Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Villains and Heroes are made out of the same stuff.
We are not surrounded by villains and heroes, we are surrounded by ordinary people. And every one of us, by our daily choices, can become a villain or hero.
Luke 12:49-53
Homily from the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
God had no backup plan after Mary.
The Assumption of Mary is the reality that Our Lady was taken up entirely into Heaven. This is, in some ways, the fulfillment of her entire life. Since she belonged totally to God, she was brought totally to God.
Luke 1:39-56
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Without obedience, there is no faith.
Followers of Jesus want to grow in faith, but do they understand what it is to live by faith?
Luke 12:32-48
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Remember you will die. Remember you have died.
We are called to live a new life. But we cannot live a new life until we have allowed our old life to die. We need to remember that we will die in the future. Christians also have the chance to remember that we already have died.
Luke 12:13-21
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The battle of prayer.
Every one of us knows that we ought to pray. But not all of us know how. In addition, not all of us know that prayer can often be a challenge...it is a battle.
Luke 11:1-13
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do it for the love of Jesus.
We all have a lot to do. We may even be tempted to resent all that we have to do. But if we do it for the right reason, even the most difficult tasks take on new power and new purpose.
Luke 10:38-42
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Knowing is nice. Doing makes the difference.
We can know exactly what to do, but unless we act on what we know, nothing will change.
Luke 10:25-37
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are some things worth risking everything for.
Those who signed the Declaration of Independance risked everything. Every Christian who follows Jesus is risking everything in order to have the Lord.
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Homily from the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
Jesus came to establish a Church.
The Church is an essential part of God's Kingdom on earth. Jesus is the King. Peter (and his successors) are the stewards of the King. This role has the authority to teach, guide, and govern.
Matthew 16:13-19
Homily from the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Jesus did not say "Read this in memory of Me." He said "Do this in memory of Me."
The greatest gift Jesus gave us is Himself in the Eucharist. And yet, even people who love Jesus very much can miss this gift without the guidance and teaching of the Church.
Luke 9:11-17
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Even when the Bible seems clear, earnest Christians can get it wrong. We need a Church to tell us when we are wrong.
The most important revelation of God is His own identity. From the beginning, Christians have needed more than the words of Sacred Scripture to guide them into all truth. We have needed the Holy Spirit leading the Church through error to know the depths of God's identity.
John 16:12-15
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
Without an infallible Teacher, an infallible Book is a worthless book.
The Church is messy. But it is also holy. And has been given the ability and the authority of Jesus to teach. Even in the midst of the brokenness of the human element of the Church, the Church is still the Infallible Teacher of Divine Revelation.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.
Jesus didn't give us the Bible. He gave us the Church. And the Church gave us the Bible.
All Christians believe in the 27 books of the New Testament. We all believe these books are the inspired Word of God based on the authority of the Church to recognize this truth and teach it. The same Church has the authority to declare the 46 books of the Old Testament as well.
John 17:20-26
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Do we rely on the Bible alone?
The Church is not optional. When there is a question that is not covered explicitly in the Bible (and even when it is), where do we look for guidance?
John 14:23-29
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Life is difficult. You don't have to move on alone.
In a difficult life and a difficult mission, Paul had someone with him who helped him continue to do the work he was called to do. Paul had someone who helped him move on.
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
We get the behavior we are willing to tolerate.
There are times when we need to establish boundaries...even with the people we love. Even as Christians, we need to choose and clearly communicate what we are able to or willing to tolerate.
John 10:27-30
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter
To be restored, we must revisit the place of ruin.
When we are called to move on, we may need to revisit the places in our lives that need healing in order to allow the Lord to change our future.
John 21:1-19
Homily from the Second Sunday of Easter, Sunday of Divine Mercy
Five words that can change your life.
Life is filled with change and uncertainty. But there is one thing that is stable and unchanging.
John 20:29
Homily from the The Resurrection of the Lord, The Mass of Easter Day
Get up and do what you can.
We know that darkness is real. And death is real. But darkness and death are not the end. There are some things that never die...Faith...Love...the Promise of eternal life.
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
This is not the end of the Story, but it had to happen for the Story to go on.
The Passion of Christ is not the end of the Story, but we must pause and reflect on it. It is the lens through which we see: What love looks like when it costs everything, what sin looks like when we can see the wounds, and what mercy looks like when it refuses to give up.
John 18:1—19:42
