#Sunday Homilies

[rivage-seulm]

Sunday Homily: Jesus As Prophetic Bread of Life

Bread & Puppet’s rendition of El Salvador’s martyred archbishop, Oscar Romero Readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: I Kgs. 19:4-8; Eph. 4:30-5:2; Jn. 6:41-51 This Sunday’s readings are about prophets and bread. They remind me of a recent visit my wife Peggy and I made to Glover Vermont’s Bread and Puppet Museum along with two of our eight grandchildren, Eva (age 15) and Orlando (12).…

[lawrenceop]

Do you not care if we perish?

HOMILY for the 12th Sunday per annum (B)

Job 38:1. 8-11; Ps 106; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41

“Do you not care if we perish?” (Mk 4:38). What disciple of Christ has not cried out like this? The suddenly-stormy sea reflects life and its vicissitudes; it reflects the storms in our heart and the disturbances in our faith journeys when we’re suddenly met with danger, disease, and disaster. In life, everything seems sunny one moment and the next moment a squall comes over us; we’re devastated. Christ is with us, but often God seems to be asleep, distant, and even, uncaring. “Do you not care if we perish?” we think, as the Tempter’s voice tells us that God doesn’t care or doesn’t even exist. Where is God, we wonder? Why is he aloof from our troubles and worries (– and these seem to daily increase in our world)? Does Christ not care if we perish?

But an answer is found, I think, in St John’s Gospel. How much does the Lord care for us? Well, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). God cares so much that he gives himself to us so that we should not perish. And he continues to do this day after day in the miracle of the Mass, in the gift of the Eucharist, which is called the “source and summit of the Christian life”. So, huddled together in the boat, that venerable symbol of the Church, and in the middle of the storms of life, both external and internal, we, little apostles of the Lord, would perish were it not for the Lord who lovingly gives himself to us in the Mass. But the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence is hidden, humble, and veiled. It is as though he were asleep; passive and unremarkable. And yet, in this little white Host, God is with us. 

St John says, “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And so, looking at the Host, gathered here for Mass, we come in faith, and we go to Christ who is loving present, remaining with us until the end of time, and who thus cares that we shall not perish, neither in body or in soul. Yet the Lord said to his apostles, “Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?” These words of Our Lord haunt us. How is it that we have no faith? We will all know those moments when we have felt frightened and alone, when the stormy challenges of life cause the tiny flame of faith to gutter and flicker perilously; and we can be sure that sudden gusts of wind will arise and threaten to extinguish what faith we have.

But recall those wise words of St John Henry Newman in one of his best known hymns. Although beset throughout his life by uncertainties and fears and difficulties, he learnt that faith is often the gift of having just enough light to make one step forward on life’s journey towards the safe harbour. So he wrote: “Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on! Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me.”

Often, the issue is not that we no faith at all, but rather that we do not see far enough. We want to see further than just one step, further even than the horizon, to transcend our human limitations. We would like to see ahead, to know what is to come, to foreknow the future, so that we can plan ahead and avoid mishaps. This, of course, is quite prudent and reasonable. But in seeking to control the future we tend to trust in our own ingenuity and skills, and fail to see that there is a much more fundamental virtue that we need, namely confidence and trust in the God who is with us always, and who has promised to give us the virtues we need to weather the storm, to endure the temporary trials of this life.

Fundamentally, then, faith, such as Jesus speaks of in the Gospel, is believing that God is with us and so he, who lives eternally, shall not let us perish; he shall never abandon us, not even in the grave. St Paul thus speaks of a “new creation”, calling us to “regard no one from a human point of view” but rather to believe and know that Christ “died and was raised” for our sake. And so, he will not even abandon us in death but rather, by his falling asleep in death, he has destroyed our death. Thus Scripture calls Jesus “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2), that is to say, faith in the Resurrection; faith in the final end that Christ has promised us if we believe in him for he is with us so we shall not perish; faith in the new creation that lies beyond the horizon of our human mortality and all its sorrows. So fr Bede Jarrett put it: “And life is eternal and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing, save the limit of our sight. Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly”. 

So, how does Christ lift us up and help us to see? How can we have a deeper trust and faith in the God who leads us on with his kindly light? How, like Newman, can we be content to see just one step forward at a time, knowing that Christ is not asleep but is ever with us, leading us to salvation? 

In the 1830s Newman writes in a letter to a Catholic friend that knowing the presence of God in the Eucharist helped him. He says,“after tasting of the [awesome] delight of worshipping God in His Temple, how unspeakably cold is the idea of a Temple without that Divine Presence!“ Newman marvelled that God was present for us in the Tabernacle, lovingly awaiting us, seemingly asleep, as it were, but always actively present for us. Thus, in his difficulties and stormy times he wrote that “to know that He is close by – to be able again and again through the day to go in to Him” is “such an incomparable blessing.”

Hence the Holy Father Pope Francis reminded us in his first encyclical Lumen Fidei that “Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives.” So, when the storms suddenly arise in our hearts and in our lives, let us, like the apostles, be found kneeling beside the Lord, kneeling before the Tabernacle, gathered around the Holy Eucharist, crying out to him in our need. Perhaps we can make St Peter’s words our own: “Lord, I do believe, help thou my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24) And in his presence, we shall hear him say to our turbulent hearts and minds: “Peace! Be still” (Mk 4:39).

[mindsoccupiedwithheaven]

Forgive us our trespasses, just as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Forgiveness is not saying that what someone did isn’t wrong. It’s acknowledging that the other person is as much a human and a sinner as you are. By forgiving others in the way that God forgives you, you open yourself to the Lord’s ultimate and total loving forgiveness.

