TV Mass Homily

One commentator suggested that in today’s Gospel reading there are two miracles; one is Jesus feeding of the people, the other is the generosity of the boy. Picture that scene. There are over 5,000 men, if that does not include women and children likely many more people, out in the countryside, hungry and probably getting restless. No McDonald’s for miles. In last week’s Gospel Jesus looked out at the crowd and felt pity, compassion for them, like sheep without a shepherd. Through this miracle of multiplication he conveyed that he is their good shepherd, and ours. As the psalm response reminds us: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. It is interesting to observe the characters in this Gospel rendering and how they dealt with…

Jesus sent out the twelve Apostles two by two to share the Good News of Christ among us. He told them to take nothing with them but a walking stick and sandals, no food, no backpack, no money, no extra clothes, no cellphone. I suspect he did this to underscore the immediacy of their ministry – souls were at risk. I also suspect that he did so to challenge them and us on what is most important in our lives – Him or things. It is not that we should not make prudent provision for basic needs. On hot summer days and cold winter nights we need to make appropriate provision for health and safety. Yet, I know that when I prepare to travel I have a struggle deciding what…

Look into the eyes of children and ask yourself: am I a prophet? There are many to whom people look to as prophets – weather forecasters, sports commentators, political poll takers, bloggers of all shades, media and theatrical celebrities. My sister once seemed like a prophet to me when I was little. We six kids and my mother were in the kitchen making our own hamburger patties for supper. My mother left the room and someone thought it would be a great idea to see who could throw their patty the highest without touching the ceiling. My sister predicted that we were going to get into trouble. She was right. One brother threw his so strongly that it momentarily stuck to the ceiling. Just as it was ready to give…

Weather is a powerful influence in our daily lives; it affects our attitudes and actions. At least to me it seems that this year there has been an amazing pattern of unpredictable weather – heavy rains and the resulting flooding coupled with drought and the resulting forest fires; late spring blizzard and 90 degree heat. Since I came to South Dakota and have learned the history of our state and Church and traveled its vast reaches, I marvel at the stamina, courage and resiliency of the immigrants and natives in whose legacy we live. Many who immigrated to South Dakota did so with the expectation of owning and working the land in freedom. They brought with them the faith of their youth and sought to pass it on. Yearning for…

Today the Church raises up for us the Nativity, the Birth of John the Baptist. Most often saints are raised up for our reflection on the day they died or when some suggest they were born into eternal life. Thus this focus on the birth of John the Baptist is unusual and therefore noteworthy. The only other births raised up are the birth of the Blessed Mother and of course that of Jesus. John’s birth is seen as so significant that it supersedes the reading of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time today. The Nativity of John the Baptist on comes three months after the celebration on of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, and six months before…

The parables of the seeds in today’s Gospel by which Jesus teaches and challenges us are recognizable to us here in South Dakota especially in this time of year when we see after spring planting the early signs of growth in the fields. We can envision the corn and sunflowers and soybeans and other crops as they will grow in the months ahead. Yet all start small, like a mustard seed. Seeds grow imperceptibly. If we watch a seed from hour to hour no change can be seen. But when we compare it to last week or last month, growth is apparent. But growth does require patient waiting which can be a challenge and requires attentive watching for weeds and other destructive forces that can interfere even destroy what the…

Today’s readings make clear the presence of evil in the world, and also makes clear that the antidote, the answer to evil is knowing Jesus Christ who overcame evil to save us. How humbling and how hopeful is that truth. The reality of evil is noted in the first pages of Sacred Scripture as the reading from Genesis makes clear. God created the world and found that it was good. But then Adam and Eve were tempted by the evil one and gave into that temptation. When called to account Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake. If the snake could have spoken it would have blamed a chipmunk or something else. That is the nature of being called to account. Some of us are old enough to remember the…

Last week when we raised up the sacred truth of the Holy Trinity we reflected on why we make the sign of the cross. Today as we raise up the sacred truth of the Holy Eucharist, we might reflect on why we genuflect when we enter a Catholic church. The reason is simple. We bend our knee or if not able bow in humble recognition of the sacred truth and mystery of the faith that Our Lord is truly present - body and blood, soul and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the Tabernacle. The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares why this special recognition is emphasized. It notes that: “The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church…

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Our gospel reading is the conclusion of the gospel of Matthew when Jesus missioned the apostles to “Go out to all the world and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  He then ascended. This final worldly act has been called the Great Commission. This gospel reading affirms the truth of the Trinity, an essential mystery of faith, one God in three persons. A mystery in the Church can only be believed in faith because it is not able to be fully explained or understood in our limited humanness. We can accept it because it has been articulated through the Spirit guided Church Jesus instituted. We will declare our belief…

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, Come Holy Spirit, we pray. How does the Holy Spirit come? In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles He comes through driving wind and tongues of fire. In the Gospel of John, He comes in the peaceful breath of our Lord. The dove is often associated with the Spirit. I read that In the Dark Ages that lasted some 600 years beginning in the 5th century, life for the people was indeed dark, drab and tenuous. Scholars tell us that one of the few uplifting elements of their lives was the Church which gave them hope. In at least one church on Pentecost at the appropriate time, doves were released through small doors in the ceiling as a symbol of the presence of the Holy…