St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

Homily for the Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

There is a true story about a man who was away on a business trip and was using a rental car on a highway that was a toll road. In the process of driving, he kept going through tollbooths without paying because he was used to doing that at home as his tolls were tracked through his transponder and paid through his credit card. After he went through a couple of tollbooths without paying, he realized that there was no transponder in the car and that he probably should stop. But he kept going through the tollbooths anyway, figuring that either the rental company would pay the tolls or that the state wouldn’t bother billing him for what was most likely a small amount.

 

A few months passed and the man received a toll violation notice. When he opened it up and read the bill, he found that he was right about the small amount of the tolls; they came to a total of $3.90. However, he blew through five toll booths and that cost him $20 each, for a total bill of $103.90! Indeed, the state did catch up with him and, in the end, he paid a high price.

 

In a sense, that is what Jesus is warning us about in today’s Gospel passage. While it may seem like we have a lot of time and that, perhaps, our failures will not catch up with us, Jesus lets us know that our time may be short and that we can be sure that all that we have done in this life – both the good and the bad – will be dealt with at the end of time.

 

Some may look at this message as “fire and brimstone,” but it really comes out of Jesus’ love for us and out of His sincere desire that we join Him in Paradise one day.

 

Let us pray that we may see this message as one of hope and not one that is meant to scare us, and may each day be for us a day of preparation for the Day of the LORD. +

Memorial of St. Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr

So often, in literature and in movies, the presence of God is presented to us in dramatic fashion – through miracles or incredibly earth-shattering events. The reality is, as Jesus points out in today’s Gospel passage, that God is already present among us; His kingdom is already coming to fruition among us, in the ordinary moments of our everyday lives.

Jesus warns that we will hear people announcing that the LORD is present in all sorts of phenomena and that we should pay attention to these things if we really want to encounter God.

It is important for us to remember that we are all created by God and in God’s image. God is as close to us as our hearts and souls and God is found in every moment of our lives, even in the most mundane of things.

May our eyes always be fixed on the presence of the LORD, who is with us in all things and through all things. +

Homily for the Memorial of St. Martin of Tours

In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom talks about a time in her life that taught her to be grateful to God for everything. During the Second World War, Corrie and her sister had been hiding Jewish people in their home to keep them from the grasp of the Nazis. At one point, the Nazis discovered this and arrested them and imprisoned them at Ravensbrück, a concentration camp for women located in northern Germany.

Their barracks were extremely overcrowded and infested with fleas. One day, while reading the Bible, they read that they should rejoice in all things.

Corrie’s sister, Betsy, said, "Corrie, we've got to give thanks for this barracks and even for these fleas."

Corrie answered, "There is no way that am I going to thank God for fleas!" But Betsy was convincing, and, in the end, they did thank God for the fleas.

During the next several months, they discovered that the guards pretty much ignored their barracks and they were free to study the Bible, talk openly among themselves, and even pray together. It was their only place of refuge from the atrocities of the camp. Quite some time later, they learned that the reason the guards never entered their barracks was because of those pesky fleas!

Gratitude is an easy thing for us to forget, especially in a culture that seems to tell us that we deserve everything. Listen to how many times advertisements tell us that we deserve whatever it is they are trying to sell.

Our Gospel passage today shows us both gratitude and a lack of gratitude. The Samaritan leper recognized that his healing was a gift from God and came back to praise God and give thanks for this new lease on life. May his sense of thankfulness be an example to us that we should give thanks and praise to God for all that we have and all that we are. +

Homily for the Memorial of St. Leo the Great

Today’s Gospel passage is preceded by a request of Jesus from His Apostles. They say to Him, “Increase our faith.”[1] And today’s passage is His response to that request.

 

A few years ago, I had an employee who would show up for work at exactly 8:00 AM every day. He would take his breaks at the prescribed times and for the exact amount of time allotted, and he left at precisely 4:00 PM every day. As was his due, he took all allotted vacation days and personal days. And he always took exactly the number of sick days he was allowed; he even scheduled them. He always did exactly what was expected of him; nothing less and nothing more.

