Life on the Chrism Trail

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sacrament of Confirmation

June 23, 2024
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church
Roanoke, Texas

Job 38:1, 8-11
Psalm 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31
2nd Corinthians 5:14-17
Mark 4:35-41

Our first reading from the Book of Job presents a dialogue between Job and the Lord God in which the Lord conveys to Job that He, the Lord God, has power over the elements of the sea. The sea carries with it the symbolism of chaos and disorder that randomly disturb human beings. The Lord conveys to Job that He, the Lord, says to the chaos of the sea, “Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled.” In our Gospel, Jesus manifests His Divinity to His disciples by exercising such power over the sea. Yet, Jesus reveals more concerning the nature of the Father’s sovereignty over creation, a sovereignty that belongs also to Jesus as the Son of God.

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Homily for the Ordination of Permanent Deacons

Feast of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

June 21, 2024
Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church
Arlington, Texas

Jeremiah 1:4-9
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3,4, 5
Acts 6:1-7b
John 12:24-26

Bishop Olson’s homily in English begins at paragraph 4.

En el Evangelio de esta Misa, Jesús nos dice, “Yo les aseguro que si el grano de trigo sembrado en la tierra, no muere, queda infecundo; pero si muere, producirá mucho fruto.” Estas palabras se revelan la primera característica del Sagrado ministerio del diaconado permanente: morir a una existencia de un grano singular en favor de florecer como un amigo de Cristo por servicio de la comunidad de la Iglesia y afuera de la Iglesia entre los débiles de la sociedad. Es más apropriado que nos unamos como la Iglesia local de Fort Worth para la ordenación de tres diáconos permanentes por servicio a la Iglesia en el espíritu de estas palabras sagradas de Jesucristo: “Él que se ama y si mismo, se pierde; él que se aborrece a si mismo en este mundo, se asegura para la vida eterna. Él que quiera servirme que me siga para que donde yo esté, también este mi servidor.”

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Homily for the Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions and Martyrs

Profession of Faith for Diaconal Candidates

June 3, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Psalm 91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16
Matthew 5:1-12a

When I entered seminary in August of 1980, I was introduced to the Latin language in Latin 101. During those four years of high school, I came to learn Latin prose, Latin syntax, and Latin poetry. Among the poems I learned, the English translation of one still stands out in my mind:

Latin is a dead language
Dead as dead can be
It killed the ancient Romans,
Now it’s killing me.

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