Sacred Heart of Jesus (Consecration of USA)

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus / June 12, 2026

1. Not a Bargain, but a Covenant

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the young girl Scout is about to begin first grade in school. The problem is that Scout already knows how to read. You wouldn't think this skill at literacy would be a problem, but we find out that it is.

In fact, Scout has been reading for years with the encouragement of her father, Atticus Finch.

On her first day of school, her teacher is surprised to discover that Scout can read not only the alphabet and her schoolbooks, but even newspaper articles and the stock market tables in the newspaper.

Instead of praising her, however, the teacher tells Scout that she should stop reading at home. She should only learn to read at school. No extra reading. No reading with her father. No reading newspapers at home.

Now that sounds strange to us. Most parents and teachers would be delighted to find a child who loves to read.

Scout certainly thinks it is strange.

She comes home discouraged and tells her father that she does not want to go back to school.

Atticus listens patiently and asks her whether she knows what a compromise is.

Eventually they arrive at an agreement. Scout will continue going to school, and Atticus promises that they will continue reading together at home every evening as they always have.

Scout thinks of it as a bargain.

But I would suggest it is more than a bargain.

A bargain says:

"I will do this if you do that."

A covenant says:

"I give myself to you."

What Atticus is really offering his daughter is not simply a deal. He is offering his support, his encouragement, and his love.

That distinction helps us understand today's Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In our first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that God chose Israel. Yet God did not choose them because they were the strongest nation, the richest nation, or the largest nation.

God chose them because He loved them.

God made a covenant with them.

God did not begin with a calculation.

God began with love.

And the same thing is true for us.

Sometimes we imagine that God loves us because we have earned His love. We think God loves us because we have been good enough, holy enough, or faithful enough.

But Scripture tells us something different.

God loves first.

God acts first.

God gives first.

And then He invites us to respond.

2. The Sacred Heart and the Love of Christ

Saint John gives us one of the most beautiful lines in all of Scripture:

"God is love."

That love became visible in Jesus Christ.

That is what the Sacred Heart devotion is about.

The Sacred Heart is not merely an image. It points to the heart of Christ, the heart that loved us unto death.

Jesus did not merely speak about love.

He lived it.

He suffered for it.

He died for it.

The Sacred Heart reminds us that mercy is not an idea. Mercy has a face. Mercy has a name. Mercy is Jesus Christ.

3. Consecrating Our Nation

This year the bishops of the United States have asked Catholics throughout our country to pray for a renewed consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  (Click Here for Prayer of Consecration)

That consecration is not primarily political.

It is a prayer for mercy.

We pray for mercy in our country, for our country, and from our country.

We pray for our leaders, whether we voted for them or not.

We pray that they govern with wisdom, justice, and respect for human dignity.

And we pray that Christ renew not only our nation but also our own hearts.

Because every renewal of a nation begins with the renewal of a heart.

4. A Greater Invitation than the Statue of Liberty

Living here in the New York and New Jersey area, another image comes to mind.

One of the most recognizable symbols of our nation is the Statue of Liberty.

Many of us know the famous words written by Emma Lazarus:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

For generations these words represented hope, welcome, and the possibility of a new beginning.

For countless immigrants arriving in New York Harbor, seeing the Statue of Liberty meant that perhaps life could begin again.

But today the Gospel presents us with an invitation that is even greater.

Jesus says:

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

Notice what Jesus does not say.

He does not say:  "Come to me if you have everything figured out."

He does not say: "Come to me if you are already holy."

He does not say: "Come to me if you have never sinned."

Instead He says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened."

Jesus welcomes the tired.

Jesus welcomes sinners.

Jesus welcomes those carrying guilt.

Jesus welcomes those burdened by grief.

Jesus welcomes those who have wandered away.

Jesus welcomes those who want to begin again.

The Statue of Liberty became a symbol of political freedom.

The Sacred Heart points to something even greater.

The Statue of Liberty says:

"Give me your tired."

Jesus says:

"Come to me."

The Statue of Liberty offers the hope of a new homeland.

Jesus offers the hope of a new heart.

The Statue of Liberty offers liberty.

Jesus offers liberation from sin.

The Statue of Liberty stands beside a golden door.

Jesus opens the door of eternal life.