 

Did I have a major complaint? No. Would I give him an Employee of the Year Award? Probably not.

 

His job was important to him but only insofar as he received his pay each week. It would be hard to say that he loved his job or that he was dedicated to it. He was dedicated to getting his paycheck (which is understandable), and to doing what he needed to do to get it, but nothing more.

 

That’s the kind of approach that Jesus warns against in his response to His Apostles’ request to increase their faith.

 

Faith is more than checking off a list of completed requirements; it’s a way of life that impels us to build on what is merely required to truly be an active part of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s not just what we do; it’s what we live and breathe in our words, actions, and attitudes.+

 

[1] Luke 17:5

Homily for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

The earliest days of the Church saw the beginning of the official persecution of Christians with the words of Emperor Nero, who said, "Let there be no more Christians." After Nero’s death, persecutions continued on and off for the next 240 years until 313 AD, when, about a year after he converted to Christianity, Emperor Constantine granted religious liberty to Christians and all people of goodwill. To the Pope, Constantine gave the Lateran Palace that had been seized by Nero from an early Christian family named Laterani.

Within a few years, a baptistry dedicated to John the Baptist, and a large basilica dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, were built next to the palace. Pope Sylvester consecrated it on November 9, 324 AD. Our freedom to worship in this church of St. Thomas the Apostle and every parish church began on that November day so long ago.

Since that time, the Roman empire rose and fell. The Coliseum, where Christians died for their faith was abandoned. Throughout the centuries, wars, earthquakes, and fires severely damaged or entirely destroyed the cathedral church and the palace six times. Each time they were restored with even greater magnificence. The empire is gone, but Christians still celebrate the Eucharist in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

The Lateran church reminds us how great it is to have religious freedom. Sometimes, though, that freedom is taken away in some parts of our world. When persecutors say, "Let there be no more Christians," the grace of the early Church is needed again, the grace of martyrdom and courage to publicly embrace the Cross of Christ is needed once again. For we know that the future of Christians is not in palaces like that of the Laterani Family, nor in hidden catacombs where early Christians would worship, but in heavenly places, in the full presence of God, where the Church will truly be free. +

Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

There once lived a man in ancient Spain named Leonardo. His days were as busy as anyone’s today. One day his shop was overflowing with customers when a good friend dropped by and said, “I have good news!” Leonardo dropped a heavy bundle he was carrying and replied, “It better be important. The store is mobbed, and I have no time to chat.”

 

His friend said, “It is important. You once told me that you have a burning question within your heart. One you have never shared with anyone.” Leonardo answered, “That is true. There is no one to answer it with wisdom.” Leonardo’s friend told him that he had just heard of a man considered a living saint who lived near the coast. The friend was confident that this man could answer whatever questions Leonardo had for him.

 

Leonardo had a strong feeling that this man could perhaps answer his question. He looked out his shop door, ignoring his many customers. The moment had finally come. He gently pushed his astonished customers out the door, explaining that an emergency had arisen, and he would have to close the shop indefinitely. He asked them to come back another time.

 

Immediately Leonardo headed out with staff in hand. Throughout the long journey, through fields and mountains, the question burned more deeply into his heart. At last, he found himself at the door of the saintly man’s seaside hut. When the door swung open, a small elderly man stood smiling, saying, “Good morning! Come in and have some tea....” But Leonardo said right away, “I have one question to ask of you, and I won’t budge until it’s answered. The saintly man leaned against the doorpost and waited. Leonardo asked, “If you had one day to live - just one day - how would you spend it?”

 

The old man stroked his white beard and thought for a moment. “Well,” he said, “first I might say my morning prayer... Afterward, I might fix a little tea and go down to weed my garden. Of course, I might go down the road to visit my neighbor Juan, since his arthritis bothers him this time of year...”

 

The old man paused to watch some seagulls dive into the nearby waves.

 

“Then,” he continued, “I might have a bite of lunch... or perhaps take a nap...”

 

Leonardo interrupted the man saying, “Wait a minute. That’s how you live every day.” There was silence as another seagull plunged into the water. “Of course,” the old man smiled, “Why would I live my last day any differently?”

