Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 29, 2023
Saint Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church
Fort Worth, TX
Zephaniahs 2:3, 3:12-13
Psalm 146
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 5:1-12a
Throughout the next several weeks, the Lectionary offers us readings from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This sermon is the heart of Christ’s moral and spiritual teaching which He imparted and offered for the salvation of all people in the world and for all ages.
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Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Confirmation
January 22, 2023
Holy Family of Nazareth Parish
Vernon, TX
1 Kings 3:4-13
Psalm 127
Romans 13:8-10
Matthew 5:1-12
The prophecy of Isaiah is meant to be a consolation for the people of Galilee who were conquered by the Assyrians and sent into exile. It expresses hope that God will bring light to their darkness and return them from slavery to freedom. Saint Paul also speaks about the darkness that the Corinthians face, which is their inability to find unity and harmony. They contribute to this darkness by placing their personal opinions above the truth of the faith that unites. They have rejected the Communion and fellowship of the Church and have replaced them with factions and cliques.
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Homily for the Mass for the Blessing of Elected Officials of State Government
January 16, 2023
St. Mary’s Cathedral
Austin, TX
1 Kings 3:4-13
Psalm 127
Romans 13:8-10
Matthew 5:1-12
“Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil. For who is able to give judgment for this vast people of yours?” This is the prayer that King Solomon prayed to God when in a dream God prompted him to realize the immense and overwhelming responsibility that the Lord had entrusted to him in succeeding his father, David, as King of God’s Chosen People. It is a prayer of humble self-awareness on the part of Solomon and of humility and honesty before the Lord. In praying it, Solomon acknowledges that he needs God.
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Homily for the Vigil of the Epiphany of the Lord
Mass on the Occasion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 7, 2023
St. Michael Church
Bedford, Texas
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12
The solemnity of the Epiphany is about God’s self-revelation that both offers and requires the gift of faith. Through the solemnity of the Epiphany, God invites us into the mystery of the Truth, the Truth that we seek to discover through reason and science and the fuller Truth that we come to know through the gift of faith. One Truth, two paths: faith and reason. The Magi, whom we meet in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew are not simply people who have a warm spiritual experience in seeing the precious Baby Jesus, they are people who have followed their path laid out by reason and the science of their contemporary times and then receive the revelation that the Infant Jesus is truly the Son of God, worthy of nothing less than worship.
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Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord
Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Benedict XVI
January 8, 2023
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, TX
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12
The Solemnity of the Epiphany is about God’s self-revelation that both offers and requires the gift of faith. Through the Solemnity of the Epiphany, God invites us into the mystery of the truth — the truth that we seek to discover through reason and science and the fuller Truth that we come to know through the gift of faith. One truth, two paths: faith and reason.
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Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
January 1, 2023 |
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church
Fort Worth, Texas
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6-8
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21
Christmas is a time for giving gifts. There are diverse ways in which we approach gift-giving depending on how well we know the person we are offering the gift. Husbands and wives exchange gifts appropriate to their relationship, just as fathers and mothers give gifts to each of their different children in accord with each child’s unique personality, interests, and needs. The same holds true for children’s gifts to their mothers and fathers. A gift is an item that is given without any expectation of payment; it is given for love and for joy.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 