Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter
Confirmation at St. Joseph Parish
May 1, 2022
St. Joseph Parish
Rhineland, TX
Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
John’s Gospel today reports the appearance of Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias. The disciples, who were confused and overcome by the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, decide to return to more comfortable surroundings. Peter and a half-dozen others go back to what they know how to do best, in a sense, they try to return to their former way of life … they return to their boats and nets to go fishing. They fish all night long but come up empty. Their experience of Jesus and His love for them is so intense that they cannot return to the way things were before.
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Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
April 24, 2022
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, TX
Acts 5:12-16
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31
On the evening of the day of Resurrection, Jesus suddenly appears in the upper room where the disciples have gathered in fear. His greeting of peace tells them not to be afraid. Jesus then breathes on His disciples, a gesture reminding us of God breathing the breath of life into Adam. Jesus’ breath signals new life for His disciples, the gift of the Holy Spirit that will enable them to bring Christ’s forgiveness to others.
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Homily for Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord
April 17, 2022
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, TX
Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
“Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead.” While many converts to the Catholic faith describe coming to an awareness of the integrity of Catholic doctrine with the Gospel and sound reason as the only way for them to find God, it is important that we understand that we cannot read or study our way into conversion as a Catholic. It is not a decision that we make independently of God. Conversion and the virtue of faith is entirely a matter of grace and not acquired by our own initiative.
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Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
May 16, 2021
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Ephesians 4:1-13
Mark 16:15-20
As we liturgically celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord today, we hear the proclamation of the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel. In our Gospel reading, Jesus makes an unusual claim for those who believe: they will be able to drive out demons; they will speak new languages; they will handle serpents without harm; they will drink deadly poison without effect; and they will heal the sick. It seems strange that Mark would report these predictions of Jesus since we might be tempted to misunderstand our religion as if it were our introduction to powers.
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Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 9, 2021
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
1 John 4:7-10
John 15:9-17
The readings that the Church offers us in today’s liturgy involve call and command, transparency and friendship, love and sacrifice. Our second reading is a passage from the first Epistle of John that encourages us to love one another because that unites us with God. He goes on to tell us that love consists not in any activity on our part, but in the fact that God first loves us. This love consists in the gift of His Son who brings us forgiveness of our sins. God is the primary agent in love, and we are the recipients. Jesus says, “it was not you who chose Me but I who chose you and appointed you.”
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Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2021
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Acts 9:26-31
Psalm 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
I John 3:18-24
John 15:1-8
The Acts of the Apostles tells us today about Saint Paul’s entry into the Church. Three years after the Lord had appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul presented himself to the disciples in Jerusalem. But his reputation as Saul the Pharisee had preceded him, and the leaders had trouble believing that he had changed from persecuting the Church to be its defender.
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Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena
April 29, 2021
Nolan Catholic High School
Fort Worth, Texas
1 John 1:5-2:2
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 13-14, 17-18
Matthew 11:25-30
We read in our first reading today the following words from the First Epistle of Saint John, “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.”
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Fourth Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd Sunday
April 25, 2021
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Acts 4:8-12
Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18
In our Gospel on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd. In so doing, Jesus also speaks of two characteristics of His mission as the Good Shepherd. First, He knows His sheep with a closeness conveyed by the statement that He knows the name of each of His sheep and that in turn His sheep recognize His voice, and they follow.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 
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