Tag: Homily

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

So [Jesus] went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him.

Today’s Gospel tells two stories: first, Jesus is on his way to the house of Jarius, to heal his daughter who is dying; second, while on the way, a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years reached out to Jesus for healing. She touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was immediately healed. Jesus told her she was healed because of her faith, and she went away rejoicing. In the first reading, Saint Paul encourages readers to fix their eyes on Jesus and endure the discipline of the cross. Paul uses Jesus as the ultimate example of perseverance and explains that the discipline we receive will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. Despite people ridiculing him, Jesus demonstrates his power and ability to heal to the point of raising the dead to life. “Do not be afraid”; Jesus says, “just have faith.”

Lord, help me understand that when you speak, you bring creation itself into being. When you say to the child, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” she immediately gets up and walks around. The woman who touches your clothes is healed instantly because of her faith in reaching out for you. “Daughter, your faith has saved you,” says Jesus, “Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” Grant me the grace, God, to go in peace today, knowing my life is in your hands. Strengthen my faith in you to avoid sin and let me trust that you “take away our infirmities and bear our diseases.” God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, give me new life today in you.

Lord, look to my needs today just as you cared for all who came to you while you walked the earth. Let me be mindful of you throughout the day, especially in the moments when I feel most alone. From the Responsorial Psalm, “They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.” Saint John Bosco, pray for us!

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

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a man possessed by many demons, who calls himself Legion because there are many unclean spirits within him. Jesus sends the unclean spirits into a herd of swine that immediately run down a steep bank and die. As people come out to see what happened, they see the possessed man sitting clothed and in his right mind. By telling the man to remain and tell his family what had happened rather than to go with Jesus on the boat, Jesus finds in this an opportunity for the man to show his family the Lord’s mercy. The result was that all who heard him proclaim what Jesus had done for him were filled with amazement. Jesus, help of the helpless, moves this man from a state of wretchedness and possession to health and sanity, all out of pity for him. Where are those areas of wretchedness within myself that disgust me, that isolate me from God and from others?

God, help me understand the nature of your mercy. Many of those who came to your Son sought him out and reached out to him for help. But the most helpless, the gravely ill, the possessed, the decrepit—even the dead—you restored to new life and health out of the free gift of your mercy. Let me invite you to see those areas of my life that wield a level of power over me—unclean desires, impure intentions, sinful habits. Let me bring those into your light through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and through a daily examination of conscience. Come, Lord Jesus, and heal me by your word; let me proclaim like the possessed man what the Lord out of his great mercy has done.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your mercy. Jesus, just as you went on foot and by boat to restore people to sanctity, the Church today brings you through its sacraments to people thirsting for the Eucharist and Reconciliation. From the Responsorial Psalm, we pray: “They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.”

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

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses his disciples and the crowds surrounding him. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount follows immediately after Jesus ministers to the multitudes following him “from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus brings healing to the crowds, just as he healed the physical illnesses of everybody who came to him. Looking into the eyes of the people in the crowd, he must have seen those who were broken, in mourning, meek and humble; those who were wronged and sought justice; those who were merciful and pure and peaceful. And he experienced personally the same thing disciples experienced: insult and persecution because of his name. What he gave once, he still gives. To each of those whose eyes Jesus meets and who hear his words, through his great compassion Jesus gives us the Beatitudes.

God, help me understand the love you have for your people and for me. As the Son of God, you saw the pain and suffering that this world brings and experienced it firsthand. For each facet of that suffering, you bring not merely comforting words but the realization of what is hoped for in the coming of your kingdom. In faith, ours is the kingdom of heaven; comfort; inheritance; satisfaction; mercy; peace; and, one day the reward of seeing you face to face. As the Gospel acclamation says, “Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.”

Lord, let your gaze meet me today as I come to you to learn your love through the Beatitudes. Heal me of any particular illness or hinderance that keeps me from rejoicing and being glad in the life you have given me to come to know you. I know you love me. Lord, look kindly upon me!

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

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

In today’s Gospel reading, Mark describes a time in which Jesus and his disciples are out on a boat with other boats and a great storm comes upon them. The disciples are afraid and wake Jesus, asleep on a cushion, to save them. Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves, and the storm subsides. In response to Jesus’ question, “Do you not yet have faith?” they show amazement and awe at who this is that even wind and sea obey. In the first reading, Saint Paul describes the faith of Abraham when God called him to sojourn through a foreign country. He was able to do this, Paul says, not because he looked forward to his return home but because “he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.” In what ways today can I look forward to the things not seen that have their realization in God?

