St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for Thursday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time

We all experience moments of stumbling in life—physically and metaphorically. In the Gospel today, Jesus discusses stumbling blocks, expressing strong disapproval of those who hinder the faith of others and undermine their spiritual well-being. He warns against leading others away from God, emphasizing that part of our baptismal calling is to nurture each other's faith. Doing the opposite is a serious issue in Jesus' eyes.

Jesus then shifts the focus from how we can be a stumbling block to others in their relationship with God to how we can hinder our own spiritual journey. He points out that our hand, foot, or eye can become stumbling blocks to our relationship with the Lord. When Jesus says, "...if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out," He does not mean this literally. Instead, He uses a graphic image to underline the gravity of what he is saying. 

The positive message of the Gospel is that every aspect of our lives should be such that they strengthen our relationship with the Lord. We are called to offer our entire selves to God and align all facets of our lives with His will. While we may not consistently achieve this, it is a goal worth striving for. When we direct our whole being toward the Lord, we may experience the blessing of the Beatitude: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Homily for Wednesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time

The disciples held a polarized, black-and-white view of others. They believed that only those who were one of them could be trusted to do the Lord's work. In contrast, Jesus had a different understanding. He believed that even those who had not been formally called to be His disciples could be a part of God's life-giving mission, saying, "whoever is not against us is for us."

This serves as an essential lesson for our times. Many people may not explicitly support the Church or practice their faith in a way that aligns with traditional beliefs. Still, they are also not against the Church. The spirit of today's Gospel encourages us to build bridges with those who, in some way, share the Church's mission of bringing life to where there is death, restoring wholeness where there is brokenness, and providing relief where there is suffering. We can partner in this mission with those who may not be considered "one of us" in the strictest sense. In these times, we need the broader vision that Jesus demonstrated in today's Gospel rather than the narrow viewpoint of His disciples.

Homily for Tuesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary time

With great care, the Church, usually after Baptism, prepares our youth for their First Communion and, a few years later, their Confirmation and future roles as teachers of the faith. Through the sacraments, we welcome them into the Church and embrace them as part of our family of faith. The importance of welcoming children is evident in today’s Gospel passage. In it, Jesus closely identifies with children, declaring, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Today’s Gospel suggests we can best encounter Jesus and His Father through children. Elsewhere, Jesus also identifies Himself with the most vulnerable — the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, and the imprisoned. Children, by their very nature, are among the most vulnerable; they depend on others for all aspects of life. This Gospel passage highlights that ministry to children and young people is a sacred and holy endeavor.

Homily for Monday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time

The disciples tried to heal an extremely disturbed boy, but they failed, while Jesus succeeded. When they asked Him why they could not heal the boy, He replied, “This kind can only come out through prayer.” This implies that the disciples were attempting to heal the boy using their own power, but it was only through God’s power that real healing could happen. To become channels of God’s power and grace, they needed to pray more and establish a deeper communion with Him so that He could work through them in a life-giving way.

In His response, Jesus stressed the importance and necessity of praying to resolve certain difficulties. Some challenges in life are so overwhelming that only prayer can help us through them. Many of us can relate to this from our own experiences. When we face significant struggles, we often find that prayer sustains us when all other resources seem inadequate. The Lord keeps us going, and our connection with Him through prayer and worship strengthens us when all else fails.

Homily for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus gives us a way to see if we live according to our Christian identity. It's not about having deep theological knowledge, charm, or great professional success. It's not about having intense prayer experiences or performing extreme acts of penance. The true sign of being a Christian is how we treat everyone, following the way God treats us.

God is kind and merciful, even to those who do not appreciate it and those who are sinful. We should also be kind and merciful if we are His children and followers. We should forgive quickly and avoid judging or condemning people. We should think well of others, speak positively about them, and treat them as the children of God that they indeed are.

Jesus tells us what we should do in life and why we should do it: We are made in God's image, and God is love; His nature focuses on giving to others. The more we grow our ability to love—true, selfless love—the closer we become to what God wants us to be.

Mother Teresa exemplified the importance of treating others as God treats us. While she was in Australia with her community of sisters, who were working with the Aborigines, she encountered an elderly man living in complete isolation, neglected by everyone around him. His home was disordered and dirty.

She approached him and said, "Please let me clean your house, wash your clothes, and make your bed." He replied, "I'm okay like this. Let it be." She insisted, "You will feel even better if you allow me to help." Eventually, he agreed, and she was able to tidy his home and wash his clothes.

While cleaning, she discovered a beautiful lamp covered in dust, which clearly hadn't been used in years. She asked him, "Don't you light that lamp? Don't you ever use it?" He replied, "No, there's no need. No one comes to see me. Who would I light it for?" 

Mother Teresa then inquired, "Would you light it every night if the sisters came to visit?" He responded eagerly, "Of course!" 

