Sunday Homilies

No homily for the 20th Sunday; it was our Mission Co-op weekend. The Church is not a completed institution but rather a work in progress.  We still must strive for the unity Jesus intends for his people, especially since we are in the midst of the challenges of disunity and misunderstanding.

Something on a computer telling you to turn off the computer?  That's exactly what this is.  We must move out of a world of distraction and "noise" (and information can be "noise" even if it's silent) and into a sea which the Lord has calmed.

"Nothing can separate us from the love of God."  We have this pledge in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  The Son of God becomes our very food and drink.

The homilist was away on July 17.  Solomon's prayer for wisdom in governing could not have come at a more apt time, given the pathetic posturing going on in Washington.  We pray that lawmakers will recognize the common good of our country and the world as the treasure buried in the field, the pearl of great price.

God provides that human freedom is always in play, so that we may accept or reject his invitation to enter into his life.  It is easy for us to resist the invitations coming from our God.  Let's consider how we can grow and flourish through an acceptance of the invitations.

What does it mean to be "in the flesh"?  How can I not be "in the flesh"?  We find some answers as we consider how our God wishes to establish peace within us.

The idea of eating and drinking someone's flesh and blood is utterly offensive.  But the anxieties of those who feel they must sacrifice something to God are likewise quite raw.  In the Eucharist we encounter a God who pays attention to our bewilderment.

"God so loved the world ..."  We understand that God, within himself, is relationship, is dynamism.  It is in keeping with who God is that he immerses himself in human existence.

Catholics, obviously, are quite focused on the mystery of "the Church."  On the "birthday of the Church," the homilist rambles on for 15 minutes!  Presumably we are captivated by our own experience of this mystery!

After the Springfield Young Adult Mass on the evening of June 5, a congregant confirmed for me (on the basis of her Holy Land pilgrimage earlier this year) that there are tour guides who point out a "pushing-off" place on the Mount of Olives.

We consider today's words from the First Letter of Peter about how to witness to our faith -- not by proselytizing, but by being in touch with our own experience and the ways in which God has changed us.

A bit of housekeeping, having to do with the just-published diocesan pastoral plan.  "No one comes to the Father except through me" -- what does this imply for non-Christians?

The homilist was away from the parish on May 8; therefore, no homily.  The sentiments expressed herein were influenced by the strange weather being experienced at that time: cool and rainy and seemingly unending.

Thomas speaks for all of us who rely upon the testimony of a few witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus.  Keeping in mind the validity of our own religious experience (as alluded to at Easter), we understand that we are part of the immense majority of believers who rely on the privileged witness of a few close associates of Jesus.

The resurrection accounts in the Gospels differ from the passion narratives; the former emphasize the personal experience of individuals.  We can come to understand that our own personal experience of the mysteries of life opens us to encounter with the Resurrected One.

"His blood be upon us and upon our children."  Can this line from the Passion of St. Matthew be understood as a blessing rather than as a curse?

God has revealed to us that he intends his people to live forever and glorify him.  Jesus, proclaiming this truth in the raising of Lazarus, moves deliberately toward the death which secures human salvation.

The themes of "the man born blind" are rather obvious.  I took this opportunity to advance our sight into the future, and especially to consider the needs of our worshiping communities to have a presider at Eucharist.

Imagine lugging all the water you need for your household purposes.  Then consider the woman's longing for a spring to which she did not have to travel.  With all who are preparing for baptism, we meditate on water and we recognize that Jesus establishes a fountain of life within us.

Life as a journey with a variety of experiences, and our need to make sense of these varied elements in light of our truest identity.

The temptations Jesus experienced were real and appealing.  He wasn't play-acting; he entered fully into the human experience and the tensions we know all too well.

Alfred E. Neuman as an example of Christian living?  Yes, at least insofar as freedom from worry is concerned.  "Seeking first the Kingdom of God" does, however, require some explicit concentration.

Our Christian faith does not call us to be doormats.  Every one of the challenges Jesus describes is an opportunity to stress the reciprocity implied in every social situation.

The church was cold, so we moved to the parish hall -- hence my nostalgia for my childhood worship environments.  Today's Gospel gives a good opportunity to consider our feeling life, and how to be at peace in the presence of God as feeling people.

Salt and light are familiar substances.  As we consider how Jesus is applying these images to ourselves, we may ponder their  servant  quality.