Tag: Apostles

Context

A homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 

Remember, back when we were in grammar school, especially back in the first, second or third grade, how weird it was to see a teacher away from the classroom? Remember how incredibly weird it was to see a Franciscan sister, or the whole convent, in the Acme Market?

Remember how we didn’t always recognize them right away because they were out of the classroom? That’s where they live all the time, right?

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Rent-free space

A homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 27, 2025

Acts 5:12-16, Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31

It seems like forever that people have disagreed on whether it’s better to forgive and forget or forgive and remember whenever someone — or some institution — has done wrong by us.

Both sides make strong cases.

Those who’d forgive and forget wipe the slate clean. You’re sorry; I forgive you; let’s pretend the whole thing never happened. It’s a lot less to carry around when we’re all bearing crosses of some sort.

Then again, those who forgive and remember choose to watch out for the same thing happening again. Yes, I forgive you, but I also have my eye on you. You say you’re sorry, and I mostly believe you, but I’m on guard. My radar is on. I’m wearing armor. Fool me once, etc.

Definitely an either-or proposition.

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He did what?

A homily for The Resurrection of the Lord (Easter), April 20, 2025

Acts 10:34a, 37-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9

Sometimes, I just don’t get it.

Every now and then, there are things I “should” understand, but don’t.

Every now and then, the harder I think about certain things, the more my brain hurts, and I still don’t understand.

Yet the biggest challenges are the things I kinda-sorta understand. Those can be incredibly nettlesome. I’ll bet we all have some of those buzzing around our brains.

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Loyalty

A homily for Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord, April 13, 2025

Luke 19:28-40, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 22:14—23:56

I grew up in a Ford family. Over the years, we had more Country Squires than three seasons of “Bridgerton.” And a couple of Mustangs, of course.

At one point, we added a Volkswagen Bug, and we owned our share of VeeDubs, but they were always The Second Car. The big Ford V-8 was the vehicle of choice.

Yet when it was time for me to take out a loan, sign on the dotted line and drive away in my own wheels, I opted for a, yes, sexy VW Scirocco. And don’t you know, I felt some guilt pangs for betraying the Blue Oval.

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Aye, eye

A homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, with the Scrutiny Year A Readings, March 30, 2025

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41

Our eyes are the windows to our souls.

I’ve heard that a zillion times, and I believe it.

Our eyes reveal exactly who we are, and they empower us to see clearly just who and what other people are.

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Nearsighted

A homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, March 16, 2025

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18, Philippians 3:17—4:1, Luke 9:28b-36

In James Cameron’s “Avatar” movies, the tall blue Na’vi people greet each other, and especially greet their loved ones, with “I see you.”

To the fictional Na’vi, “I see you” means a wide variety of things: “I see into you,” “I understand you,” “I respect you,” or “I love you.”

All of which intersect at “I know who you truly are.”

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Next

A homily for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, March 2, 2025

Sirach 27:4-7, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, Luke 6:39-45

One of the most important things an actor learns is not to play the end of a scene.

What that means is, even though actors know how the scene will end, because they have read and learned the script, they can’t display any inappropriate emotions or in any other way show they know what’s going to happen next. They can’t do or say anything — no matter how small — that telegraphs the ending. That would ruin the scene.

It’s a difficult skill to master.

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Upside down

A homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 23, 2025

1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38

A few days ago, 80 people miraculously survived a plane crash in Toronto. As the jetliner was landing, it suddenly tipped over onto its right side, snapped off its wing, and rolled onto its roof, skidding down the runway.

CNN reported:

After the aircraft came to a standstill, “we were upside down hanging like bats,” passenger Peter Koukov said. He was able to unbuckle himself and stand upright on the ceiling of the plane, but some people needed help getting down from their seats.

Their world had turned upside down.

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Nonsensical

A homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 9, 2025

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11

Anyone among us who is or used to be a child knows all too well the reason we’re given for doing something that seems utterly absurd to us:

“Because I Said So.”

In the great arsenal of weapons … uh, tools … uh, gifts … every parent receives when their children draw their first breaths, “Because I Said So” is the last line of defense, the “Break Glass in Case of Emergency” reason.

Even though we parents whip it out of its holster as our first (and only) option all too often.

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