultimate rejection on the Cross. He even announced the same Good News as the Risen Lord to those who had turned away from Him and rejected Him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is important for us to show the loving presence of God, no matter how others react to us. When we are not welcomed, we should ask ourselves: Are they rejecting the message or the way it is being communicated? Everything we say and do in the name of the Lord should reflect God's mercies.

Homily for Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus sends the Apostles to continue His work. He gives them a clear mandate, and as faithful followers, they do as He commands, most of them losing their lives in the process.

Through our Baptism, each of us is personally entrusted with the same mandate. This is not a call to be judgmental, nagging, or obnoxious, but a call to reflect our faith in our words and actions. Sometimes, this means sharing our faith stories, and sometimes, it means quietly living our faith, even in the most mundane moments, fulfilling our responsibility in evangelization. 

So, today, let us pray for the wisdom and courage to answer the call to be evangelists of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Homily for Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Spite is an unfortunate part of the human experience. It is a harmful trait that most have experienced by being the object of spite or by being spiteful ourselves. In general, spiteful behavior should be embarrassing to the one who exhibits it. Still, often, it is portrayed as a virtue.[1]

The Pharisees in today's Gospel were very spiteful toward Jesus. People concerned with the letter of the law didn't like that Jesus was concerned less with the nuances of the law than with the spirit of what the law should be about: mercy and love. In their opposition to Jesus, they took good things that he did—like healing the demoniac—and attributed them to the work of Satan, acting through Jesus. What a contradiction!

Living by Gospel principles is indeed a challenging journey, one that often requires us to go against our natural inclinations. However, the transformative power of virtues like forgiveness, humility, charity, and mercy is profound. They can be especially challenging to practice when we feel wronged, but embodying these virtues is the hallmark of a good Christian and a good person.

Let us pray, today and always, that the Holy Spirit may guide us to wisdom and understanding of ourselves and others when we feel wronged. May our response bring us closer to the will of God.

 

[1] Angier, Natalie, The New York Times, March 31, 2014

 

Homily for Monday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, we saw two people in need of help approaching Jesus. One of them was a synagogue official who implored for help for his daughter. The other was a woman suffering from bleeding who came to Jesus on her own behalf. The way these two people approached Jesus was quite different. The synagogue official approached Jesus in a very public way, bowing low in front of Him and speaking his need and request so all could hear. The woman approached Jesus secretively, touching the tassel on His cloak and speaking quietly to herself, hoping things might change for the better.

Each of us approaches the Lord in our own way. Our way of connecting with Jesus is always personal, just like the way we relate to others. The synagogue official and the woman both had faith, but they expressed it differently. Our faith unites us as a worshipping community without suppressing our individuality.

Despite the different ways in which the two approached Jesus, His response was generous and respectful to both. He did not favor one over the other and responded to their needs and cries for help. This is a powerful reminder that God's response to us is always shaped by and respectful of the unique way that each of us approaches Him with our needs. It is a testament to the value and respect He holds for each of us and our individual approaches to faith.

Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When people leave home for the first time to build their own lives, it can be a challenging experience for everyone involved. The person leaving may have mixed feelings, wanting to be independent but also feeling the pain of separation. Parents may also experience mixed emotions, feeling happy that their child is ready to move on but knowing they will deeply miss them.

On the other hand, homecomings are typically happier experiences for everyone, but they can be complex. The person returning home may have changed considerably since leaving, and those at home may have also changed. There may be expectations based on how things used to be, which may not align with the current reality. Adapting to these changes can be difficult.

In today's Gospel, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth after leaving for some time. He had spent about thirty years there, known to all as a carpenter and the son of Mary. However, Jesus had taken a new direction since leaving home, dedicating Himself to the work given to Him by God. He returned not as just a carpenter but as a teacher and a healer. There was much more to Jesus than His townspeople had ever realized while he lived among them.

The Gospel suggests that the people of Nazareth could not accept this new reality and rejected Him. They wanted Him to remain as the person they had always known and were reluctant to accept his growth and change. His homecoming was more painful than His departure. The people of Nazareth saw God's unique Son as a thorn in the flesh, unable to see beyond their preconceived notions of Him.

We often assume we know someone when, in reality, we only know one side of them. Our strong opinions about people can be based on past experiences, making us unwilling to see beyond them, even when there is evidence to challenge our views.

There was more to Jesus than the people of Nazareth were aware of, just as there is more to every human being than we know. We are each made in God's image, and there is a profound mystery to each of us. We must approach everyone with the awareness that there is more to them than meets the eye.

Jesus' ordinariness made it difficult for the people of Nazareth to recognize the mystery within him. God was powerfully present to them through someone as seemingly ordinary as they were.

God continues to come to us today through the ordinary, through those closest to us. While there may be a fascination with the extraordinary and the unusual, the Gospels suggest that the Lord comes to us primarily in the everyday - this is what we mean by the incarnation. The ordinary is filled with God's presence.

The Lord can even come to us through what we initially perceive as negative. According to our second reading today, St. Paul discovered this for himself. He struggled with what he called a 'thorn in the flesh.' While he wanted to be rid of it, he realized in prayer that God was present in and through this struggle.

When we struggle with something, inside or out, we may want to eliminate the struggle entirely. However, like St. Paul, we can discover that this challenging experience can open us up to God's presence. What we consider to be of little or no value can create space for God to work in our lives. There is a dichotomy in what St. Paul hears the Risen Lord say to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." It is often in our most difficult moments that God can touch our lives most powerfully and creatively.