08/18/24 Praise First...and Last

Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Restriction is the first step towards freedom. God is good. God wants all of us to have the fullness of life and of joy. God wants all of us to have HIM. But there are things that suffocate joy. There are things in our lives that rob us of God. There are things that we choose to keep in our lives that strip us of freedom. And Jesus calls us to be ruthless in how we approach those things. Mass Readings from September 29, 2024: Nehemiah 11:25-29 Psalms 19:8, 10, 12-14James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Not all ambition is bad. Every good thing that we have in our lives we most likely have because an individual (or group of individuals) wanted to do something great. Jesus warns us of the dangers of wanting to be first. James warns us about selfish ambition. But is every desire to be great or to do great things wrong? Mass Readings from September 22, 2024: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 Psalms 54:3-6 and 8James 3:16—4:3 Mark 9:30-37

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our answer makes a difference. We are presented today with the single most important question any of us will be asked and all of us will have to answer: who do you say that Jesus is? Mass Readings from September 15, 2024: Isaiah 50:5-9 Psalms 116:1-9James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Love the person in front of you. It is easy to walk through life and feel invisible. Like you don't matter. Like you have nothing to offer. But when we are seen by Christ, all of that has the potential to change. And then we can begin to see that we are called to love the person in front of us who has nothing to offer. Mass Readings from September 8, 2024: Isaiah 35:4-7 Psalms 146:6-10James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37

Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. It's the least you can do. We are made to strive. We are made to pursue the ideal. But we also need to know what the minimum is. We also need to know: What is the least I can do? (And still give the Lord access to my heart!) Mass Readings from September 1, 2024: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 Psalms 15:2-5James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Do not miss your turn. There are times in our lives when we have the opportunity and the ability to make a decision that will change the direction of our lives. Joshua issued this invitation to the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land and we are issued the same invitation. We must decide for ourselves whom we will serve. Mass Readings from August 25, 2024: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b Psalms 34:2-3, 16-21Ephesians 5:21-32 John 6:60-69

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Let praise go up first. There is something that every Christian can do at every moment and in every situation...that most of us forget to do. Or we fail to do it. God has called us to offer praise at all times. Mass Readings from August 18, 2024: Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalms 34:2-7Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58

Homily from the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Body and soul in Heaven. The fact of the Assumption is the greatest reminder that all those who have died in Christ are meant to rise with Christ. All of us will get our bodies back and we will rise on the Last Day; some to the Resurrection of Glory and others to the Resurrection of Shame. Mass Readings from August 15, 2024: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10 Psalms 45:10, 11, 12, 161 Corinthians 15:20-27 Luke 1:39-56

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. What does a"win" look like? There are times when we accomplish our goals...and then we still feel that there ought to be something more. There are times when "winning" is just as empty as "losing". In those moments, we have the opportunity to step back and ask what we are shooting for. These are the moments we can ask "what does a 'win' look like?" Mass Readings from August 11, 2024: 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalms 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9Ephesians 4:30—5:2 John 6:41-51

Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. There are four kinds of vision...one is the most helpful. We all want to see the world accurately. But most often, we fall into the blindness of being shortsighted. Then we want foresight so that we can know what will happen. Or hindsight so that we know what we've lived through. But God calls us to a newer sight. One that helps us get out of the desert by going through the desert. Mass Readings from August 4, 2024: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Psalms 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 John 6:24-35