 

Jesus tells us in our parable today that we must be prepared for the Kingdom of God, lest we be locked out because we have forgotten to prepare ourselves properly. Jesus’ parable and the story of Leonardo teach us an important lesson very simply and explicitly:

 

We must be prepared to enter the Kingdom of God. Our preparation is not simply a list of tasks to be performed or a list of requirements that need to be fulfilled by a particular point in time. Instead, our preparation is a way of life to be continuously lived.

 

As long as we put our relationship with God and our answer to God’s call to love on a list of things to do, we will fail to allow God’s love to transform our hearts and our lives.

 

Our last day on earth should be filled with expressions of love and concern for others, with acts of love for the needy, with praise and thanksgiving for God. Our last day on earth should be like all other days of our life. Why would we want to do it any differently?+

Homily for Saturday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

In today's first reading, St. Paul praised his faithful friends who performed their part in service of the Gospel. While in prison, simply knowing that his friends had not forgotten him lifted his spirit. He told them that he could cope with his circumstances, regardless of the challenges.

His friends' gift did more than make his cell more bearable; it gave him solace to know that they still cared for him.

In our lives, we must be both givers and grateful receivers. After giving what we can to those in need, we must gladly accept our dependency on others in different ways. As has been said, what goes around comes around.

Eons before Karl Marx said, "To each according to their need; from each according to their ability," the same premise was evident in the teaching of Jesus and St Paul.

The Gospel instructs us to make generous use of what we have and not be slaves of money or material possessions. In such matters, what some think important may be trivial in God's eyes. If we are faithful in such small matters, we may look forward with hope to much greater things.+

Homily for Friday of the 31st Week of the Year

In the parable that we hear in today’s Gospel reading, we find a rich man confronting his steward about misusing the man’s property. He commands him to make a full accounting, telling him that he will no longer be employed by him.

The steward recognizes that he will need the help of his master’s many debtors, and so he calls each of them and lowers the debt that each on carries. While this does bear a little bit of dishonesty, it points to a much greater message 

We see that the master is no longer quite so angry with the steward after he lowers the burden of the debtors. Perhaps, in seeing the mercy with which the steward treated the debtors, he also tempered his response with mercy.

In the LORD’s Prayer, we ask God to be merciful just as we are merciful. May the story of the dishonest steward guide us in our response to people in our lives. +

Homily for Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Again, today, in our Gospel reading, we encounter the tenacious propensity of the Scribes and Pharisees to exclude those whom they see as imperfect and to criticize Jesus for eating with them and spending time with them.

 

But Jesus, using parables, tells His critics that His focus (and theirs) should be on exactly the people with whom He is eating. Elsewhere, He reminds them that it is not for the righteous that He has come but to save the lost and forsaken. To do this, He must meet them on their level and not wait for them to redeem themselves. This means that Jesus will eat with them, speak with them, spend time with them, and love them.

 

We, too, are called to seek out the lost and forsaken, to serve those who are in need: the sick, the oppressed, the poor, and, yes, even the sinner.

 

May our lives be an example of the true teaching of Jesus as we seek to be His voice, His hands, His feet, and His instruments in our world. +

Homily for the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo

A lot of people have difficulty with today’s Gospel passage, especially about people needing to “hate” members of their family. Not only does this rub us the wrong way on a personal level, but it also seems to fly in the face of other things that Jesus has said, that the Scriptures have said and that even the Ten Commandments have said: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” So, what is Jesus really saying here?

 

Well, Jesus is not really speaking about “hate” as we usually understand it; He is saying that we must love Him and our heavenly Father even more than we love our own parents, our own family members. He is saying that when we are faced with a choice to follow Him or not, we must always choose Him, even when it involves a choice between Him and family.

 

It does sound harsh as Jesus said it in our Gospel passage, and sometimes Jesus said things in a harsh way to get the attention of those who were listening to Him. But He wanted to acknowledge that, at times, following Him can be very difficult and, at rarer times, put us at odds with even those we love most, and we must be willing to choose Him over them.

 

Let us pray that our faith and trust in Jesus may be strong, even when following Him means taking up some very painful crosses and burdens. +