St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Both scenarios in today’s gospel passage—one about a man gardening and the other about a woman baking—share a common theme: they compare the initial smallness of an object to the enormous impact it can have. A tiny mustard seed grows into a massive tree that provides a home for the birds of the air. Similarly, a small amount of yeast transforms flour into a large batch of bread. As images of the kingdom of God, Jesus seems to suggest that in God’s sight, what is very small can become highly significant.

Even our smallest acts of kindness can lead to results that exceed our imagination. Small acts of kindness, mercy, and acceptance, performed to serve the Lord, can allow His grace to work powerfully in our lives.

We might be tempted to believe that only significant, extraordinary events within the Church matter. However, today’s gospel passage indicates that it is often the small actions and little initiatives that may be overlooked by most people that can herald the coming of the kingdom of heaven.

Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

While all the Gospels recount the story of Jesus choosing His Apostles, only Luke mentions that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer to His Father before making His choice. This choice was a direct result of His prayer. Luke emphasizes that Jesus prayed during all the crucial moments of His life—right after His baptism, before He set out for Jerusalem, while in the Garden of Gethsemane as He approached His passion and death, and even on the Cross just moments before He died.

We, too, should turn to our Father in prayer during significant moments in our lives. It is essential to recognize our need for guidance, strength, and courage from God. However, our prayers do not guarantee that everything will work out perfectly for us. Although Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before selecting the Twelve, one of them ultimately betrayed Him. Nevertheless, we can be confident that our humble surrender to the Lord in such times will always create space for Him to act, even when outcomes do not align with our hopes.

Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

One day, an unusually joyful Charlie Brown told Linus, “I feel good. I just got back from the grocery store. The owners, a husband and wife, both complimented me. They told me I was a very nice boy.” However, Linus replied, “In the sixth chapter of St. Luke, it is written, ‘Woe to you when all people speak well of you.’” Deflated, Charlie Brown put his head in his hands and said, “So much for feeling good!”

Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, didn’t have much luck either. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out to Him. Yet, people told him to be silent. In other stories, people brought their sick to Jesus for healing. Why did the crowd rebuke Bartimaeus?

Every event in Jesus’ life reveals both love and hate. Those who love are Jesus and those He saves, while those who hate are Satan and his followers. It is only through the heart that we can uncover the hidden struggle of love and hate occurring in this story and others in Jesus’ life.

As Jesus passed through Jericho for the last time on His way to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified, He saw people in danger and came to save them. In contrast, Satan saw a challenger and attempted to stop Him.

Three years earlier, Jesus revealed the depths of His heart in a synagogue at Nazareth when He quoted the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed.”

However, the people of Nazareth didn’t see Jesus as their Savior; they saw merely their neighbor, a simple carpenter. They took offense at His claims and admonitions. That day, Satan was also present. Urged by that dark spirit, the people rebuked Jesus and tried to throw Him off the cliffs at the edge of town. As a result, He left.

Three years later, with Passover approaching, thousands were traveling to Jerusalem. Blind Bartimaeus sat by the roadside, spreading his cloak to collect coins from passing pilgrims. This beggar was so looked down upon that even his name symbolized his condition: Bartimaeus means “son of the unclean.” Back then, blindness and other illnesses were often seen as the result of personal sin. Yet, Bartimaeus possessed a beautiful heart and saw a hidden truth.

When Jesus passed by, Bartimaeus heard His voice. Someone in the crowd told him it was Jesus of Nazareth. (After three years, all they saw was a Galilean passing through.) Bartimaeus, blind but with clear insight in his heart, cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

This declaration was too much for Satan. His heart was so blinded by hate that he wanted everyone to share in his darkness. The crowd became Satan’s voice by silencing Bartimaeus.

But Bartimaeus had heard the voice of the Savior and shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Jesus stopped and called to him. He gazed at the blind man and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Master,” Bartimaeus replied, “I want to see.” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and began to follow Jesus along the way.

In earlier healing miracles, Jesus instructed those healed to remain silent. However, Bartimaeus followed Jesus from the wilderness into the Holy City, proclaiming, “Son of David!” Following his example, the crowd began to call Jesus by that title: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Bartimaeus must have felt devastated when, just a week later, he witnessed Jesus being crucified. Satan attempted to extinguish the Light of Christ with the darkness of death. Yet, the shadow of death could not extinguish the Light of Life, which triumphed with the Dawn of the Resurrection.

The world is full of distractions that can keep us from recognizing Jesus among us. May we have pure hearts and souls that clearly see and seek the healing presence of Jesus in our lives.

Homily for Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus used parables to encourage His followers and others to think and reflect on their meanings in relation to their lives. Even two millennia later, these parables continue to inspire us.

