Fr. Kyle White's Homilies

Jesus prayed a prayer of surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane. Holy Week Preaching Series: Jesus Prayed.   Palm Sunday.

How do we simultaneously love the sinner and hate the sin? Since every situation is unique, there is no easy answer. But with charity and truth as our guide posts, and Jesus as our guide, we can creatively achieve both demands of the Gospel.

There may be a number of reasons why people are hesitant to go to Confession, but our need to experience tangible forgiveness remains. God is a compassionate Father and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

God’s name given to Moses reveals to us that He can be found in all things. But it takes a lot of humility to discover God at all times. Instead of turning in on ourselves, we desire to make a habit of turning toward God and discovering Him even in the most difficult circumstances.

What motivates you through suffering? Nothing can compare to the glory of God’s love. Today we pray for a glimpse of that glory. Draw me, Lord, by the power of your love - and we shall run through the cross into the Resurrection.

How do we fight temptation? BIT by bit with God’s grace. Be firm in the beginning, Inform wise spiritual persons, and Turn to the Father.

If someone were to read a transcript of everything you’ve said in the past 24 hours, what would they say about you? Words are powerful and Jesus challenges us to take that seriously. Lent is a great time to cleanse our hearts and our lips.

They say that hurt people hurt people, and healed people heal people. Jesus challenges us to have mercy even on those who don’t deserve it because the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.

If I asked you to describe what happiness looks like, what would you say? Jesus paints a picture of happiness for us in the beatitudes. The only problem is that it doesn’t seem very happy. It turns out that true happiness is not easy. 

There is such a thing as a healthy fear. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:9). When we have a healthy, reverential Fear of the Lord, we do not fear the world because we belong to the Lord.

We tend to get a little impatient. We often find ourselves irritated and annoyed. It doesn’t take much for us to judge or to be self-centered.  Deep down, we hunger for agape love and Jesus serves not only as our model, but as our source of this kind of love in our lives.

Comparing ourselves to others typically leads to envy and division. But St Paul reminds us that we each have a unique role in God’s kingdom and that every role is essential

We face problems every day. Most of us handle problems in one of 3 ways: fight, flight, or freeze. But Mary teaches us a forth option, and way that I would suggest is the ideal method for handling every problem that comes our way.

John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize by the Holy Spirit and fire. What does that mean? I’d like to suggest that just as a fire will purify, rise, and come alive, so too will our hearts enflamed by the Holy Spirit.

Just as the wise men gave God gifts of gold, frankincense, & myrrh, we should give God the gift of our hearts.  But we know from experience that this is easier said than done, primarily because of our attachment to sin.  What would it look like to take sin seriously this year?

With so much background noise in our daily lives, it’s no coincidence that we find it difficult to pray. The Christmas story teaches us that God doesn’t try to compete with all the noise. Although silence can be tough and even frightening, it’s in the silence that God speaks. Imagine how much closer to God we’d be if we made space for silence.

Even the best of families have messy situations. The good news is that God is not on a high mountain waiting for us to achieve the impossible. Instead, he chose to come down to us to meet us in our complicated circumstances. Just as God chose to enter into a messy world, he can enter into your messy family.

What are we to do about noisy children, ringing cell phones, and suspicious persons that take our attention away from the liturgy? Is it possible to welcome the stranger without threatening our safety and neglecting the sacred?

St Paul says to have no anxiety at all, but is this practically possible? Whether from school, work, or relationships, we’ve all experienced some degree of anxiety in our lives. But there’s hope. It’s possible to have a peace beyond understanding.

The Lord comes in unexpected ways. As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, we also want to prepare our parish for new faces. We want to always be ready to welcome the stranger because the stranger is Jesus.

Good athletes are willing to train for a temporary time in order to prepare for a big event. Great athletes train all the time and are always prepared for any event. The same is true for our spiritual lives.

Venerable Fulton Sheen once said, “We live in a sensate age. We are no longer governed by our faith. We are no longer governed by our reason. We are governed by our feelings.” In overemphasizing our emotions, we sometimes give our attention & allegiance to things other than Jesus. But declaring Christ as King is to say otherwise.

Recent events in society tend to spark questions about the end of the world. But how are to interpret passages from Scripture about this topic?

God needs space to move & act in our lives. There’s something about poverty that stretches our hearts to trust in Jesus and experience a deeper intimacy with Him.

After a 6-month process of prayer, conversation, and discovery, we are excited to reveal our vision, mission, & core values at St Leo! In addition, we have some big news to share. God has great plans for our parish! Visit stleolafayette.com/chapel to learn more.