TV Mass Homily

“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 some who heard those words turn toward one another with puzzled looks on their faces. 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. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but real peace, not a peace that sugar coats reality, not peace at any price, not peace that does not save. Most of us can attest to the fact that living the teachings of Christ and standing up for His truth can bring division. It has…

Our readings today encourage us to evaluate the depth of our faith. Is it secure enough to assure that we are prepared for the Day of the Lord? One of the beautiful benefits of the gift of faith is that it allows us to 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 led them toward the Promised Land. The reality is that we can question God’s ways and therefore lose hope.…

“For though one be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Yet the acquiring of possessions is an important influence in our country’s economy. I like to think that I am not lured into the mindset of the accumulation of things. Yet I have 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 to accumulate possessions is as present as it was in the parable of the rich man in today’s Gospel. I am not faulting this business approach. I am faulting me for giving into this temptation for things. As I anticipate retirement and vacating the Bishops House for my successor,…

It was Saint Augustine I think who said, “Man is a beggar before God.” Our readings encourage us that when we beg for what are right and just, our loving Father answers. In our first reading Abraham begs God to not destroy Sodom a city consumed by sin because in the midst of it all there are good people, even saints. God responds favorably to Abraham’s persistent prayer. Our psalm response declares and reassures, “Lord, on the day I called for help you answered me.” St. Paul in the 2nd reading reminds us that we received new life in baptism when as free gift we became adopted children of God and therefore can call on God as our Father in our prayer. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus prayed regularly…

Can you imagine welcoming Jesus into your home? Actually we ought to do so each day though not as described in the Gospel reading. Having guests in our homes though can be nerve wracking. When I was a pastor and the bishop was coming, we would all 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. Each of us approaches such situations in our own ways. Some are well organized and have it all together. Others, no matter how much we plan, these events seem to be on the brink of disaster. In part it is temperament or expectations or priorities. Mary and Martha, sisters, likely had different temperaments, expectations and priorities which…

If you were driving along one of our beautiful country highways, maneuvering the twist and turns, the rises and the valleys, and you saw a car stopped along the side of the road with its hood up or lights flashing, would you stop? If you saw a man slumped along the side of the road, would you stop? Of course each of us ought to use the virtue of prudence in such situations and there are ways to report such realities and allow them to be dealt with in a safe and professional way. However, not all those in need so apparent are along the side of a highway. Rather they are along the roadside of our lives – at home, at work, in our families, in our Church. They…

Travel light, Jesus instructed his disciples as he sent them out into the world to evangelize, to share the Good News of Jesus as Lord and Savior person to person and thus challenge the prevailing culture. That is the job description for us all as new evangelizers as hard even intimidating as it is. “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; do not stop along the way to greet passersby. Avoid anything that interferes with your mission. Travel light and trust in me,” he told them and tells us. It must have been hard for them trusting that their needs would somehow be met. It is even harder for in our culture with our dependence on things, gadgets and conveniences. When I travel by plane I am amazed how…

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 raise up the issue of preserving religious freedom as we do each year around the 4th of July. Each year we recall 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 of Happiness” which are now under attack by many in the media, freedom from religion proponents, and others in governments at all levels. Fortunately here in South Dakota that movement is not…

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. While we in our country seem to minimize this feast, but in many countries it is a day of festival and true celebration for the Lord is with us. The Eucharist, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes, “is the heart and summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by his sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body the Church.” The Catechism continues to explain: “The Holy Eucharist is a sacramental sacrifice, memorial of Christ’s Passover, the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death…

Permit me to begin by thanking so many for their prayers for me these last weeks since my mini-stroke. I am truly appreciative and now from experience encourage that when the signs of stroke are present seek out medical attention. It saves lives. I also ask for your prayers as the bishops of the United States gather in Baltimore this week and seek to better address the horror of child sexual abuse and better accountability of bishops. Once again I apologize for our failings over the years and encourage victims to come forward to law enforcement and to the diocese so that pastoral support might be offered. “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.” That is our psalm response on this the Solemnity of Pentecost.…