St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for the Memorial of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Today's Gospel passage evokes empathy for Martha. She works hard to prepare a meal for Jesus and His friends. But when she complains that her sister Mary isn't helping, Jesus says Mary has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken from her. This may seem unfair to Martha.

We can see from other stories in Scripture that Jesus did not oppose hard work in the service of others. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, He praises the man's mercy and love when he cares for the victim of robbers. The Book of Ecclesiastes says, "There is a time for everything, and a time for every activity under the heavens." So, we might say, "There is a time to be active and a time to refrain from activity."

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha, He felt it was important for them to take a break from their work and listen to what He had to say. Mary understood that Jesus valued the hospitality of listening over the hospitality of being busy. She was more attuned to what the Lord wanted compared to Martha. While the Lord wants us to work for Him, He also wants us to take breaks to listen to Him. True wisdom involves knowing when it's time to be active in the Lord's service and when it's time to sit and listen to His Word.

Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Several years ago, I watched part of a documentary that followed the family of an older woman who lived in Appalachia in the South. The film crew gave glimpses and insights as they followed the family for a year. The woman had several children, most of whom still lived in the poverty in which they were brought up. They were now raising their children as they were raised.

The film beautifully showcased the family's resilience, their shared lives, their occasional disagreements, and the various challenges each member was facing. The underlying theme of the documentary was the universal dream of 'escaping' to a better life or finding work. Many tried, but they always returned.

As one of the family members, an eighteen-year-old grandson was mulling over the possibility of moving away and finding work, many in the family were trying to dissuade him from leaving. The grandmother was more philosophical in her response. The cameras were on her as she was placing a huge plate of cinnamon rolls on the table and she said that anybody could leave if they wanted to and if they wanted to come back, that was fine, too, there was always plenty of food on the table.

I noticed this throughout the film: despite their intense poverty, the family always had food on the table, and it was there because together, they used the land and the gifts God gave them to produce the food.

In our Gospel reading today, we hear the famous story of how Jesus fed a huge crowd of people with barely enough food to feed one person. The miracle Jesus performed spoke to a reality more profound than filling our bellies. It speaks to the power of God in our lives and the fact that God can truly take care of all of our physical and spiritual needs.

In the documentary, the family members received something else—the love and support of family and friends, which was most often evident when they were at the table. While they fought, argued, and disagreed, there was evident a strong bond that could be called nothing other than love.

And love is what God really wants to bring us. It is what God wants us to offer one another. Through our offering of love to one another, we feed people's souls just as Jesus fed the hungry masses. We take our meager talents and offerings and, with the love and power of God, we can transform the world; we can be instruments of God satisfying the spiritual hunger of the people of God.

And that's what we are doing here in this Church today, gathered at this Table to share in the One Bread, the Body of Jesus our Savior. We nourish ourselves with a tiny piece of bread. But it is not bread that we take. It is our Salvation. It is the food of everlasting life. And the meal doesn't end at this table. We are called to go out and be the Body of Christ for those who do not believe, those who feel alienated, and those who have lost hope. We are called to go out and to let others know that there is always plenty of food at this Table when we gather together in prayer and in service of God and one another.

As Christians, we're not simply called to show up and eat every Sunday; we're also called to bring others to the Table of the Lord, to share in this meal, and to share in God's love.

Homily for Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat illustrates the difference in perspective between the farmer and his servants. When weeds appeared among the wheat, the servants wanted to immediately remove them to keep the field pure. However, the farmer advised letting the wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest when they could be separated. He was patient, knowing he would eventually obtain pure wheat without the weeds.

In this parable, Jesus conveys a message about the Church and the individual disciples who form it. He acknowledges that the Church will consist of a mixture of good and bad until the end of time when all that is not of God will vanish.

Individually, we are a blend of light and darkness until we are fully formed into the likeness of God's Son in the afterlife. While we persistently endeavor to mirror God's image, we must recognize that sin will always be a part of our earthly existence.

