5/19/24 Gift and Mystery: Use the Gift

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Do I not know? Or do I not care? The Eucharist is truly the Body, and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Beyond all of God's other gifts, this gift stands alone. Because it is the gift of His very Self. And yet, too often our hearts are cold and indifferent to this Greatest of Gifts. Mass Readings from June 2, 2024: Exodus 24:3-8 Psalms 116:12-13, 15-18Hebrews 9:11-15 Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. God wants to spend time with you. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity is the Mystery of God's identity. The tri-Personal God is more than an abstract concept, yet the Trinity can often remain in our minds as a vague "idea". And yet, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God has claimed us, brought us into a new relationship with Him, and made us a new creation. Mass Readings from May 26, 2024: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 Psalms 33:4-6, 9, 18-20, 22Romans 8:14-17 Matthew 28:16-20

Homily from Pentecost Sunday. The best way to thank the Giver is to use the gift. At Pentecost, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit upon the disciples and blessed them with His gifts. Immediately, they used those gifts. These gifts were given to be used. And so are all of the gifts God continues to give. Mass Readings from May 19, 2024: Acts 2:1-11 Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 341 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23

Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension. Who am I building up? God has given us His promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and makes us holy, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us so that we can participate in the work of God in the world. At His Ascension, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit so that we could continue His work here on earth. Mass Readings from May 12, 2024: Acts 1:1-11 Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 Mark 16:15-20

Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter. The strength that got you here is not the strength needed to get you there. As we continue to grow and age and mature, we also continue to experience the reality of decline. Each of us will come to know what it is to have less youthful strength. Rather than lament this fact, we can learn to adapt and choose a different strength. We can choose a new definition of what it is to "win" at life. Mass Readings from May 5, 2024: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Psalms 98:1-41 John 4:7-10 John 15:9-17

Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter. You got to wake up today. We don't know if we will have enough time to finish, but we do know that we have time to start. We have a tendency to delay, but the only time that we have is now; and since we got to wake up today, we have the chance to say "Now, I begin". Mass Readings from April 28, 2024: Acts 9:26-31 Psalms 22:26-28, 30-321 John 3:18-24 John 15:1-8

Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Stand in the truth and do the next right thing. Life can easily overwhelm us, leaving us in a place where we feel beaten and in a season of discouragement. But choosing humility and hope...choosing to live the truth and to do the next right thing...is the key to living courageously. Mass Readings from April 21, 2024: Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 291 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18

Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter. The first step is to stop. Once we realize that we have to repent...that we are called to "change our minds"...the first step is to stop. To examine what it is that we are thinking and to which thoughts, sins, and false images of God we have made agreements with. And then to break those agreements in order to say "Now I begin". Mass Readings from April 14, 2024: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 Psalms 4:2, 4, 7-91 John 2:1-5a Luke 24:35-48

Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday. Mercy is the love we need the most and deserve the least. We all want to get what we deserve. We want justice, and God is Just. But there are times when we need something more than justice...there are times when we might deserve justice, but need mercy. Mass Readings from April 7, 2024: Acts 4:32-35 Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-241 John 5:1-6 John 20:19-31

Homily from Easter Sunday. Are Jesus and the Mass merely optional...or essential? We have such full lives and such small hearts that we are relieved when things get cancelled. But, for the things that are neccesary, we would be devasted if we missed them. Who Jesus is to us will determine our response when we are not able to get to Mass or receive the Eucharist. Mass Readings from March 31, 2024: Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9