Forgiving also does not mean you are open to being hurt again. You accept the other person and love them anyway, but you do not need to forget. You can love and forgive from a distance. The Lord also wants you to protect yourself.

[buggybestfriend]

as much as i hated it i also kind of liked the routine of church.. singing the songs and taking communion and listening to the homily

[catholic-saint-tournament]

Hmm. Valid points. Okay then 😔

To be fair I'm a theologian IRL and the Trinity's kind of my deal :)

reference to this

[unproduciblesmackdown]

already thinking "and by 'religious' really i mean 'christian'" re: how the term "religion" is not really useful when it's largely like, from a christian perspective, what is considered "equivalent" of christianity, see: perhaps a "rival"/obstacle to some person or group being considered christian....and even if not thinking about converting anyone, resulting in some at best misinterpretation / misrepresentation based on framing it through/as [element of christianity] and limiting of any more accurate language

like how tumblr recommends me a post about someone thinking about "religion" in general and concluding that it's Weird and perhaps Wrong for anyone who is a "true believer" in their religion(tm) to Not be proselytizing / trying to Convert everyone. like yeah why isn't everyone being an evangelical christian, they ought to be, benevolently informing all those around them that they're going to hell, otherwise. don't see any problem with this conclusion, or that someone's getting antisemitic in the notes already in agreement, or that That's Not How This Works and you don't just know how All "Religion" works based on considering it to be an alternate version of christianity (which in itself doesn't All work like that either)

[pilgrimjim]

Stumbling in the Dark

All of us, deep down, want the light. All of us need the light. But sometimes we resist the light, or run away from it, or shut our eyes to it.

Pieter Brueghel, The Blind Leading the Blind (1658). Note to reader: This is a post from 2021, revised to include comments on the moral blindness of admitting fascism into our political life. Jesus was walking out of Jericho, surrounded by a big crowd. Like all such crowds, it was a mix of the curious and the adoring. Jesus was at the height of his popularity. He stirred people’s imaginations…

[adoseofgodtoday]

OUR DESIRE TO THE SECURED

October 20, 2024 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102024.cfm) What motivates me most these days? What drives me to do my best? What is it that I desire for myself? What is it really that I am looking for? – these few questions bring us into more awareness of where we are at the moment and how our actions and decisions are molded…

[stanthonywalnuttree]

A Homily for Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 25th, 2024

Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Bridgewater MA “He performed these great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among the peoples through whom we passed.Therefore, we also will serve the Lord for He is our God.” (Joshua 24) In this chapter from the Book of Joshua, we see the children of Israel, the ones who fled from Egypt, and their children, make a promise to…

[rivage-seulm]

Jesus’ Healing Action Tells Women: Disobey Men: Control Your Own Bodies

Readings for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Wisdom 1:13-16, 2:23-24; Ps. 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; 2Cor. 8:7, 9, 13-16; Mk. 5:21-43 Last month my brilliant 15-year-old granddaughter shocked students in her high school freshman class by giving a speech about menstruation. Yes, menstruation! She called her talk “Bleeding in Silence: The Hidden Epidemic of Period Poverty.” (For those interested, I’ve pasted…

[slowtumbling]

Have a Little Talk with Jesus

(Another Call from God) (Note: Sermons can be heard in audio format at https://millersburgmennonite.org/worship/sermon-audio/) Scripture: Acts 1:1-14 Good Morning. Welcome to Holy Humor Sunday. This is the 2nd time we have participated in what has, on the Sunday after Easter, traditionally been a time when churches celebrated how Jesus got the last laugh on the Devil, by conquering sin and…

[mona310]

HOMILY FOR EASTER (CHRIST IS RISEN) EASTER VIGIL CATHOLIC HOLY SATURDAY ...

[delhinewsinenglish]

Pope skips homily at start of busy Holy Week during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square

Pope Francis decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health.

Hobbled by bad knees and persistent respiratory problems, Francis also didn't participate in the procession of cardinals around the obelisk in the piazza at the start of the Mass. Instead, the 87-year-old pontiff blessed the palm fronds and olive branches carried by the faithful from the altar.

Francis had been expected to deliver a homily halfway through the service and had pronounced the prayers during the Mass. But after several seconds of silence, announcers said Francis had decided not to deliver the homily itself.

Vatican officials estimated some 25,000 people attended the Mass, held under a sunny, breezy spring sky.

Palm Sunday kicks off a busy week for Francis leading up to Easter Sunday when the faithful commemorate the resurrection of Christ. On Thursday, Francis is due to travel to a Rome women's prison for the traditional washing of the feet ritual. On Friday he is scheduled to preside over the nighttime Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum re-enacting Christ's crucifixion.

The following day marks the Easter Vigil, during which Francis presides over a solemn nighttime service in the basilica, followed by Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and his noontime blessing from the loggia above.

Off and on this winter, Francis has been battling what he and the Vatican have described as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold. For the last several weeks he has occasionally asked an aide to read aloud his speeches and catechism lessons to spare him the effort.

Source : Pope skips homily at start of busy Holy Week during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square

[superiorcatholicinspiration]

Study, Pray, Serve: Palm Sunday

Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels.com Let’s examine some of the themes in the Mass readings for Palm Sunday. 1st Reading – Isaiah 50:4-7 The prophet speaks to the weary rousing words with the help of God. He is not disgraced, even in the face of attack and mockery. Psalm – 22:8-9,17-20,23-24 “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” READ THIS PSALM in light of the Passion of Jesus…