Episodes
20 hours ago
Homily for Friday of the 6th Week of Easter
20 hours ago
20 hours ago
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus knew that His disciples would experience grief and sadness after His death. However, He also assured them that these feelings would not last forever. Jesus promised them that their sorrow would turn into joy, a joy that no one could take from them because He would rise from the dead and see them again.
If we trust in Jesus, we can be assured that whatever sorrows we endure will not last forever. He is present with us here and now in the power of His risen life, and this transformation of sadness into joy can be experienced during our life journey, not just in the life beyond death.
2 days ago
2 days ago
Many years ago, when the war with Iraq was beginning, and the media was covering it 24/7, an unexpected and emotional moment happened on NBC. This moment shifted the focus of the war from "shock and awe" headlines to the heartbreaking reality of the situation.
On the first day of the air strikes on Baghdad, Tom Brokaw, the then-anchor of NBC News, moderated a discussion in the studio with three military commanders. They analyzed the first few hours of the battle and discussed possible strategies for the next phase of the attack.
During the broadcast, news broke of the first casualties of the war - a Marine helicopter carrying four Americans and eight British marines crashed during a sandstorm near the Iraqi oil fields. The aircraft was flown by Marine Captain Jay Aubin from Winslow, Maine.
NBC producers contacted Captain Aubin's mother, Nancy Chamberlain, who agreed to speak with Brokaw on air. She spoke eloquently and lovingly about her son's dedication to the Marine Corps and his passion for flying. At the end of the interview, Brokaw expressed his condolences to Mrs. Chamberlain. She then asked, "May I make a point?" Brokaw invited her to continue.
She said, “I truly admire what all of the network news and all of the new technologies are doing today to bring [the war] into our homes. But for the mothers and the fathers and the wives who are watching, it is murder. It is heartbreak. We can’t leave the television. Every tank, every helicopter [we see] – [we ask:] is that our son?” She said, “Technology is great, but there are moms and dads and wives and children out there who are suffering because of this. This,” she said, “is why I agreed to do this interview.”
Mrs. Chamberlain's words totally changed the mood of the show. Tom Brokaw, who was visibly moved, and three analysts decided to put aside their maps and charts. Instead, they spoke about their own experiences in combat, including the painful memory of watching their friends die. The retired commanders then went on to talk about their own sons and daughters who were serving in the military. They were no longer speaking as generals discussing war theories but as loving and proud parents who were anxious about their children's safety.
If only for a brief moment, Mrs. Chamberlain's loving memory of her son and advocacy for the families of the servicemen and women transformed the war from a video game into the human tragedy that real war is.
On the Mount of the Ascension, Jesus calls us to proclaim His Gospel, to be His “witnesses.” We bear such witness whenever we act in a spirit of selfless giving and with a conviction of what is right and just.
Mrs. Chamberlain gave just such witness to the compassion of God in grace-filled words.
As followers of Christ, we are called to demonstrate the compassion and mercy of God that is present in the Gospel of the Risen Christ. We should strive to bring hope and peace to others and the communities we belong to, including our families, churches, and schools. With courage, we can share our generosity, empathy, and ethics to bear witness to the love of God that we have experienced through Christ's Resurrection.
May God grant us the strength to live out these values and be a source of light and love in our world.
3 days ago
3 days ago
Learning life's profound truths is a gradual process. Faith, too, is not an instant revelation but a journey that unfolds over time. In today's Gospel, Jesus acknowledges that He wants to share many things. Still, the disciples are not yet prepared to receive them.
The Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, who will be sent to them in the future, will reveal these things and lead them towards the complete truth. The Holy Spirit, our divine guide, will lead us to the complete truth about Jesus, His Father, our world, and ourselves.
This is a life-long journey that requires humility. We will never attain the complete truth in this life. We are always on the way. We can never honestly say, "I know it all." Instead, we must always leave ourselves open to being led by the Spirit more closely towards the complete truth, towards the One who said of Himself, "I am the truth."
4 days ago
4 days ago
[1]Genuine openness to the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will reveal to the world how it was wrong about sin and judgment. Those who supported Jesus' crucifixion thought He must have been a sinner to have suffered and died in the way He did because they believed this manner of death showed that God had judged Him. They thought it was right to execute Him because they believed He had led the Israelites away from the Law.
However, their judgments were utterly mistaken. Jesus was not a sinner, nor was He judged by God. What a contrast between God's perception and human perception! The One God looked upon as a beloved Son, others saw as a sinner. The One sent by God was viewed by others as condemned by God; they were entirely wrong.
Human judgments can be off-target, so we must keep seeking God's perspective and seeing others as God sees them. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, gives us God's perspective. He enables us to see as God sees, know as God knows, and be wise as God is wise.
[1] Based on a homily from biblical.ie.
5 days ago
5 days ago
[1]Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us about the early Church's growth. St. Paul and St. Luke, chosen messengers of God, traveled to Philippi and met Lydia, a wealthy merchant. Lydia and her whole household were converted after hearing their teachings and experiencing God's grace. She later invited them to her house.
This is still the best way to convert people. We need to go where the people are so they can relate to us, and we can speak to them about God. The work of evangelization is not just the responsibility of the clergy. As individuals of faith, we must go beyond the church building to engage with people. We have the power to bring souls to God through our personal interactions.
Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to enlighten minds and hearts and draw people to God. But he tells the Apostles (and us), 'You must also be my witnesses.' Personal contact is essential. We must be mission-minded, go out to people, and be brave, even knowing we may only sometimes be well-received.
But Jesus tells us not to be afraid; the Lord is with us, protecting us and fulfilling His promises about eternal life. Remember, the challenges we face in evangelization are not in vain. Every soul we bring to God is a testament to His love and mercy and a reward in itself.
[1] Based on a homily by Bishop John Marshall, 1928-1994
6 days ago
Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter
6 days ago
6 days ago
We are here to worship today because we love Jesus Christ and want to follow Him more closely.
We are all convinced, some more and some less, that true joy (the "complete joy" that Jesus speaks about in today's Gospel), the joy that our hearts long for, cannot be found apart from our friendship with Jesus Christ.
Some of us love Christ with a mature, deep, passionate love. Some of us love Him sincerely but still resist His will in some areas. We still have terrible habits of self-indulgence, for example, or we don't trust Him enough to accept Church teaching or to do what, in our conscience, we know He is asking us to do.
In either case, whether our love is mature or we are still on the way to maturity, there is one danger we all have to watch out for: thinking we can do it on our own.
We live in a global culture based on individualism and self-sufficiency; we measure success by achieving more than our neighbors.
And so, when it comes to loving God, which, again, is the only source of true, deep, lasting joy, we tend to think we can do it all by ourselves. We believe that the proper technique and effort will propel us into holiness.
But that is not the case.
The fuel for our Christian life doesn't come from ourselves but from God. We can only love God as He should be loved if we first experience His love for us. This is what St. John means in today's Second Reading when he says, "In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins."
We eventually get stuck and frustrated when we try to live our Christian lives in our own power without depending on God's grace. We either stop growing in virtue or cannot overcome some sinful habit.
Imagine a tree with only roots and a trunk but no branches or leaves. It wouldn't last very long. It would absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil. But without leaves that spread out and catch the rays of sunlight, it would receive no energy to turn that moisture and those nutrients into growth and fruitfulness.
Christ, the Son of God, and the revelation of His love for each of us is the sunlight that gives life and energy to our spiritual efforts. Only by discovering His love and letting it shine in our hearts will we, in turn, overcome our natural selfishness and learn to love others as He has loved us.
7 days ago
7 days ago
Jesus predicted many things, among them the world’s hatred for Him and His followers. All four Gospels show that Jesus was realistic about the hostility that would be directed at Him and His followers.
Jesus said, “No slave is greater than his master.” This statement carries profound implications. In today’s Gospel, He made it clear that if the world was hostile to the Master, the servants should anticipate the same treatment. It also signified that if the Master humbled Himself to wash the feet of the servants, they should be prepared to do the same for others, embodying humility and servitude.
Jesus's statement, “No slave is greater than his master,” gives us much to consider. It also underscores our dependence on the Holy Spirit to be like the Master.
Friday May 03, 2024
Homily for the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Friday May 03, 2024
Friday May 03, 2024
In today's Gospel, we hear Philip say to Jesus, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." This request may resonate with us, as we may feel that we will only be satisfied when we see God in heaven. However, Jesus responds to Philip by saying that God the Father, whom he longs to see, he already sees in Jesus: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." Jesus reminds us that he has already begun to satisfy our deepest longing for God.
Through his life, death, and Resurrection, Jesus has shown us the face of God Himself. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we will begin to see the face of God, and heaven will become a present reality to some degree. Jesus wants us to appreciate and experience the presence of God in His person, who is with us always until the end of time. He is with us in his word, in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and in each other.
Thursday May 02, 2024
Homily for the Memorial of Saint Athanasius
Thursday May 02, 2024
Thursday May 02, 2024
The Scriptures are filled with texts about joy and rejoicing. St. Paul teaches that such joy is the fruit of the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus expresses His desire for His joy to be in us. At the very core of the Gospel, this joy is a beacon of hope and positivity, as the word Gospel itself means 'good news.' On the eve of His Crucifixion, Jesus yearned for His joy to be in His disciples, a testament to the enduring power of joy in the face of adversity.
It may seem odd to think of experiencing joy in such a daunting situation where hostility and violent death are looming. However, Jesus' sense of joy stems from His unshakable knowledge that He is beloved by His Father. This joy also arises from His sharing of that love with His disciples and all of humanity.
Joy is the great outgrowth of genuine love, which originates from God's love for us, and then our love for each other in His Name.
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Wednesday May 01, 2024
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and its branches to refer to Himself and His people, and He refers to pruning away those branches that don’t bear fruit. This pruning can refer to many things because there are many things that we need to prune, not only from the vine but from ourselves, the branches.
We need to be pruned of those things that keep us from those two essential commandments: to believe in and love God and to love one another as Jesus commanded.
We need to prune away those things that prevent our faith from fruition in our lives and in our souls.
Each of us will have different needs for pruning. It could be our pride, selfishness, materialistic desires, negative thoughts, or unhealthy relationships. But we can be sure that all of us, by virtue of our human nature, need to remove these perceptions, prejudices, judgments, and attitudes that keep our faith from fruition.
So, let us take some time in prayer to ask ourselves what prevents us from keeping those two most important commandments, and let us resolve to prune those things from our lives.