Homily for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 3, 2024
Casa Santa Maria
Rome, Italy
Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28b-34
The readings of today’s liturgy invite us to ruminate on the significance of repetition in the spiritual life and ministry of priests in leading Christ’s flock as shepherds after His own heart. The first reading from Deuteronomy commands Israel to repeat the words of the Shema every day. Jesus Himself repeats the words of Deuteronomy in answering the Scribe’s theological question, while the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of the unrepeatable character of Christ’s eternal sacrifice.
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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 Good Friday: Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
March 29, 2024
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
The heart of the mystery of the Cross that we enter together as the Church of disciples and believers in Christ is the singlehearted love of Jesus Christ. His singleheartedness is seen in the unity of His human will with His Divine will in loving obedience to the Father, an obedience unto death. We see His singlehearted love as He stands silent before the duplicity of the Sanhedrin and the craftiness of Pontius Pilate and the other friends of Caesar. We see His singlehearted love in answering the high priest about the truthfulness of His Gospel and the transparent integrity of His life for which He is slapped and mocked. We see His single-hearted love as He entrusts His Mother, who possesses single-hearted devotion to Him, to the beloved Apostle and vice versa. Finally, we see His single-hearted love as He hands over His Spirit for the salvation of all and for each and every human being — universal and particular love.
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Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24, 2023
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a-16
Psalm 89:2-3 4-5, 27, 29
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
The background to the first reading today is that King David has conquered his enemies and earned a reputation as a clever and courageous warrior. He was enjoying a rest in his comfortable palace when he suddenly realized that the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a simple tent. He intended to correct that situation and announced his plan to the prophet Nathan not to live more simply but to treat the Ark of the Covenant in the opulent style to which David had become accustomed. The prophet Nathan initially approved his intentions, but after discerning a revelation from God, he withdrew his approval.
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