Life on the Chrism Trail

Month: October 2024

Homily for the Memorial of Saint John Paul II

Homily for the Memorial of Saint John Paul II

October 22, 2024
Saint John Paul II Catholic Church
Denton, Texas

Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
John 21:15-17

We celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Paul II, the patron saint of your parish, who was a friend to young adults throughout his ministry as a priest and particularly during his pontificate. He was the pope who inaugurated World Youth Day to bring young people together from around the world that they might know that they are not alone and that they should have courage to be proud of their faith so much as to share it always. So often, Saint John Paul II repeated the words of Jesus in many places in the Gospel, “Be not afraid!” It is in seeking this saint’s intercession that I come to you as a friend and as your bishop.

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Homily for World Mission Sunday

Homily for World Mission Sunday

October 20, 2024
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Arlington, Texas

Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45

Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil, Jean de Lalande, Antoine Daniel, John de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, and Noel Chabanel: these are the names of the North American Martyrs whose feast we celebrated yesterday. Saint Isaac Jogues was a man of clear resolve in his love for Christ. He wrote his religious superior, ‘Yes, Father, I want whatever the Lord wants, even if it costs a thousand lives.” It was the gift of fortitude that brought him and the other martyrs to clarity.

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Homily for the White Coat Mass for the Diocese of Fort Worth

Homily for the White Coat Mass for the Diocese of Fort Worth

October 14, 2024
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
Psalm 113:2
Luke 11:29-32

Medicine is both a profession and art. This statement applies to each of the professions associated with health care: physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, and those who professionally aid the professions. As a profession, medicine requires both established credentials to warrant the trust of patients who are always involved in a fiduciary relationship. These credentials of the profession are then further established and justified by how the art is freely practiced by the physician or other health care professional in an ever-changing culture of expectations and demands.

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