St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

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.

Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our Scripture readings today may seem to criticize wealth, but they really challenge us to use our resources wisely and for the benefit of others. God does not have a problem with our success. The psalmist of old often prayed that God would “prosper the work of our hands.”

What God really desires is for us to utilize our wealth, our gifts, and the fruitful work of our hands to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

We live in a society where many people are overwhelmed by possessions and busy schedules, where countless individuals pursue more and strive to build new “barns” to store their excess. To be people of faith and true disciples of the Gospel, we must start by emptying ourselves of our material belongings to create space for God to dwell within us. All three of today’s readings warn against the futility of chasing after wealth and celebrity.

The most tragic form of poverty is living a life filled with material things but devoid of a relationship with God. Christ calls us to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth”—to focus on love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and gratitude. God has given us this precious and wonderful life to embrace and be embraced by His selfless and affirming love, and to learn how to love one another as God loves us.

Let us pray that we may use our earthly wealth and treasures in ways that will help us in our journey toward the real and everlasting treasure of heaven.

Homily for Saturday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

The execution of John the Baptist demonstrates the misuse of power that has been a recurring issue throughout human history. In the time of Jesus, Galilee was governed by Herod Antipas. While he was ultimately under the authority of the Roman Emperor, he had significant freedom to exercise his power as he saw fit, provided he adhered to Roman laws. In this particular case, Herod abused his authority by commanding the death of an innocent man.

Those who misuse their power eventually lose their authority. In this context, John the Baptist lacked power; he was imprisoned by Herod. Nevertheless, he held a greater moral authority grounded in his relationship with God. This empowered John to speak truthfully to those in positions of power and to challenge King Herod for breaching Jewish law. For his bravery in speaking out, John faced imprisonment and ultimately execution.

John’s martyrdom serves as a precursor to that of Jesus. While Jesus was on the Cross, He also lacked earthly power. As St. Paul notes, “He was crucified in weakness.” Yet, in that moment, He possessed tremendous authority: the authority derived from a life of integrity and righteousness, the authority of God’s faithful Son. This was notably acknowledged by the centurion overseeing the Crucifixion.

Even with little or no power, we can still have authority in a spiritual sense. Like John the Baptist, we are called to be people of the Word, allowing God to influence our values, attitudes, and all aspects of our lives.

Homily for the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

When Jesus returned to His home in Nazareth, the people recognized Him as the son of Joseph, the carpenter. They knew His mother, Mary, and His brothers and sisters. He was one of them, a working man like them. Yet, in many ways, He was not like them at all. The people of Nazareth were astonished by His wisdom and miraculous powers, and they struggled to understand where He got them. They were perplexed by Him.

Jesus was both ordinary and extraordinary. He was like us in every way, except for sin. He was fully human and fully divine, and within Him, the wisdom and power of God were at work. St. John expressed this clearly at the beginning of his Gospel when he said that the Word became flesh. Jesus was "flesh" like all of us—a son of a carpenter from a specific place in Galilee who lived at a particular time in history. This emphasis on His humanity helps us feel understood since He experienced the same struggles and joys that we do. Yet, this man uniquely revealed God. This is the "scandal" of the Incarnation that troubled the people of Nazareth.

The son of the carpenter, the son of Mary, is with us today as the Risen Lord, present in the familiar and ordinary. He told His disciples, "Whoever receives you receives me," "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me," and "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

The sacred and the temporal are not so far apart; we encounter the holy in the temporal and the divine in the human. This realization should inspire us, as it reminds us that we are always on holy ground and that God is present in every human interaction and experience.
 

Homily for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

One of the realities of life on earth is that, throughout our lives, we encounter both good and bad people, as well as virtue and vice. This reality can sometimes be challenging to accept, and we may wonder why God allows it.

Jesus illustrates a shared experience among the people by comparing the act of bringing a full net of fish ashore and separating the good fish from the bad to the work of angels who will do the same at the end of time.

Let us pray for patience and hope, trusting that God will separate the good from the bad when that time comes. In the face of life's challenges, let us strive to do everything we can to enter the Kingdom of God.

Homily for Wednesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

Sometimes, we come across something valuable, even when we're not actively looking for it. A precious gift or a significant person can enter our lives without us trying to make it happen. It may be a sudden realization or insight that appears when we are relaxing and not focused on anything in particular.

In the first parable from today's Gospel, a day laborer discovers a treasure while working in someone else's field. He decides to sell all he has to purchase that field and obtain the unexpected treasure.

In the second parable, a wealthy merchant is on a quest for the finest pearl and eventually finds it. He is willing to sell everything he owns to acquire it.

Jesus compares the kingdom of God to these two human experiences. Sometimes, God blesses us when we least expect it. Other times, we must actively seek God and put in the effort to find Him. Jesus encourages us to persist in our search, to keep seeking, asking, and knocking, just as the wealthy merchant did. When God blesses us, we must be prepared to give up whatever is necessary to receive and hold onto the gift of the kingdom.

Homily for the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

The Gospel reading for today may evoke some empathy for Martha. She is diligently preparing a meal for Jesus and His guests. Still, when she expresses frustration that her sister Mary isn't assisting her, Jesus replies that Mary has chosen the better part, one that will not be taken away from her. This response might seem unfair to Martha at first.

Other biblical narratives demonstrate that Jesus values hard work in serving others. For instance, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, He tells of the Samaritan who showed mercy and compassion as he attended to the wounded man. The Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, "There is a time for everything, and a time for every purpose under heaven," highlighting that there are moments for action and moments for rest.

During Jesus' visit to Mary and Martha, He emphasized the importance of stepping back from their tasks to listen to His words. Mary understood that during this particular visit, Jesus valued the act of listening more than the busyness of preparing and serving food. She was more in tune with what the Lord desired than Martha was. While the Lord encourages us to work for Him, He also wants us to take the time to hear Him. True wisdom involves knowing when to be active in serving the Lord and when to pause, listen to His voice, and reflect on His words.

Homily for Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, we hear two parables that serve as metaphors for the ministry of Jesus on Earth. His work in Galilee is compared to the growth of a mustard seed and the action of yeast; both begin very small and may seem insignificant at first.

At that point in time, Jesus' work had been carried out quietly and without great spectacle. However, these parables suggest that from these humble beginnings, something profoundly significant will emerge. Just as the tiny mustard seed grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches, and just as a small amount of yeast leavens three measures of wheat flour, Jesus' ministry is destined to flourish.

Unremarkable beginnings can lead to extraordinary outcomes when it comes to the work of the Lord. We need to understand that, with the grace of God and our efforts, even the simple gifts we have to offer can positively impact the world around us, no matter how small our contributions may seem. God can work wonders through our smallest efforts if we approach them with love and devotion to Him. The Lord calls us to plant good seeds and trust that He will do the rest.