Fr. Kyle White's Homilies

Jesus reveals himself as a divine bridegroom to the Samaritan woman at the well. Even though she was perhaps the most unlikely character to receive such attention from the messiah, Jesus chose her on purpose to foreshadow his deep love even for the most shameful of sinners.

At the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals himself as a new Moses. Just as God revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, Jesus revealed his divinity on Mount Tabor. God wants to reveal himself to us, too, but we are often too distracted to notice. 

Jesus becomes a “new Adam” by conquering his three original temptations in the desert. We, too, experience these three temptations all the time. The remedies are fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.

What does it mean to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect? To be perfect is not to be flawless, but to love completely. But before we can love completely, we must first allow ourselves to be completely loved.

There is a difference between the emotion of anger and the sin of anger. The same can be said about the attraction toward another person and the sin of lust. Emotions and desires are often involuntary, but the choice for or against God takes place in the heart.

We share in Christ’s mission to sanctify the world through our prayers and through our works of mercy. Offer your body as a living sacrifice to God the Father through Jesus Christ. 

The Beatitudes are the countenance of Christ.  We reveal the face of Jesus to the world by living these core values.

The Word of God is a person, Jesus Christ. There’s always more to scripture because it is alive. Here are 4 “senses” with which we can approach any given passage. 

We need to be saved from our tendency to turn in on ourselves. Many of us are not free to love as we ought. If you feel like your love for others is lacking: Behold, the Lamb of God. 

Christ has no hands and feet but yours. God chooses to reveal himself through his creation, especially through our humanity.

Mary knew the ending, but not all the details leading to it. This prompted her to treasure all circumstances and to ponder them in her heart. Imagine if we approached 2023 with the same posture.

The Christmas story is not so much about our journey to God, but about God’s journey to us. We don’t have to search any longer! God is here & now. He is with us!

There’s power in the name of Jesus. Yeshua means “The Lord saves.” Only the Lord can save us from ourselves.

Is the Gospel good news to you? If not, I wonder if we’re taking it for granted. Until we recognize the destructive power of sin in our lives, the Gospel message loses much of its meaning.

A lack of patience usually indicates a lack of love. St James and St Francis de Sales both give us some practical advice on how to be more patient. 

Just as we get dressed for a new day, St Paul tells us to put on Christ for the age of salvation. Imagine how different our year ahead would be if we each woke up early every day for mental prayer?

We have a decision to make. We either believe that Jesus is God or that He is not. If He is God, then He is king of the universe and of our lives.

Our emotions tend to blind us from the bigger picture. We sometimes fight the wrong battles. Have you lost your focus?

There are 3 mains reasons why priests are typically not married: Christological, Ecclesiological, & Eschatological. It’s the third reason that Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel reading.

Sometimes we feel the pressure of having it all together before we are able to have a good relationship with God. But He wants to encounter the real version of us, not the facade of who we think we should be. Jesus did not die for perfect people, he came to seek and to save the lost. 

We all sin, but that moment immediately following the sin is crucial. It’s the difference between heaven & hell. Beware of these 3 traps: making excuses, convincing yourself it’s no big deal, and comparing yourself to others who do worse.

The parallels between the story of Moses in our first reading and the story of Jesus’ crucifixion are stunning. Just as Moses interceded for the Israelites, Jesus interceded for all humanity on Calvary - and He continues to intercede for us today. We all have battles to fight, but some choose to fight them alone.

Gratitude helps us recognize the Giver behind the gifts. The Examen Prayer helps us live a lifestyle of gratitude. Here is a basic structure to the Examen Prayer: (BAKER) Blessings, Ask the Holy Spirit, Knowledge, Experience mercy, Resolution.

We all have trust issues, but Jesus says that with even a little trust in Him, we can do the impossible.

How quick are you to notice the needs of others? The more comfortable we are, the more difficult it becomes for us to even see them. Living divine mercy begins with paying attention.