God, help me understand just as Abraham began his faith journey when called by God, the disciples began theirs through the astounding realization that Jesus, who calmed the storm, is the Son of God. As a sojourner, an alien, a pilgrim on this earth who hopes for the realization of things not seen, in faith I journey toward “the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.”

Give me the grace, Lord, of seeing from afar the reward of faith, the place of everlasting life that you prepare for me. Let me remember throughout the day how you calmed the storm and spoke to the disciples: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” Lord, today when faith wavers and hope in the realization of the unseen flickers, give me more faith!

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 Third Week of Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

The Gospel from today follows directly after where yesterday’s left off. Jesus goes on to tell two other parables about the Kingdom of God: one relates to the growth of seed planted in the ground; the other, to the smallest of seeds that becomes the largest of plants, the mustard seed. In both parables, the growth of the Kingdom of God benefits the one who spreads the seed. The growth of the seed, the kingdom, is a mystery to the sower. In either parable, the sower plants but God nurtures the growth to maturity.

God, help me understand as I am able to understand the mystery described in these parables. Saint Paul in the first reading encourages us to seek the Kingdom of God by doing his will: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” The result of that endurance, he says, is that “We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.” Lord, let the little I do today in scattering seed be an act of delight and complete trust in you to bring into this reality the mysteries of the Kingdom. “Commit to the LORD your way,” the Responsorial Psalm says, “trust in him, and he will act.”

God, your Kingdom is to come and is here at this moment. I know you delight in me as I strive to grow closer to you. Let me know the joy today of active participation in your kingdom as I see it sprouting and growing of its own accord.

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 Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says two things that relate to the first reading from Saint Paul. First, he says that a lamp is to be placed on a lampstand; second, referring to spiritual capacity, he says, “To the one who has, more will be given.” Paul writes Timothy, encouraging him “not to be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” Through Paul’s imposition of hands in apostolic succession, Timothy is stirred into flame with a spirit of courage, power, love, and self-control. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, that same power of the Holy Spirit is manifested whenever I give testimony to the Lord everywhere and at every opportunity. As the psalmist says, “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.”

God, help me understand how to put the words of Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit into practice today. I ask for today because tomorrow’s path is uncertain. Today I ask for abundant grace to receive all the gifts you wish to measure out to me so that I can measure it out in abundance to others. Saints Timothy, Titus, and Paul, pray for us!

Lord, teach me to do your will; I want to bring into your light all the obstacles that keep me from you—a difficult, scary thing to ask—in order to receive your grace more abundantly.

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 Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Mark describes Jesus’ appearance to the Eleven after his resurrection. In the last chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus commissions the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Certain signs will accompany those who believe, including learning new languages, driving out demons, and handling serpents. Taking place immediately after the resurrection, the commissioning by Jesus hints at the coming of the Holy Spirit and some of the supernatural gifts that result from the Third Person of the Trinity.

God, help me see the particular gifts of the Holy Spirit working in me today. I can’t pretend to understand this, but I ask for understanding only insofar as my understanding brings me closer to you. After Paul’s conversion, unable to see, he was led to Damascus by the help of his companions. There, a devout Jew named Ananias restored his eyesight, saying, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” As Paul tells the story, his sight was restored as soon as Ananias said, “Saul, my brother, regain your sight.” Help me, Lord, be open to the friendship of others who bring me close to you through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you, God, for the light of your presence! Pray for us, blessed Apostle Paul!

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

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

In today’s Gospel, the mother and brothers of Jesus arrive where he his preaching and send word through the crowd to him that they are there. Jesus’ reply seems harsh to his family. Yet, what he says does not exclude them but rather embraces them within the family of those who do the will of God. Saint Paul quotes the psalmist in the first reading: “First he says, Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” Referring then to Jesus, Paul says: “Behold, I come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. By this ‘will,’ we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

God, help me understand your will and through that understanding, a desire to do it. Grant me the grace today to see you in the faces of people I meet and in all of the day’s decisions. With the Morning Offering, I pray: “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.” 

From today’s Psalm: “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will. Your justice I kept not hid within my heart; your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of; I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth in the vast assembly.” Stay with me, Lord. Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us!

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

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus began to speak to the scribes in parables: “Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”

In today’s Gospel, the scribes say that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul and that by the prince of demons, he drives out demons. Jesus then calls the scribes to him and says, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Kingdom divided against kingdom; house against house: How does this describe our nation today? According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, in all the Dioceses of the United States, January 22 is observed as a particular day of prayer. As it states, this day is “for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.”

God, help me understand the words of Saint Paul from the first reading: “Christ is mediator of a new covenant . . . now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.” Through your grace, help me by my prayers, words, and actions affirm that abortion is wrong and that every life is sacred. Restore and unite us, Lord, in the love through which you created us.

From the collect for today’s Mass: “God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human 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