Homilies

This Gospel is a parable that encourages us to look at routine things in life in a new way, through the lens of Gospel values. Jesus was at a dinner and the people were “observing him carefully.” The fact is that he was observing them carefully with the intent to teach them. Jesus was not teaching good manners or how to get ahead. He is teaching us good discipleship and how to get to heaven. We are encouraged to approach social gatherings with humility. Jesus used a wedding banquet as an example. The ultimate wedding banquet of course is heaven. When priests get together one of the topics is inevitably weddings. We are not taught in seminary how to choreograph a wedding, though we must. We learn it the hard…

Today’s Gospel is good news but it is also a wakeup call. “Will only a few people be saved,” Jesus was asked. Some scripture scholars tell us that the questioner was likely expecting Jesus to affirm the belief that Gentiles, foreigners could not be saved. So he must have been surprised with the response. The gate is narrow, Jesus answered, but open to all. In the first reading from Isaiah, the Lord said, “I come to gather nations of every language . . . they shall bring their brothers and sisters from all the nations.” Jesus said in the Gospel reading, “people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and we will recline at table in the kingdom of God.” The universal…

In the Gospel, Jesus said, “do you think I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. “Those are startling words from the man we call the Prince of Peace. We can almost see listeners turn toward one another with puzzled looks on their faces. What did he say? Did he say he came to disrupt family life by turning father against son, mother against daughter? I thought he was about love, unity, forgiveness, reconciliation. He is of course. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but real peace, not a peace that sugar coats reality, not peace at any price. Jesus knew that faith in him would bring division not because he wanted it but because he calls for conversion, changes in attitude and…

In the Gospel reading Jesus challenges us to reflect on the tension or the balance that is needed to be prepared for judgment whenever it comes and to accept our responsibilities to live each day faithfully in the present. Among the beautiful benefits of the gift of faith is that it allows us to live fulfilling lives today and at the same time look to the future with hope. In the 2nd reading, from Hebrews, the writer raises up for us the model of Abraham, our Father in faith, and his wife Sarah who trusted in God’s ways as unfathomable as they might have seemed. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom invites us to recall the faith of the Israelites as Moses under the guidance of the Lord…

I am not much of a shopper. The daily garb of priests is basic black of which there is little variety. I have however on occasion purchased items over the internet. Ever since I constantly receive e-mails inviting me to buy more with the enticing line that those who have purchased what I did also purchased these other items. Temptation. I am not faulting this business approach. I am faulting me for giving into this temptation for things. It causes me to wonder and perhaps you might as well: if God forbid I was to die tomorrow, how comfortable would I be for others who attend to my affairs rummaging through my closets, my drawers, my current residence. What estate would they uncover? When a very rich person died the…

Once again our readings raise up the importance of prayer by which we connect our lives to God. Saint Augustine said, “Man is a beggar before God.” A beggar is one in need; surely with all the turmoil in the world and the churning in our personal lives, we are in need. Our needs include reassurance, strength, courage, perspective, forgiveness, love and hope. These readings reassure us that when we “beg” for what is right and just, our loving Father responds. In the first reading Abraham begs God to not destroy Sodom a city consumed by sin if there are saints in its midst. God responds to Abraham’s persistent prayer. The psalm response also reassures, “Lord, on the day I called for help you answered me.” St. Paul in the…

The sad events of these last few weeks at home and abroad can dispirit the most optimistic of us. The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer as an old song once put it has been hijacked by violence, terrorism and loss of life. How to process and cope with it all? Our readings offer us an answer. Jesus entered a village where sisters Martha and Mary welcomed him. Can you imagine welcoming Jesus into your home? Having guests in our homes can be nerve wracking. When I was a pastor and the bishop was coming, many in the parish would be stirred up. Now I stir others up. Of course all of us want such visits to go well, to be hospitable and to be fitting. And so we prepare…

St. Paul in the Letter to the Galatians declares “You were made for freedom, brothers and sisters, but do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but rather serve one another through love.” That is an important reminder as we Catholics in the United States once again experience a Fortnight for Freedom which began last Tuesday on the Memorials of St. Thomas More and Bishop Saint John Fischer both of whom were martyred for their courage and conscience to stand true to the faith despite the abusive power of the then government. It ends on the Fourth of July when our forefathers with courage and conscience declared that “we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit…