Tag: Homily

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone.

As Jesus leaves the district of Tyre and goes by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, people bring to him a deaf man who has a speech impediment. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd to heal him, and Mark tells us exactly what Jesus does to restore his speech and hearing. The crowd, seeing this say, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” By taking the man away from the crowd, he sets him apart from others in his individual identity; that is, he calls him by name and looks up to heaven—to his Father—and intercedes in prayer before curing him. Jesus does the same today through Baptism, as we are configured to Christ, and through his intercession at the right hand of the Father.

God, just as you formed Adam out of clay and breathed life into him, you restored the deaf man to health with your word. Help me understand that you are the living God and that we would cease to exist without the breath of your Spirit. Open my heart today, Lord, to listen to the words of your Son, who calls me away from the crowd to receive his unfathomable love.

Lord, I know you love me, but I am bound to forget that as the day unfolds. Call me back and open my ears to hear your voice, and teach me to desire your guidance and to trust you completely. Saint Scholastica, pray for us! As Saint Gregory the Great said of her, “She was able to do more because she loved more.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

The woman who speaks these words in today’s Gospel is Syrophoenician, a Gentile. Still, aware that Jesus is nearby, she begs him to drive a demon out of her daughter. Referring to Jews, Jesus says to her in words that seem harsh: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Whether it helps to soften Jesus’ statement, consider that some translations from Greek include “house dog” or “puppy.” But what appears to be abrasive evokes in the woman greater faith. The woman’s reply to Jesus is a profession of faith in God’s mercy: “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” When the woman goes home, she finds her daughter lying in bed, the demon gone. Jesus sees in the woman a mirror of his compassion; her faith in the Lord saves her daughter.

Help me, God, take to heart today’s Gospel to become a mirror of your compassion. Through your Son, the woman found healing and wholeness for her daughter. Today how can I look within as you caused the woman to look within to bring forth greater faith in you? The woman came to you first in falling at your feet and then by calling on your mercy from the depths of her heart. When my prayers seem to sputter and fail, grant me the grace to persist in calling on your name wholeheartedly to know you better.

Lord, to touch only the tassel of your cloak is to receive your healing and mercy in its fullness. Give me the grace today to be aware of you, asking like a child for things great and small. Be with me, Lord, as I strive to hear your voice!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowd and tells them: “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Mark tells us that Jesus’ disciples later questioned him about this. He told them that everything that goes into us from the outside cannot defile but that what comes out of us, from our hearts, defiles. From the heart, Jesus says, come evil thoughts. God does not impose his will on his people but gives them the freedom and responsibility to choose between good and evil.

God, open my eyes to understand today’s Gospel reading. The list Jesus presents of the things that defile is not exhaustive; yet, the result for anything that defiles is the same: folly. The meaning of the word is similar to foolish and comes from an Old French word meaning “madness.” Help me, Lord, in the decisions I make throughout the day to remain sound of mind by choosing to do good and pure in spirit by asking for your grace.

Lord, thank you for the words you spoke in private to your disciples. Keep me in your care today with your word. As the Gospel acclamation says: “Your word, O Lord, is truth: consecrate us in the truth.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!”

The Pharisees and scribes notice that the disciples of Jesus eat their meals with unwashed hands and return from the marketplace without purifying themselves, according to tradition. They question why Jesus and his disciples don’t follow tradition, and Jesus responds that they are hypocritical, quoting Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” Jesus calls them out for playing the system, making clear to them that their hypocrisy is self-serving rather than a means of serving God and others (even their parents).

God, help me understand what Jesus addresses in today’s Gospel. It is not a question of following or not following tradition of the elders that is wrong but setting aside or nullifying the authentic word of God for the sake of selfishness. Lord, help me understand the reality of the choices placed before me today—whether to follow your word and remain singlehearted or to pretend to do something that appears to be good but is actually self-serving. Help me put aside what is hypocritical and be attentive to your will so that I can carry it out.

Lord, you created me in your divine image. Stay with me today as I look beyond traditions or practices or habits that hinder me from being attentive to you; I want to incline my heart to your decrees. Thank you for the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament. Let me remember throughout the day the words of Saint John Paul II: “In the Eucharist we have Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father. Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?” Be with me, Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

In today’s Gospel, Mark describes Jesus’ entrance by boat to Gennesaret. The passage follows the story of Jesus walking on water toward the disciples. Mark says that people scurried about the surrounding country to find Jesus, bringing the sick to him on mats. To scurry about means to run hurriedly with excitement. The people from that region who had heard of Jesus knew that something spectacular was happening that no one would want to miss. What was it they sought? His healing. That healing was connected closely to his preaching the Kingdom of God. The Gospel acclamation from Matthew says, “Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.” Today, the Church remembers Saint Paul Miki and his companions, martyrs of Japan. While hanging on a cross, Paul Miki also preached the Gospel, saying: “The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die.”

God, help me understand your universal call to holiness, no matter our station in life or where we live. It’s unlikely that I would be called to martyrdom. Yet, just as Paul Miki died willingly for the sake of his faith, I must always be willing and prepared to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and be a means of healing.

