Homilies

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinal Time, August 22, 2021

  Listen to this courageous promise made by the Israelites: “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord for the service of other gods.” Joshua 24:14. That is just grand. However, listen also to this:  “The Israelites offended the LORD by serving the Baals. Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.”Judges 2:11-12  Once in a while, throughout the Old Testament, there are summaries sim

Homilies

Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15th, 2021

  Today’s feast of the Assumption is rooted into the most extraordinary event in the history of this world: the Resurrection of Christ from the tomb before his bruised and disfigured body could be corrupted by death. St. Paul points out that Jesus is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep; but also that all those who belong to Christ will follow him to share his destiny of glory. However, the woman handpicked by God to give a human body to His Son, will be the first one to follow her Son into glory, yet without having to be subjected to the corru

Homilies

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinal Time, August 8th, 2021

This is the third reflection on Jesus, the Bread of Life, as presented to our consideration in the 6th chapter of John’s gospel. In it we learn that, at each Eucharistic Celebration, God the Father sends us Jesus from heaven as Bread of Life by setting up two tables before us: the table of Jesus as Word of Lifeand the table of the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Thus, at the table of the Word, a Holy Mass is the fulfillment of the prophecy quoted by Jesus: “They shall all be taught by God.” John 6: 45 And it is also an experience of reliving the Paschal

Homilies

Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 25, 2021

Listen again to this statement taken from today’s responsorial psalm: “The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” And this one too: “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” (Psalm 145) Do we believe them? Do we believe that God opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living creature? Perhaps, in total honesty we must admit that we believe this in theory, up here with our minds, and only for as long as we or one close to us are not in

Homilies

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinal Time, July 18th, 2021

Chances are that we, ordinary people, can still list our successes, because there are limited in number. But even in their limited number they can give us some reassurance that the future will be better. Actually, to be more precise: ordinary people without faith can be reassured that their future will be better, based on their past successes. We, believers, should be certain that our future will be better on this earth as a foretaste of an endless future of glory in heaven. To strengthen such certainty, today, again, we gather, as we do every weekend,