In today’s parable, we learn about a fig tree in a vineyard that has failed to bear fruit for three consecutive years. The vineyard owner appears reasonable in his decision to cut down the tree since it consumes resources and space that could be used for a productive tree. However, the worker has a different perspective. He sees the fruitless fig tree as still having the potential to bear fruit with some care and cultivation. He envisions a more hopeful future for the tree.

Not everything is as hopeless as the vineyard owner believes; there is still time and opportunity for the fig tree to thrive. This parable may suggest that the Lord views us not only in light of our past failures but also in terms of what we can achieve in the future. He looks at us with hope.

We are called to adopt this perspective towards one another and in every experience and situation we encounter. It is essential to be patient and to look beyond the surface for signs of new life and potential that may still exist.

Homily for Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Here New England, we often discuss the weather due to its rapid and sometimes unpredictable changes.

The people of Jesus' time were also very attuned to the weather and could predict it based on signs in the earth and sky. However, as mentioned in today's Gospel passage, they failed to recognize God's presence in the teachings and actions of Jesus. 

Likewise, we may be adept at predicting the weather but struggle to perceive the presence of the Lord in our daily lives. Jesus promised to always be with us, and although the signs of His presence may be subtle, they are very real. 

Let us pray for a greater spiritual insight and a better awareness of the Lord's presence in our daily lives.

Homily for Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples about His mission as a refining and purifying fire. This refining process is not easy; it requires us to be completely honest with ourselves, to be willing to make necessary changes, and to let go of things that hinder our openness to God's redeeming love. This purification process may even cause tension within our relationships with family and friends.

Let us pray for the strength, courage, and faith to allow ourselves to be transformed by the refining fire of God's love.

Homily for Wednesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Many prefer to know what lies ahead and when to expect it rather than being caught off guard. However, unexpected events are a part of life. Jesus uses this experience of the unexpected in today's parables. In one story, a burglar breaks into a house unexpectedly. In another, a master arrives home when his careless servant is unprepared. Jesus implies that there can be an element of surprise in His relationship with us.

The Son of Man arrives at an hour we do not anticipate. This warning may refer to sudden and unexpected death. Still, it could also apply to the unexpected arrival of the Son of Man in our daily lives. The Lord may call us to something we had never considered or lead us down a path we wouldn't have chosen. The Lord can come to us through unexpected people, individuals we wouldn't have expected to be messengers of the Lord. The Gospel suggests that we should always expect the unexpected when it comes to the Lord.

Homily for Tuesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus surprised His audience by describing a scenario in which a homeowner, instead of being served by his servants, puts on an apron and serves them. This was completely unconventional for that time, but it reminds us of Jesus washing His Apostles' feet. Jesus combined the roles of master and servant in a unique way, which was not the norm.

The homeowner's act of serving his servants is a response to their faithful vigilance. The Lord who sustains us expects us to be faithful and vigilant so that we are ready to welcome Him whenever He arrives.

In the Book of Revelation, the Risen Lord says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Jesus is always knocking at our door. If we welcome His daily coming, He will serve and support us in countless ways.

Homily for Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Our Gospel today may seem to speak against wealth, but one can argue that God does not have a problem with our success. The book of Psalms prayed that God would "prosper the work of our hands."

From Jesus' teachings, we understand that our wealth, gifts, and the fruits of our labor can be powerful tools for good.

We live in a society teeming with possessions, schedules, and empty busyness; many are overwhelmed with pursuing more and building larger "barns" to store more. To be people of faith and genuine disciples of Jesus, we must empty ourselves of our stuff and busyness to create a place and a time for God to dwell and fill. The most tragic kind of poverty is the emptiness of a life filled with things but possessing nothing of God.

Christ calls us to think of what is above — love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and gratitude — the gifts God has generously bestowed upon us. Let us embrace this priceless, wonderful life and learn to love one another as God loves us.

Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel reading, James and John ask Jesus to ensure they will be at His side in Heaven. Jesus tells them that this is not His to give and that they should worry about the things over which they have control. Namely, they should live as God commands, do what they are called to do to bring glory to God, and lead others to the Promised Land.
 
In other words, to give all that they have to God in their work, in their relationships with one another, in their relationships with God, and in serving God's people and guiding them to a genuine knowledge of and desire for the love of God.
 
The journey to Heaven is challenging. Anything worthwhile entails struggle and sacrifice. Jesus repeatedly tells us this in the Gospels. We must work and sacrifice to reach the Kingdom of God. 

In today's Gospel passage from St. Mark, we learn that we must be true disciples, which means guiding others to the Kingdom of Heaven in a manner in which we exhibit leadership without power and service without disdain for those we serve.
 
Let us pray for the wisdom to see how God calls us to serve him on this earth and for the strength, determination, and faithfulness to give all that we have to fulfill God's will for us in this life.