Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 18, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
The readings that the Church has prepared for our liturgy this Sunday evoke the image of the banquet to which all people are invited to dine but that only those who decide to seek and follow God are able to dine. The Book of Proverbs depicts Wisdom as an elegant woman who has prepared a banquet to which she invites those who lack understanding. They do not yet understand that true wisdom is found only in the search for God. The woman of Proverbs prepares a banquet of wisdom that helps us who dine as her guests to recognize God’s power and to enkindle in us the desire to know Him better.
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Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 15, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16
First Corinthians 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
Mary’s positive response to the Archangel Gabriel’s message of the Annunciation was to travel in haste to attend in love to her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, whose pregnancy would have difficulties because of her advanced age. Mary’s journey is made “in haste” because the mission of the Lord defies indifference and passivity, it is a vocation that requires a prompt response, it possesses a dignity and importance requiring urgency and mindfulness for it is offered and can only be received in the freedom of love. Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting is a song, an outpouring of joy for what God has done in her life. Through her song, Mary heralds the victory of her Son over the dragon.
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Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Confirmation Mass
August 11, 2024
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church
Hillsboro, Texas
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Ephesians 4:30-5:2
John 6:41-51
In today’s second reading, Saint Paul addresses an urgent invitation to us: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). How does one cause the Holy Spirit to become sad? You will receive the Holy Spirit today in Confirmation and you have received Him in Baptism. Thus, in order not to grieve the Holy Spirit into sadness, it is necessary to live in a manner consistent with the promises of Baptism that you are going to renew in Confirmation in a few moments. The grace of the Holy Spirit enables you to live in a morally consistent manner with what you promise today. The promises of Baptism that you will make in accord with your own freedom at Confirmation have two aspects: rejecting evil and embracing good.
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Homily for the Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Mass for the Convocation of Teachers of the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Fort Worth
August 9, 2024
St. Mark Catholic Church
Argyle, Texas
Hosea 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22
Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
Matthew 25:1-13
In today’s first reading from Hosea we hear, “I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. She shall respond there as in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt.” These words of the prophet Hosea refer to God’s Chosen People of Israel, calling them to return to fidelity to the covenant that was struck by God with them through the chosen leadership of Moses. The characteristic of the “desert” is not that it is arid and hot, but rather that it is an uncharted wilderness and requires trust on the part of the traveler to navigate the journey.
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Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rite of Candidacy
August 4, 2024
St. Mark Catholic Church
Argyle, Texas
Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
John 6:24-35
Today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus reveals that the Israelite community was angry at Moses for bringing them out of Egypt and into the wilderness. The discomfort of the Israelites placed them in a mind that they would rather live in comfortable slavery than be free and face the challenges and expectations of mature freedom in fidelity to their vocation as God’s Chosen People. The Israelites soon complain about the lack of food in the wilderness, so God provides them with manna, bread from heaven.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 