Episodes

Saturday Feb 10, 2024
Homily for the Memorial of St. Scholastica
Saturday Feb 10, 2024
Saturday Feb 10, 2024
Paella is a classic dish in Spanish cuisine that consists of a simple combination of rice, seafood, and vegetables. It is flavored with the spice saffron, which comes from a type of crocus flower. The delicate stigmas and styles of the flower are carefully plucked by hand when it's in bloom and then dried. Even the tiniest pinch of saffron, ground with a mortar and pestle, can add a strong, earthy fragrance and flavor that leaves a deep impression on the palate and memory.
Jesus took the seven loaves and few fish given to him by his disciples and fed a large crowd. This story is similar to the use of saffron or even the mustard seed of faith. God can take what seems like small or insignificant offerings and create great things with them.
Let us pray that we don't underestimate the little we have to offer in terms of our gifts, talents, and stewardship. Instead, may we offer them with faith that God will use them in great ways.

Friday Feb 09, 2024
Homily for Friday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Friday Feb 09, 2024
In today's Gospel reading, we come across an unfamiliar term, "ephphatha," which means "be opened." Essentially, it's a call to acknowledge and embrace the various opportunities that come our way to invite God's friendship and forgiveness into our lives, and to extend the same to those around us.
To observe "ephphatha" is to be grateful for who we are and the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. It is to listen to God's voice amidst all the noise and distractions that surround us, and to seek His presence when we feel overwhelmed by negative emotions like anger, jealousy, and disappointment.
Let us make "ephphatha" our prayer, that we may remain open to God's presence, both in times of happiness and sorrow. This will enable us to bring the love, mercy, and kindness of God into our own lives, as well as the lives of our loved ones and everyone we encounter.

Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Women play important roles in today's readings. Solomon's pagan wives led him astray, while a pagan woman surprised Jesus with her faith. These texts prompt us to reflect on how men and women influence each other in families and friendships. Our gender identities help us complement and challenge each other. The first man and woman in Genesis complemented each other as they were both created in God's image.
The women praised in the Scriptures can inspire both men and women, just as holy men can serve as examples for all. All the different talents and abilities that people possess can find unity in Jesus; as Paul explains, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Being united with Jesus can provide a solution to any conflicts or divisions based on gender.
Jesus initially ignored the request of the non-Jewish woman, but her persistence and love for her child softened his heart. Although he initially compared her to a dog, the woman's humble response changed his mind, and Jesus went on to heal her daughter. This is an example of faith and perseverance being rewarded.

Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
The human heart has traditionally been seen as a symbol of love. However, in the Gospel passage for today, Jesus presents a different perspective. He states that the human heart is the source of evil intentions that cause harm and destruction to others.
The heart represents a person's innermost core, which can possess both light and darkness. It can be a reservoir for good or a channel for evil.
In the Christian faith, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a powerful image that embodies the selfless love of God. It was an image that was prominent in my home while growing up and continues to be so today. This love was fully revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and it is a creative and life-giving force.
Our calling as Christians is to strive for hearts that reflect, to some degree, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We must aim to have an inner core that participates in God's inner core. This great vision of our calling is beautifully captured in the prayer, "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love."

Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Homily for the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Jesus confronted His critics for disregarding God's commandments while insisting on adherence to human rules. He acknowledged that the religious customs of His time did not always align with God's will, as revealed in the Scriptures and more completely by Jesus Himself.
The Church must always be vigilant to ensure that its traditions are in line with God's Word to us, especially as spoken by Jesus. From time to time, our Church must renew itself, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to purify its traditions so that they correspond more closely to the true spirit of the Gospel. We can view the Council of Vatican II as a significant effort to do exactly that.
In our personal lives, we can also fall into traditional patterns that do not align with the essence of God's message to us through the Scriptures. Our personal traditions, whether they be religious or broader in scope, always require reform in the light of the Gospel. We must continue to listen to the Word of the LORD anew and seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit in doing so.