Like the farmer, the Lord is patient with us. We need to be patient with ourselves and others. This is not self-approval but an acknowledgment that we are all a work in progress. Being a 'work in progress' is hopeful, as God has initiated good work in our lives. Even if it is not completed in this life, God will bring His work to completion in eternity, a promise that fills us with hope and reassurance.

Homily for the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Jesus often used parables to teach people about life, faith, and His mission to lead them to the Kingdom of Heaven. He used metaphors that the people could relate to, and in today's passage, He explains to His Apostles the meanings behind these metaphors.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus focuses on the different types of soil on which the seed falls, representing how people receive the Word of God. Some never accept the Word; others believe briefly but fall away due to criticism of their faith; some believe, but the Word is choked by worldly anxiety and the seduction of riches; while others respond to the Word and produce abundant fruit.

Let's pray that we always remain as the fertile soil on which the seed of God’s Word falls and that we take that Word and share it with others through our words, actions, and attitudes.

Homily for the Feast of St. James, Apostle

The Gospel passage today illustrates the human tendency to seek status and importance. In this instance, the mother of two of Jesus' disciples seeks this for her sons. We understand that this tendency can be rooted in pride, whether for ourselves or for those we love. The offense taken by the other Apostles is another example of the desire to appear important in the eyes of others.

This tendency is evident in various areas such as the media, government, and other areas where people aim to seem more important and influential than others.

Jesus's teaching in this story is clear: status-seeking has no place in the lives of His disciples. To truly follow Him, they must be willing to experience suffering, as He did. They must serve others and not seek to be served. Humility and putting others before ourselves are the keys to true greatness, the kind of greatness to which we are all called. It's the greatness of being born in the image of God, following His ways, and returning home to our Father at the end of time, with nothing except the fruits of our actions on earth.

Homily for Wednesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

The Parable of the Sower is one of Jesus' best-known stories. It is remarkable because it is the only parable that He would go on to explain to His disciples.

The different kinds of soil refer to various human responses to God's message. We are reminded that while God's Word is powerful, it needs our response to be effective. We must open ourselves to the Word if it is to bear fruit.

The parable specifies certain obstacles to our opening ourselves to God's Word. One is the absence of understanding; we need to know who Jesus is and what He has done and said if we are to respond to Him.

Another obstacle is our inclination to keep God at a distance, which thwarts His Word from rooting itself in us.

A third obstacle is our becoming too engaged in both the tensions and the delights of earthly life so that they become our primary reality.

In His later interpretation of the Parable of the Sower, Jesus shows a pragmatic understanding of the obstacles to His presence and His Word, which He must help us through. However, that practical vision should lead us to something other than discouragement. The Gospel's message is that God’s perseverance is more powerful than those obstacles. On one occasion, Jesus' disciples asked Him the rather cynical question, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”[1]

 

 

 

[1] Matthew 19:26

Homily for Tuesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

For most of us, our family is essential in our lives. As we age, we might not see our family members as often as we once did, but they still matter significantly to us. They say, “Blood is thicker than water.” When a family member struggles, we will gather around them to support them.

The Gospels don’t tell us much about Jesus’ family. Yet, when they mention His family, they give the impression that there was often tension between Jesus and His blood family.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ family, including His mother, stood outside where Jesus spoke, anxious to talk with Him. They were trying to get His attention, perhaps even get Him home, away from the crowds always pursuing Him.

However, Jesus stood His ground; he didn’t go with His family. Instead, He redefined who his family was. He identified His disciples as His family, and He declared that all those who do the will of His heavenly Father are His family.

As disciples of Jesus, we are all brothers and sisters of the LORD and each other, as well as sons and daughters of God. This is the new family that Jesus came to form, and what distinguishes this family is the desire to do the will of God, as Jesus has revealed that to us by His words and His life. That is why, as members of the Lord’s family, we pray, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Homily for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

In the Church's tradition, including its artistic tradition, Mary Magdalene has often been depicted as a repentant sinner. This is mainly because she was mistakenly associated with the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. However, there is no evidence in the Gospels to indicate that Mary was any more of a sinner than the other disciples of Jesus. According to our Gospel passage today, Mary Magdalene is identified as the woman who, out of devotion, went to the tomb early on that first Sunday morning. Her deep devotion to Jesus also led her to stay outside the tomb, weeping tears of loss upon discovering that Jesus' body was not there.