Lord, grant me the faith of those who brought to Jesus their sick, begging for his healing. When you created the heavens and the earth, you said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. I ask for your grace today, Lord, to bring light to my life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Speaking to the disciples, Jesus offers three comparisons of discipleship: salt of the earth, a city set on a mountain, and a light set on a lampstand. Each of these is for the sake of others who see good deeds and because of it give glory to God. In the second reading, Saint Paul says something similar in his letter to the Corinthians: “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” Just as Jesus taught the disciples to act for the sake of God’s glory, Paul carries this out in his preaching with, as he says, “a demonstration of Spirit and power.”

God, help me understand that as you spoke to the disciples, you also speak to me. When I have opportunities in the very ordinariness of today, help me grasp and carry out your will by being a light to others as a way to give you glory. In the first reading, Isaiah tells us exactly how to care for the oppressed and homeless. “Then,” he says, “your light shall break forth like the dawn.” God, give me the grace and opportunity to be a confident witness in Spirit and power to you and to my faith.

Lord, I want to live in your light and let it shine for others. As in Isaiah, I want to care for the afflicted I encounter today so that when I call you for help I hear you say, “Here I am.” Then, Isaiah says, “light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.” Help me, Lord, see your light and live in it.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to the Apostles, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” So they go off by boat to a deserted place, but so many people were coming that Jesus and the Apostles had no opportunity to eat. When people saw them leaving for a deserted place, Mark tells us that people hurried there on foot to meet them there beforehand. When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity, “for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus began teaching them many things. What was going through the minds of the Apostles as they arrived at the deserted place to rest only to find a crowd waiting for them? By teaching the crowd, Jesus showed the Apostles love of the Father’s will and obedience to it.

God, help me understand your ways. Because you are all loving, people seek you tirelessly. Jesus must have felt exhausted, needing rest and nourishment, but at the same time was moved with pity by the sheep without a shepherd. They sought him to satisfy what food and nourishment could not satisfy: to hear God’s voice, to be in his presence. As the psalmist says, “And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.”

Lord, teach me to be satisfied in you alone. Jesus sought to provide rest for the Apostles, but the needs of others moved his heart to pity. Teach me to be patient today when I have to put aside my own needs to provide for the needs of others. Nourish me with your love, God, to bring your love to others through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; That is why mighty powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.” But when Herod learned of it, he said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

King Herod seems certain he knows who Jesus is. Having beheaded John, Mark tells us that Herod was “deeply distressed,” so he must have felt that there would be grave consequences for his actions. In saying that John has been raised up from the dead, Herod professes a belief in the resurrection. Although he is aware that something extraordinary and supernatural is taking place, he scratches his head and is restlessly caught up in dramatic speculation, blinded to what is taking place before him in the coming of Jesus.

God, open my eyes to understand today’s Gospel. Herod, responsible for John the Baptist’s savage execution and blinded by sin, knew that something extraordinary was happening but couldn’t identify it. Give me the grace to get beyond my own blindness and recognize that it is You who are present throughout every moment of the day.

From today’s Responsorial Psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? Your presence, O LORD, I seek.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Simeon speaks these words as he takes Jesus in his arms, who Mary and Joseph have brought to the temple in Jerusalem to present him in fulfillment of the law of the Lord. Luke says of Simeon: “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.” After blessing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he prophesies Jesus’ role in salvation and the suffering that Mary would experience as a result “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” The prophetess Anna also sees Jesus and, as Luke tells us, “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.” These two holy people, Simeon and Anna, recognized through a life of faith and prayer that Jesus was the Messiah.

God, thank you for the gift of steadfast faith. Simeon and Anna waited a lifetime to see your Son, and when they did see him recognized the child Emmanuel. Help me understand that your way of revealing yourself in time doesn’t correspond to my expectation of what and when you reveal yourself to me. Eager always to say “my eyes have seen your salvation,” at times I wait for that moment to come and lose heart in the waiting. At other times, I know you are there and at the end of the day can say, like Simeon, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace.” God, give me the grace today to live in the light of revelation.

Lord, strengthen my faith; I want to live in your light. As Carmelite priest Father Stinissen said, “To believe in Jesus Christ makes us look, to the eyes of unbelievers, like children who believe in fairy tales. Jesus was destined to be the fall and the rising of many. Some fall over him, and others are saved by him.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Today’s Gospel shows Jesus in his hometown. The people see the miracles he performs, yet they doubt his divinity because they acknowledge only his ordinariness, that he is a carpenter and the son of Mary. Jesus, amazed at their lack of faith, says of them: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” Mark tells us that Jesus was unable to perform any mighty deed there because of their lack of faith; that is, they took offense at Jesus and failed to get beyond Jesus’ ordinariness to see his divine identity. But unclean spirits like those from the Gospel from Monday do recognize it, saying: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Having the benefit of the testimony of the risen Christ and the Eucharist (partaking of him body and blood, soul and divinity), I can ask the same question.

God, help me understand the nature of your Son. From the Profession of Faith, we pray: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” Lord, give me the grace to know your Son and how he desires trust in him in order to perform mighty deeds in ordinary lives. “What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!”

Mary, Mother of God, pray for me today that I recognize the divinity of your Son and trust in him to perform mighty deeds. You knew him as fully human and fully divine. Let me stop to think throughout the day of the ineffable love of Jesus, Son of the Most High God. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings