St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

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.

Homily for the Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf & Isaac Jogues, & Companions

Jesus calls His disciples to be brave in sharing His mission and spreading His message to others, even when their lives are at risk. He promises that in this demanding mission, they will have the help of the Holy Spirit, who will inspire them in what to say.

Speaking about faith is just as difficult today because so much of our culture and public discussion is opposed to religion. We might easily be pressured into silence and invisibility and even abandon our call to share the Good News.

As believers, we must fight that temptation and do whatever we can to share Jesus' message of salvation. This is not just a duty, but a privilege that should motivate and inspire us. If we try to do that, we are promised the help of the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our weakness.

Homily for the Feast of St. Luke

In this part of Paul's second letter to Timothy, we witness Paul's loneliness after Demas took off to explore Thessalonica, Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus. He hoped Timothy and Mark would join him and Luke as they continued their mission.

The very ordinary elements of this part of Paul's letter are intriguing. He asks Timothy to pick up a cloak he left behind and bring some papyrus rolls and parchments. He also complains about how a coppersmith named Alexander treated him. These mundane details serve as a reassuring reminder that the early disciples were human, like us, and that, like them, we may discover that our lives can be significant in God's plan, even in the ordinary course of our lives.

Let us pray that we may understand how God calls us to be His voice in our world today. May the example of those fully human early disciples inspire us to follow God's call to go forth and preach in His Name.

Homily for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus criticizes the experts of the Jewish Law for taking "away the key of knowledge." They rejected Jesus' teaching and tried to keep others from getting to know God through that teaching. They have not been faithful to their calling as teachers of the ways of God. Jesus revealed God more thoroughly than any other human being could. In rejecting His teaching, they fail to recognize that God is at work in Jesus.

God has entrusted us with the key to understanding Him. That key is Jesus. He is the gateway to this unique knowledge, and our learning from Him is a lifelong journey. It is a misconception to believe that we have a complete understanding of God's ways. We are more like infants, always with much to learn. This is why Jesus, in His humility, prayed to His Father, acknowledging, "You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the innocent." Our understanding of God will only deepen when we accept this truth.

Homily for Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus admonished the Pharisees and the scholars of the Law for laying heavy burdens on people instead of trying to help them. Their interpretation of the Jewish Law was warped. Rather than a path to life, the Law became a weighty load on people already burdened with life's challenges. Jesus did not come to make people feel more guilty. Instead, He said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

At times, the Gospel can be rather demanding. This is to help us be more loving in our relationships. We are not meant to feel burdened by this task. Our loving Father, who wants us to have life in the fullest measure, challenges us but also gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us on our way to eternal life.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus

Experience teaches us that people have different priorities and values. What is essential to me may be unimportant to someone else. We can become upset when something we believe is necessary is not taken seriously by someone else.

Observance of prescribed washing before meals was more critical for his host than for Jesus. They had conflicting priorities. Certain rituals and practices, like prescribed washings, were less important to Jesus than the values and attitudes of our minds and souls. 

Jesus then discusses almsgiving, caring for those living in poverty, as a way to purify one's deepest self. Love takes precedence over human-made rituals.

It's important to remember that what we consider vital may only sometimes align with Jesus' values. To be like Him, we must allow Him to shape us more than we shape ourselves. Our ultimate goal should be to align our priorities with His, as this is the path to spiritual growth, guiding us on our journey.

Homily for Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus often appeared frustrated with people who sought signs but were unwilling to put their faith in the power given to Him by His Father in heaven. He knew that, in reality, no sign would give them faith; they would be entertained by the "magic" of the sign and then move on to something else, completely missing the power and authority behind such a sign.

Jesus referred to the sign of Jonah and how, as a "mere" prophet, Jonah led the Ninevites to repentance. However, Jesus pointed out that someone far greater than Jonah was among them, but they couldn't see Him for who He was or understand His purpose because He seemed too ordinary.

Let's earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance to help us discern when Jesus's power and presence are at work in the seemingly ordinary moments of our lives. This recognition can serve as a gateway to a more profound faith in God's boundless love, unending mercy, and His active presence in our daily lives.

Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of my favorite classic movies is "The Bells of St. Mary's," starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. In the movie, Bing Crosby plays a priest, Fr. O'Malley, who is working to save the dilapidated St. Mary's School. The only answer to the problem, according to the sisters who run the school, is for a very wealthy man, Mr. Bogartis, who has been erecting a new office building next to the school, to give the building to the school. Fr. O’Malley thinks the sisters are crazy, but their persistence and faith begin to convince him that this could be a possibility.

Mr. Bogartis prides himself on his business savvy, and the idea of giving anything away is abhorrent to him. As he faces poor health and a failing heart, Fr. O'Malley convinces him that he can give new life to his physical heart by building up his metaphorical and spiritual heart. And so, Mr. Bogartis begins to do things for others.

One scene in particular is very telling when Fr. O'Malley and Mr. Bogartis are discussing the virtues of generosity on a city street. There is a blind man selling pencils, and the very wealthy Mr. Bogartis, to prove that he is generous, drops a coin into the man's tin cup and then carefully picks out a pencil. As Fr. O'Malley looks on somewhat disapprovingly, Mr. Bogartis shamefully returns the pencil to the man, recognizing that the point is to be generous and not to buy a pencil.[1]

While our livelihood is certainly very important to us, sometimes we can unconsciously let money and wealth, or the prospect of it, rule our budgets and our hearts and spirits. Jesus' warning about wealth in today's Gospel is right on target: Mr. Bogartis' expectation of always getting something for his money, even a pittance, keeps him from the true spirit of generosity. Fortunately for him, he recognized this, albeit a bit late.

The mindless, unconscious quest for wealth can keep us from recognizing the love of those around us and lessen the value of compassion, forgiveness, hope, and joy, the real treasures of the kingdom of God.

Let us ask God to be with us as we seek to provide for our families and ourselves. Let us pray for open minds and hearts to understand how we are to share the gifts that God has given us, thus being faithful stewards of Creation.

[1] "The Bells of St. Mary's", Republic Pictures Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, 1945.

 

Homily for Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel reading is the shortest in the Lectionary, with only two verses. In it, we witness a brief exchange between Jesus and a woman so moved by His teaching that she spontaneously called Jesus' mother blessed for being His mother. But Jesus extended the blessing to a broader group, saying, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

In this broader group, Jesus' mother played a prominent part. Mary, a shining example of devotion, heard the word of God and kept it more than anyone else. Her attitude was always, "Let it be done to me according to your word." Mary is blessed not only because of her motherhood but also because she devoted herself to hearing and doing God's word. Her unwavering commitment to God's word inspires us all, encouraging us to follow in her footsteps.

Homily for Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Some people tested Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven, a miracle, to prove His place in His Father's plans. They were oblivious to God's presence and action in Jesus' ministry. Jesus explained that if it was by the finger of God that he drove demons out of people, then God's power was at certainly at work in His ministry, if only people could see it. There was no need for Jesus to perform a miracle to prove it.

Some people, even today, seem captivated by the phenomenal, the sensational, and the miraculous. It would be tragic if we failed to notice how the Lord is present among us through the charity, good works, and prayers of others. It is easy to miss these more profound realities amid the everyday and the ordinary.

On a war memorial in Kilkenny, Ireland, are engraved the words of Irish Republican, poet, and journalist Joseph Mary Plunkett: "I see His blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of His eyes." He recognized the presence of Jesus in nature. The finest of human nature and human relationships can convey to us even more profoundly the presence and action of God in our lives.