Mary Magdalene was searching for the Lord but couldn't find Him. However, the Lord sought her out and found her when He called her by name. Just like her, we also seek the Lord, and just like her, Jesus seeks and finds us. It's the Lord's search for us that comes before our search for Him. Even if we struggle to find the Lord, like Mary, the Lord always finds His way to us and calls us by name. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us and now calls us by name.

When the Lord calls us by name, He also sends us out, just as He did with Mary Magdalene, to share the Good News of His Resurrection with those we encounter. The Lord not only calls us by name but also requests that we be His messengers to others.

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are currently in the midst of vacation season. We all need a break from our daily routines. Typically, we go on vacation with someone or visit someone when we go away. Most of us prefer to be with others while away from home.

In the Gospel, Jesus leads His disciples to rest and quiet. They had been busy and were eager to share their experiences with Him. This was a time of reflection in Jesus' company when they would do nothing except be present to each other and the Lord. This narrative highlights the importance of rest and reflection in our faith journey.

In our faith lives, we all need such desert moments when we try to be present to the Lord and each other. Our church here is open every weekday until about 3:00 pm and until the end of the last Masses on the weekend. We have the Rosary after Daily Mass. We have Daily Mass at 8:00 am... what an excellent way to start the day! Throughout each day, many, many people stop at our grotto to offer a prayer to our Blessed Mother. And we have so much more. Our church is that sort of desert space in the middle of our community. It is a place to which people can come away and rest for a while, in the words of the Gospel. It is also a place where we can commune with the Lord, feeling spiritually connected and rejuvenated.

During moments of silence, we can share with the Lord what has been happening in our lives. In the Gospel, the disciples shared with Jesus all they had been doing and teaching. We can use this time to do the same. Some people find this moment of silence by going for a walk. As we walk, we can become more aware of the Lord's presence and also of the people in our lives, even if we are walking alone. However we choose to do it, as believers and followers of the Lord, we all need to take some time alone to rest and allow the Lord to commune with us more deeply.

If the first part of today's Gospel emphasizes the importance of taking time away from our everyday concerns to be present with the Lord, the second part emphasizes another value. The solitude of the place where Jesus and his disciples landed soon turned into a bustling scene even before they arrived. Instead of stepping into a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, Jesus and His disciples were surrounded by human need and urgency.

Jesus responded to the interruption by being completely present. He did not try to avoid the crowd or send them away; He fully engaged with them. In the words of the Gospel, "His heart was moved with pity for them."

Like Jesus and His disciples, we all experience unexpected interruptions in our plans. Sometimes, we anticipate one thing, but the opposite occurs. These interruptions are a normal part of life. As one writer noted, God can often be found amid these interruptions.

Part of our calling as followers of the Lord is to be present for others, even when they show up unexpectedly and disrupt our carefully laid plans. It's easy to get agitated and annoyed when things don't go as we had envisioned, and we may start seeing people as annoyances rather than being present for them with the same compassion that Jesus showed. Jesus often spent time alone in prayer, and it was in those moments of connection with God that He could be present for others, no matter who they were or how they approached Him. Similarly, taking time to be with the Lord enables us to be fully present for those who come into our lives. Our reflective moments and times of solitude help us become more contemplative and attentive in our interactions with others.

Homily for Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

There is a stark contrast between those who sought to destroy Jesus and Jesus himself, who came not to destroy but to heal. From the very start of his ministry, some wanted Jesus dead. Despite this, Jesus always aimed to bring life to others and to share in God’s own life. We hear, "a bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench." His mission inspires hope and instills a sense of life and purpose in us.

The bruised reed and the smoldering wick refer to those broken in body and spirit. Breaking a bruised reed and extinguishing a smoldering wick is very easy. Those who are broken physically or spiritually are extremely vulnerable. Jesus is sensitive to those who are vulnerable. He can restore the bruised reed and ignite the smoldering wick into a living flame.