“We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” (1 Thess. 1:2-5) A number of years ago, I remember Archbishop Hughes calling all priests to a Holy Hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Louis Cathedral. And the way he did it was so succinctly Trinitarian. He asked us to “come let us pray with Our Lord Jesus to the Father that He will send the Holy Spirit down upon us.” I remember hearing it and having a new and different … [Read more...]

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” (Is. 25:6) It's fairly astounding how many times that Sacred Scriptures describe Heaven in terms of food and drink. The “promised land” was a place flowing with “milk and honey.” Alternatively, Isaiah describes a “mountain” with “rich food and pure, choice wines.” For people living in an arid place, the idea of abundant food and drink was very appealing, especially in times of famine. But Jesus takes the analogy even further by describing a wedding banquet, something that was by far the most joyous occasions in the life of a Jew. If you think today's wedding receptions are “over-the-top,” think again. Jewish weddings were marked by an … [Read more...]

“Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus?” (Phil. 4:6-7) I'm not planning on using this passage from Sunday's second reading in my homily, but I have to admit that it spoke to me as I was going through the readings this week. It's a passage that reveals the fruits of a deep faith. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta used to have a little card that she gave people she met. She called it her “business card.” I've reproduced one she gave to me after I worked in Calcutta one summer: It's nice having her autograph, but that's not the point. The point is how she connects silence to prayer to … [Read more...]

“Thus says the LORD: You say, 'The LORD's way is not fair!' Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ez. 18:25) “That's not fair!” I can't even imagine how many times I heard that growing up. I grew up in a house with three sisters and a brother. And one thing about us, we grew up with a strong understanding of justice. Well, justice as we defined it. When it came time to cut the pecan pie for dessert, we would scrutinize the pieces down to the last crumb. And if someone got a bigger piece, one of us would exclaim: “That's not fair!” And if one of us was invited to spend the night at our grandparents, then a scorecard was kept. If there was not a perfect rotation so that each of us went in order, it would happen again: “That's not … [Read more...]

“Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous? ”˜Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.'” (Mt. 20:13-16a) A number of years ago, when I was in law school, one of my closest friends (who's still one of my closest friends) was with me on a retreat at Manresa. Although it was a silent retreat, several of my buddies and I used to sneak out to the levee late on the last evening of the retreat as kind of “debriefing.” And I remember my friend saying: “Wouldn't it be great to have a ”˜simple faith,' like a farmer.  You just got up in the morning, did the farm work, went back into the house in the … [Read more...]

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Mt. 18:21-22) When I was younger, my sisters and brother and I had a lot of little “family” jokes and expressions. Sometimes when we're together again, we use them to get a laugh. In our teenage years those “inside jokes” tended to revolve around quotes from television shows or movies that we found funny. Most of can do imitations of Eddie Murphy's more memorable gags or lines uttered by Bill Murray in “Caddyshack” or “Stripes.” But one of the older expressions I remember when I was very young was “seventy-eleven.” Of course, it's not an actual number, but it was used to express … [Read more...]

“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:19-20) Most priests tend to pray a lot. I'm one of them. At my ordination to the diaconate, I promised to pray the “prayer of the Church” called the Liturgy of the Hours. It's made up of Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, the Office of Reading and Night Prayer. Of course, I also celebrate at least one Mass daily. I also try daily to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, recite the Rosary, do some spiritual reading and pray other devotional prayers according to the season. But I try not to “isolate” my prayer into … [Read more...]

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life.” (Mt. 16:24-26) I spent five years of my seminary formation in Rome, studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University. During the first three years, I obtained a Bachelor in Sacred Theology, which would be similar to a Masters of Divinity. During my final two years of seminary, I spent most of my time studying canon law. Anyway, one day I was discussing the Scriptural passage above with a friend who was in advanced Scripture studies, and I asked him: “To what was Jesus referring to when … [Read more...]

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:16-19) For most of my time living in Rome, I lead pilgrims on a tour through the excavations under St. Peter's Basilica. Known as the “Scavi,” the Italian name for excavations, the site contains a cemetery with tombs dating from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries. Although many of the tombs are pagan, as the visit gets closer to the area under the main altar of St. Peter's, we begin to see many signs of Christian burials. The highlight of the tour is the area immediately under … [Read more...]

J esus said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” (Mt. 15:26-27) For the first 36 years of my life, I spent a lot of time listening to homilies at Mass. Of course, I've heard some really amazing homilies. But I've also heard some that didn't say a lot. One of my biggest pet peeves was when there was a line in the Gospel that begged to be explained and the homilist ignored it like nobody heard it. I think that the above quote from this Sunday's Gospel is just that sort of quote. Think about it, did Jesus just call that woman a “dog”? That's pretty strong language here! And she just took it? I'll explain it a little more in my … [Read more...]