Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rarely do scripture readings give us the purpose of a parable in the way today’s gospel passage does. Luke says, “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1). The “Parable of the Persistent Widow” is about persistent intercession. But it is also about faith and how the two come together in our prayer.
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(This Homily was previously published in 2022).
There are two very powerful stories in today’s scripture readings. The first story is the healing of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kgs 5:14-17), and the other is Jesus healing the ten lepers (Lk 17:11-19). As powerful as these stories are in themselves, I would like to reflect on them from the perspective of a sentence from today’s second reading. Paul writes to Timothy, “But the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2:9).
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is something that I have preached about in passing which today I want to make the theme of my homily. “Don’t live a good and holy life because you want to be saved; live a good and holy life because you ARE saved!” The theme is inspired by today’s gospel reading where Jesus says, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do'" (Lk 17:10).
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I want to begin my homily with today’s Psalm response (Ps 146:7, 8-10). It reads:
“Blessed is he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.”
“The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.”
“The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.”
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
On my visit to India in August, I witnessed something that disturbed me for days and does even today. I was driving my nephew to pre-school one morning. The school is nearby, and we take a little ride there on our scooter. There is only one way to describe traffic in India – organized chaos. To make it worse, I was in peak time traffic. Everybody was in a hurry, everybody was honking, and nobody cared even a little about anything. At a crossroad, among the pedestrians, was a blind man using his cane to navigate the cross. There were probably 20 people crossing the street with him. This man was crying something out loud so people can hear him and be careful. A car on my left side slowed down but did not stop, and almost hit the blind man. His cane came under the wheels. I was outraged. I caught up with the car and stared at the driver. Well, it happened be our next-door neighbor. He works as an executive in a company, lives in a luxury duplex, drives a car, but he could care less. What is more shocking is that the entrance to his house is lined with religious symbols. But for him, this poor blind man did not mean more than the pebbles on the street. I had decided to stop by his house in the evening and express my outrage. My niece stopped me, and for the sake neighborhood politics and peace, I let it go. She has to live there but I get to leave. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with myself.
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
In last Sunday’s gospel we heard Jesus say to the crowds that travelled with him, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:27). Since the crucifixion of Christ, the cross has taken on many meanings. For us Christians, it is the primary symbol not only of Gods redeeming love but also of the cost of Christian discipleship. For this reason, the Church celebrates a feast titled, “Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” This celebration is so significant in the liturgical calendar that if September 14 falls on a Sunday, it takes precedence over the regular Sunday scripture readings.
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26-27).
I would like to share two experiences with you before I conclude with some practical implications.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today, I would like to reflect on the same question that the disciples asked Jesus, “Will only a few people be saved?” (Luke 13:23) It is a good question. Who will be saved? In today’s gospel reading Jesus gives no direct answer to the question.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(This homily was originally composed by Fr. Satish Joseph in 2019 and is being reposted).
At a time when division, polarization. and violence are rife in society church is the last place I want to come to, and hear the words, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Lk 12:51). Moreover, to hear these words from Jesus’ lips is very, very difficult. This is not the Jesus we know. The Jesus we know is the Jesus who promised God’s kingdom to peacemakers. The Jesus we know is the Jesus who says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” The Jesus we know is the Jesus who, after the resurrection, appeared to his frightened and confounded disciples saying, “Peace be with you!” What are we to make of Jesus’ seemingly divisive statement?
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The priests of the archdiocese were at a convocation this past week in Wheeling, West Virginia. The theme of the convocation was “Leading with the Heart of Jesus: Prophet, Priest, King.” The theme made me very nervous because it sounded exclusive, triumphalist, and ritualistic. Despite my reluctant, once I was there, I decided to give it a fair chance. I also wanted to be there because this would be the first time that the new archbishop would address the presbyterate. I was eager to to know his vision, his plan, and his approach for the diocese, for the priests, and the people of God.