Monday Feb 05, 2024
Homily for the Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin & Martyr
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Today's Gospel passage highlights how Jesus was incredibly popular among the ordinary people of Galilee. He attracted the sick and broken because God's healing power was clearly at work through Him. People begged Him to let them touch even the tassel on His cloak, just like the woman who was healed of her flow of blood. People were hurrying to bring their sick to Him. People experiencing poverty and need were especially desperate to get to Him and make contact with Him.
In our own lives, it is often in our brokenness and weakness that we seek out the Lord with the greatest sense of urgency. Something happens to us that makes us vulnerable and unable to manage things independently.
It is these experiences when we come face to face with our frailties that bring home our need for the Lord and our dependence on Him. Often, the darker and more painful experiences of life open us up to the Lord.
When St. Paul struggled with his "thorn in the flesh," he heard the Risen Lord say, "My power is made perfect in weakness." Our various experiences of weakness can be like gateways through which we reach out to the Lord, and the Lord comes to us.

Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Homily for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
A man from India named Sundar converted to Christianity and stayed in India to bear witness to Jesus. Late one day, he was traveling on foot high in the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was freezing and nearly dark. The monk warned they would freeze to death if they did not reach the monastery before dark.
As they passed by a steep cliff, they heard a cry for help. Deep down in the ravine, a man had fallen and broken his leg. The monk warned Sundar, "Do not stop. God brought him to his fate. He must work it out by himself. That is the tradition. Let us hurry on before we perish."
But Sundar replied, "It is my tradition that God put me here to help my brother: I cannot abandon him." So the monk set off through the snow, which had started to fall heavily.
Sundar climbed down to the man, hoisted him on his back, and started the long, dangerous climb out of the ravine. He found the path and headed toward the monastery in the heavy snow and darkness. The man seemed to grow heavier as they traveled, and sweat began to pour forth from Sundar's body.
Finally, Sundar saw the lights of the monastery. Just then, he fell over something in the snow. He uncovered it and found the body of the monk with whom he had been traveling. He died from the cold only steps from the monastery, while the heat generated by his burden kept Sundar alive. The words of Jesus immediately came to his mind: "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." He understood what Jesus meant and was glad he decided to risk losing his life for another.
Years later, when Sundar had his own disciples, they asked him, "Master, what is life's most difficult task?" And he replied, "To have no burden to carry." [1]
Today’s readings speak of burdens, of having things to do. Everyone in our readings has some purpose or task they are about. In the Book of Job, the speaker is lamenting his life's labors. St. Paul speaks of the burden of preaching the Gospel that has been "imposed" on him. Finally, we see Jesus laboring for the health and salvation of others.
Our readings speak of weary people. Even Jesus goes off for rest and prayer after preaching and healing all day, and when his disciples tell him, "Everyone is looking for you," He responds wearily, "Let us go… that I may preach. For this purpose have I come."
Anything worthwhile in life can take a lot of effort and can be hard. But if we understand why we are doing it and what we will have at the end of our labors, this keeps us going.
We are called to labor in spreading the Good News of God’s kingdom to others. It is daunting, especially when people don't want to hear it. Without seeing much in the way of results, it can seem burdensome. But it is for this purpose that we have come to where we are today. It is for this purpose that we celebrate Mass, that we call ourselves Catholic and Christian, that we live.
Burdens often point to that which we value most in life. As we contemplate today's readings and the burdens we carry, let us be mindful of the call that God has given to each of us to preach the Gospel of love and life. May we accept this burden with excitement and with our hearts set on fulfilling the purpose for which we have come into the world.
[1] Bausch, William J., A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers, Twenty-third Publications, Mystic. CT, 1999, pp. 323-324.

Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Several years ago, journalist Maura Rossi wrote an article on Anne Donaghue, a Georgetown University graduate volunteering at Covenant House in New York City. The purpose of this house is to provide shelter for homeless runaways.
Every night at about ten o'clock, Anne and another volunteer would put gallons of hot chocolate and bags of sandwiches in the Covenant House van. For the next couple of hours, they would tour the city's toughest areas and offer free sandwiches and hot chocolate to the runaways working on the street.
What did the volunteers hope to accomplish on these nightly excursions? Anne answered that question, saying, "We're out there because we know that a lot of kids haven't tried Covenant House yet. Most have never heard of us."
Anne said that they accomplished something else, too. They showed these kids that someone cares and is out there who is neither buying nor selling them. Referring to her first year as a volunteer, Anne said, "I was very depressed. What kind of God would let kids suffer so much? Finally, it got through to me: God is not going to come down and show us His love; we have to let God's love work through us."
Anne's story is a good one, and her last two comments say it all. First, she says, "God is not going to come down and show us His love." She's right; God has already done that in the person of Jesus. That's what Advent is all about. It's preparing to celebrate this great mystery of what God has already done for us by living among us as a human being.
Second, Anne says, "We have to let God's love work through us." Again, she is right. When Jesus ascended to His Father, He commissioned us to continue His work. Just as the Father worked through Jesus during His life on earth, so He works through us in our life on earth. We are to be channels of God's grace to others, just as Jesus was.
Anne was doing that as she drove her van: she was serving as a channel of God's grace to many needy young people. She was doing what Mary was doing in today's Gospel reading. She was saying "yes" to God's invitation to be a vehicle of love in today's world.
And we do what Mary and Anne did. We do this as a parish in our ministries to the needy in our neighborhood and world, in our visitations to the sick and the elderly, in our providing education to our youth, in our teaching the faith tour youth through CCD and our parish school, in our gathering together each week as a community of faith. These are just some ways we are channels of God's grace. We are God's presence to one another through prayer, worship, work, and socializing.
Christmas is when we introduce our young people and those who have not been exposed to Christ to the great mystery that Jesus brought God down to us. But we cannot stop there. If we do, we've told only half our Christmas story. We must teach them why Jesus brought God down to us. It was to show us that we, too, must bring God to others.
Let us pray for an awareness of the many ways God seeks to work through us each day. May we be open to the will of God in our lives, that we may be channels of God's peace and love in the world, and, through our willingness to be instruments of the LORD, may we help to make the world a better place.

Saturday Dec 23, 2023
Homily for Saturday of the 3rd Week of Advent
Saturday Dec 23, 2023
Saturday Dec 23, 2023
Naming a child can sometimes lead to disagreements within families. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to naming their children, but ultimately, the parents get to decide.
Zechariah and Elizabeth's relatives and neighbors expected them to name their son "Zechariah" after his father, following traditional customs. However, Zechariah and Elizabeth believed that God had a different name in mind for their child.
During this period, conventional practices were set aside as God was doing something new. This child was going to be unlike any other child, and people wondered what he would grow up to become.
John the Baptist had a significant role to play in preparing people for the coming of someone greater than himself, someone who would be known as Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." God was working in a new way, forging a new agreement with humanity. This incredible gift is what we celebrate during Christmas, and it should always fill us with joy and gratitude.

Friday Dec 22, 2023
Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
In today's Gospel reading, we heard Mary's beautiful response to her cousin Elizabeth's acknowledgment of her as the Mother of our LORD. This prayer, known as the Magnificat, is a daily proclamation in the official Evening Prayer of the Church across the world.
Mary's response is filled with joy and jubilation as she recognizes the lowly, those who may be looked down upon by others, as being favored by God. She speaks of the reversal of human fortunes and the fulfillment of God's promises in the Old Testament.
Mary's response praises God and acknowledges God's presence and providence in the lives of all those who inhabit the earth.
May we also recognize God's presence in our lives and respond with praise for God, sharing that presence with all whom we encounter.