From that day on, the sisters committed themselves to visiting him every evening. After Mother Teresa left Australia, two years went by, and she completely forgot about the man. Then, she received a message from him: "Tell my friend that the light she lit in my life continues to shine."

This story illustrates what it means to be a true Christian: to give, to forgive, to bless, to stop judging, condemning, and complaining, and to start lighting lamps. In other words, it means to be like Christ, who is the Light of the World. It is this spirit of giving that brings happiness not only to our lives but also to the world.

Homily for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Today's Feast of the Chair of St. Peter does not refer to a piece of furniture but instead recognizes the authority that Jesus bestowed upon St. Peter and his successors. This authority is not St. Peter's own; rather, it is the authority of Christ. The Chair, also known as the Cathedra, symbolizes that authority. The term "Cathedral," which refers to the seat of authority in any diocese, is derived from this concept.

Jesus’ authority was never used for His own purposes but to carry out the will of His Father in heaven. He used His authority to heal the sick, comfort the brokenhearted, and give hope to the oppressed. Similarly, the authority given to St. Peter is less about power and more about responsibility—a responsibility grounded in faith, love, and compassion.

This idea is also reflected in Bernini's sculpture of the Chair of St. Peter, which is located under the dome of the Basilica in Rome. The inscription on it reads, "O Pastor Ecclesiae, tu omnes Christi pascis agnos et oves," meaning, "O pastor of the Church, you feed all of Christ's lambs and sheep."

On this special day, let us pray for our Holy Father and his health, that the Holy Spirit may always guide him as he continues to serve as the Vicar of Christ on earth. May his work, prayer, and life exemplify how to use the gifts we have received to spread God's love and grace to everyone we encounter.

Homily for Friday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time

Being true to Jesus' teachings and the values that shaped His life and ministry often requires us to go against conventional expectations. We must forsake our own desires to prioritize the Lord in our lives. This may seem like a loss to others and sometimes even to ourselves. To remain faithful to the Lord's path, we frequently need to say "no" to what many say "yes" to.

Following the Lord's teachings can be difficult; it often means taking the Way of the Cross. However, Jesus promises that those who lose their lives for His sake and for the sake of the Gospel will ultimately save their lives and experience a more profound sense of being alive. What may initially seem like a loss will ultimately be a gain. 

Jesus acknowledges the temptation to feel ashamed of Him and His teachings and the urge to keep our faith concealed to fit in. However, when we are willing to live our faith openly, even when pressured to do otherwise, we will ultimately experience the fullness of life that the Lord desires for each of us.

Homily for Thursday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus often asked questions of the people He met. One of His most essential questions is found in today's Gospel. First, He asks, "Who do people say that I am?" Then He asks the more important question, "But who do you say that I am?"

This question is directed to each of us, and we are all called to answer it for ourselves. However, it is not a question that merely seeks information that may be found in a book or online. It is a question that engages our minds and our hearts. Peter answered Jesus' question correctly: "You are the Christ."

Yet, Peter's answer did not contain the whole truth about Jesus. Jesus went on to reveal Himself as the Christ who would also be the suffering Son of Man, rejected, put to death, and rise after three days. This was hard for Peter to accept. He needed to learn to embrace the whole truth about Jesus, to accept Jesus as He truly is, rather than as Peter wanted or imagined Him to be. Peter still had a long journey before he could fully answer Jesus' question.

Likewise, we are all on that same journey, learning to receive Jesus as He is rather than how we wish Him to be or picture Him.

Let us pray that we will be diligent and patient, opening our minds and hearts as we make each step on that journey.

Homily for Wednesday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time

Today's story of Jesus curing a blind man is interesting because this healing happened in stages. The miracle's stages are essential: first, the man saw blurred shapes like trees; later, he could see everything clearly. 

These stages mirror our growth in faith. We should be grateful to St. Mark for keeping this memory of Jesus' method of working in stages. This idea applies to our own lives and our journey toward holiness. We cannot achieve holiness alone or instantly; we need to let Jesus guide us by the hand toward each milestone as we gradually see the things of God more clearly.

Homily for Tuesday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus appears annoyed and frustrated with His disciples. Despite everything they have witnessed during their time with Him, they do not seem to grasp who He is. Moreover, He realizes that not only do they fail to understand Him, but they will also eventually abandon Him. Yet, these very disciples will initiate a now 2,000-year tradition of passing on the faith.

In the closing chapter of Mark’s Gospel, a young man sitting in the tomb tells Mary Magdalene and Salome, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him. But go and tell His disciples and Peter, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you.”

Despite their shortcomings, Jesus meets with them again in Galilee to renew their calling. The Gospel illustrates that Jesus remains faithful to us, even when we struggle to be faithful to Him. He goes ahead of us into all the situations we face, calling us from our failures back to begin anew.