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Let’s talk life. What does human life need to flourish? If we are realistic, we need food for each day, shelter from the natural elements, clothing to protect our delicate bodies, safety and security from dangers and illnesses, the contentment of knowing that our tomorrow is as secure as today, and because we are spiritual beings, that our souls are in peace with God, with one another, and nature. Life is a delicate balance of these realities.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Let me paint a picture. One day, Jesus was praying. Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1). What place did he choose to pray? What would have been his posture? How did he pray? What did he pray? Did he use words?
I believe that when Jesus taught the disciples the “Our Father" he was teaching them more than just a prayer. Rather, through the prayer the disciples got an insight into his thought, life, prayer, and spirituality. This prayer reveals the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation, his life, ministry, death and resurrection. In the following points, I would like argue that the "Our Father" reveals not just how to pray, but it reveals Jesus himself.
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The gospel account of Jesus at Martha and Mary house (Lk 10:38-42) is one of the most intriguing but also perhaps the most misunderstood gospel passage. It seems simple but it also raises questions. Is this passage meant to contrast prayer and service? Is this about domestic dispute or sibling rivalry? Also, perhaps like many of you, my sympathy lies with Martha, but Jesus said that it was Mary who “chose the better part” (Lk 10:42). What was Jesus really saying? A cursory reading can be confusing and lead us to the wrong conclusions. To understand the real meaning of the passage we must delve both into the context of the passage and the meaning of the Greek words. I would like to do an exegesis of this passage and then draw some practical implications.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel reading raises some very important questions. And it gives us some very important answers. The questions are human and the answers are divine. Here are the questions: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” and “Who is my neighbor?” The answers are given by Jesus himself. These questions and their answers are the topic of my homily.
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last week in my homily for the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, I had said, “Life has meaning when we are willing to live and die for something bigger than ourselves.” I had said that at the end of our lives, like Paul, we too should be able to say, “I have competed well. I have run the race. I have kept the faith.”
The scripture readings today help us to reflect on the meaning of Christian living a little more deeply. I would like to reflect on this in three points.
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. The general rule even with Marian celebrations is that it moves to another weekday if it falls on a Sunday. But the importance of this feast is such that not only is it celebrated as a Solemnity but that it also is celebrated as an unmovable feast. No one has to impress upon us the importance of these two men who were apostles in their own right. There is no doubt that without them, the history of the Catholic Church would be written differently. In fact, the New Testament canon of scripture would be different without them.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
There is practice at Catholic funerals which I find very comforting. Before the casket is lowered into the ground, family and friends are invited to take a flower from the flower arrangement set on top of the casket. The flower becomes a reminder and often a sacramental presence of their beloved deceased.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
I read in a recent science magazine article that 99% of the deep ocean bed remains undiscovered. Oceans cover 71% percent of the earth’s surface and they house 99% of the earth’s biosphere. This means that much of the living organisms are not yet known to us. Similarly, humans only know 5 percent of the Universe. Scientists tell us that 70% of the Universe is made up of dark energy and 25% of the Universe is dark matter. Just 5% of the Universe is ordinary matter - your family, our house, and your car, your body and organs, the food you eat and the animal world, the air and the sea, the Sun, the Moon and the galaxies. Everything we know — everything we see — is just 5% of everything in the Universe. To make it all more intriguing, this Universe is expanding but also accelerating. Despite the technological advancements of the last century, even with computers at our fingertips and the worldwide internet and space-based observatories mapping the far reaches of our Universe, there is still so much that we don’t understand.
Pentecost Sunday
There is something about Pentecost that leaves me a little wanting. We hear about the dramatic happenings at that first Pentecost and I want that for us today. I want all of it – the mighty wind, the tongues of fire, the speaking in tongues, people outside hearing us in their own language. I want all of it.
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Ascension: A celebration of Hope
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The danger of a feast like the feast of the Ascension is precisely this – that with Christ’s ascension into heaven we may think of God being up there, unconnected to the world here below. Perhaps we can spend all of life like the disciples gazing into the sky (Act 1:11). So I began writing this homily by asking myself the question. What significance does the ascension of Jesus hold for me today? What relevance can Ascension have for us today?