5. Come to Me

Many people today are carrying heavy burdens.

Some carry burdens of illness.

Some carry burdens of grief.

Some carry burdens of anxiety.

Some carry burdens of family struggles.

Some carry burdens of sin.

Jesus does not promise that every burden will disappear.

But He does promise His presence.

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart."

Notice those words:

"Humble of heart."

The Sacred Heart is not only an image for us to admire.

It is a heart for us to imitate.

Its humility.

Its mercy.

Its compassion.

Its love.

As we join Catholics throughout our country in this renewed consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us ask Christ to renew our hearts, renew our families, and renew our nation.

For the greatest freedom is not merely political freedom.

The greatest freedom is the freedom to be forgiven.

And so we hear once again the invitation of Jesus:

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Trinity Sunday (2026-05-31)

Trinity Sunday 2026

1. From Reputation to Relationship

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, and we hear one of the most famous biblical verses in all of Scripture:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16).

These words come from a longer conversation Jesus is having with a man named Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee, a religious leader, sincere and thoughtful, who wanted to understand who Jesus really was. He had heard about Jesus. He knew Jesus' reputation. But he did not yet fully recognize who Jesus was.

And sometimes we are not so different.

We approach God with our own expectations. We want God to fit our categories. We want Him to confirm what we already think.

But Jesus leads Nicodemus beyond those expectations.

Jesus says:

"You must be born from above."

Nicodemus immediately interprets those words in an earthly way:

"How can a grown man enter his mother's womb again?"

He hears the words, but misses the deeper reality.

And that is part of the challenge of Trinity Sunday.

We can memorize doctrines. We can pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But the Trinity is not merely information about God.

The Trinity is God inviting us into communion with Himself.

2. Learning to Recognize the Call

Sometimes recognizing a call is more difficult than we expect.

Many years ago, in the mid-1990s, I went to a restaurant and was handed one of those wireless paging devices that would alert me when my table was ready.

At that time I had never seen such a thing before.

I brought it back to my seat and rested my hand on it.

A few minutes later it suddenly started vibrating violently.

For a split second I thought the room was moving. I wondered if there was an earthquake or if something had happened to the chair.

Then I realized what was happening.

The device was calling me.

The signal had come in, but I did not yet understand what it meant.

In some ways, that is the spiritual life.

God is constantly calling us:
through Scripture,
through prayer,
through conscience,
through suffering,
through the sacraments,
and through other people.

But sometimes we do not recognize the signal.

Nicodemus hears Jesus speaking, but he does not yet understand what Jesus is telling him.

The call has come in, but he is still learning how to respond.

And perhaps that is true for all of us.

3. God's Name and the Mystery Beyond the Name

That brings us to the first reading from Exodus.

Moses has returned to Mount Sinai after the disaster of the golden calf. The people had grown impatient and turned toward an idol.

There God proclaims His name:

"A merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."

This is one of the great moments of the Old Testament because God reveals who He is.

And it reminds me of something that happens in many families and workplaces.

Have you ever had a parent call you by the wrong name?

Perhaps your mother wanted to call one child and accidentally said another child's name first.

Or have you ever called one of your co-workers by the wrong name?

I do this all the time. Just ask the staff in the rectory.

Usually that does not happen because we have forgotten who the person is.

Quite the opposite.

It often happens because those people belong to the same circle of friendship, familiarity, affection, and love.

The name matters because the relationship matters.

But the relationship is greater than the name.

Something similar is true in our relationship with God.

God reveals His name to Moses.

Jesus teaches us to call God "Father."

We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

These names truly reveal God.

But they do not exhaust Him.

God's revelation begins with words, but goes beyond words.

God is always greater than what we can fully understand.

That is why the Trinity is not simply a formula to memorize.

The Trinity is a mystery to enter.

4. A God Who Continues to Call

The people at Sinai did not fully understand God.

Nicodemus did not fully understand Jesus.

And we often do not fully understand God's work in our own lives.

Yet God continues calling.

This past week I celebrated another anniversary of my ordination as a priest.

Over the years I have reflected often on what it means to be called.

Certainly there was study, formation, and preparation.

But vocation is deeper than preparation.

God calls us long before we fully understand what He is doing.

