Sunday Homilies

On March 17 the homilist was taking some time off.  The Palm Sunday scriptures proclaim the compassion of the Suffering Servant of humanity.

What do we expect from inheritance?  Have we dedicated and opened ourselves to the ultimate inheritance of mercy and belonging?

In the middle of Lent, the Scriptures today lend themselves to contemplating the normal human experience of being "in the middle" of the vast enterprise of life, and feeling ourselves to be quite limited and creaturely.

There was a baptism at this Mass, so the child baptized entered the People of God during the pontificate of Benedict XVI -- just barely.  Transfiguration is an occasion to ask: what's ordinary and what's extraordinary?

This time of papal transition moves us to a consideration of the title "Vicar of Christ" and the humility of the Christ who withstood temptation so as to carry out the ultimate act of love for humanity.

The idea of the holy: wholly other, but involved in the lives of human beings.

When we presume to offer a word for the good of the public, we must be sure that we are acting with love for our listeners.

A sense of belonging is necessary if we are to understand ourselves as members of the Body of Christ.  We keep in mind that our differences contribute to the health of the entire body.

The anxieties of getting married, and the fact that God has espoused us to himself.

Jesus' baptism is an act of solidarity with weary humanity.

We are called out of the narrowness of Herod to be radiant at what we see when we perceive the gifts of all nations being given to us.

There is tension in every family, especially in the Holy Family, as Mary and Joseph do not know what to make of the 12-year-old Jesus and his desire to be in "his Father's house."

Considering the remarkable meeting of Elizabeth and Mary, we approach Christmas not sentimentally but soberly, aware that the birth of the Son of God is the opening act of the drama which is Jesus' sacrifice of himself for our salvation.

The function of the prophet: To help us be in touch with things which are already in our hearts, that the resonance of these things might lead us to change.

Introducing a distinction between a prophet and a scold, so that we may see more clearly the liberating function of the prophet.

As we consider the work of God in bringing creation to completion, we must recognize that what we do in this life has everlasting significance.

Along with the authority we recognize in Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we must also recognize the authority residing in our own hearts.

We must take some time for organizing ourselves so that we are doing what we can to achieve a safe environment for our children, remembering the personal character of the gift of the Son of God to us.

Which shall we choose: the smugness of the scribes or the widow's entrance into the struggle for meaning?

Let us put law in perspective: as something which, if it is meaningful, becomes a natural part of us.

On blindness and other failures of perception.

I lost the Sep. 30 recording because the file actually continued recording for several hours.  Oct. 7 and 14, I was away.  It seems that this file, too, suffers from a technical difficulty, namely, that it got turned off before I had concluded.  At least I am not having a Cuban missile crisis!

In our insecurity, we indulge in the game of comparing ourselves with others.  If we accept the security of God's kingdom, we can cast aside the useless habit of tearing people down.

These powerful readings speak to us of the ways in which we misunderstand our relationship with God.  Although good works are important, we must understand that they are the fruit of the faith which God has established in us.

"Be opened!"  We must open ourselves to influences beyond ourselves; we must in particular be open to the fact that our human nature is as it is described today in the Letter of James.