And that is true not only for priests.

Husbands and wives are called.

Parents are called.

Every Christian is called.

Discipleship is not a one-time response.

It is ongoing.

God never stops calling us toward Himself.

5. The Communion of the Holy Trinity

Ultimately, the Trinity is not a puzzle to solve.

The Trinity is the life of God into which we are invited.

As Saint Paul says:

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."

The Father calls us.

The Son saves us.

The Holy Spirit draws us into communion with the living God.

God never stops calling us beyond our sins.

Beyond our disappointments.

Beyond our wounds.

Beyond the limits we place on ourselves.

Calling us into the communion of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Why?

What is all of this for?

Who is it for?

Today we can hear the Gospel not only as a message to the world in general, but personally:

"For God so loved YOU that He gave His only Son for you, so that you might not perish but might have eternal life."

Mary Mother of the Church (2026-05-25)

 

Today, on the Monday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates Mary, Mother of the Church.

That title is deeply connected to Pentecost itself. Yesterday we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Today the Church asks us to remember that Mary was there at the Church’s beginning: present at the Cross, present among the apostles, present in the Upper Room as the disciples waited together in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Mary is Mother of the Church because she first gave flesh to Christ, the head of the Church, and because from the Cross Jesus entrusted her to his disciples. Her motherhood did not end at Bethlehem. It continues in the life of the Church.

The Acts of the Apostles tells us that after the Ascension, the disciples gathered together “with one accord in prayer,” and Mary was there among them. Before the Church went out into the world, there was first prayer, waiting, unity, and silence before God.

That is important for us to remember today because this year this feast falls on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day began as a day to remember those who died in war. Over time it became a national remembrance for all who gave their lives in service to the country. And one of the traditions associated with Memorial Day is the national moment of silence observed at 3:00 this afternoon.

What is interesting is that the moment of silence is meant to interrupt ordinary life. It comes in the middle of the picnic, the baseball game, the family gathering, the long weekend. For a brief moment, activity stops, and the nation is asked to remember sacrifice.

In some ways, the Church understands that kind of interruption very well.

Christian prayer also interrupts ordinary life. Silence interrupts noise. Prayer interrupts self-absorption. Remembrance interrupts forgetfulness.

At the Cross, Mary stood in sorrow and faith. In the Upper Room, Mary waited in prayer with the disciples. Her silence was not emptiness. It was trust in God. It was fidelity. It was hope.

And the Church still learns from her how to pray.

We live in a noisy world, a divided world, a distracted world. Yet before Pentecost came upon the apostles, there was first a community gathered together in prayer with Mary. Before the Church spoke, the Church listened. Before the Church went out into the world, the Church waited upon the Holy Spirit.

That is why silence can be holy.

Silence allows grief to become prayer.
Silence allows memory to become gratitude.
Silence allows us to listen for God.

Today, as our nation remembers those who died in sacrifice and service, we pray for them. We pray for all the faithful departed. We pray for peace in the world. And we pray for unity in our country and in the Church.

Mary, Mother of the Church, teaches us that true unity is not created merely by politics or human effort alone. Unity begins when people gather together before God in prayer.

And so today we ask her intercession for the Church and for our nation:
that the Holy Spirit may bring peace where there is division,
hope where there is discouragement,
and deeper faith where there is fear.

May Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us and lead us always closer to her Son.

 

Pentecost (2026-05-24)

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[Pentecost 2026]

1. Memorial Day and the Wounds We Remember

This weekend our nation observes Memorial Day. Originally called “Decoration Day,” it began after the Civil War as a time to decorate with flowers the graves of soldiers who had died in battle. It was a way of remembering sacrifice, remembering wounds, remembering lives given for others.

And perhaps Memorial Day feels especially meaningful today because we also live in a divided time. There is tension, anger, suspicion, and fear in many places in our country and even within families. We hear many voices, many arguments, many accusations. Yet on every coin and every dollar bill remains that ancient phrase: E Pluribus Unum — “Out of many, one.”

That hope for unity is not only an American ideal. It is also deeply connected to Pentecost.

Because Pentecost is the moment when the Holy Spirit descends upon frightened disciples and begins gathering divided humanity into one people in Christ.

And significantly, Jesus does not begin Pentecost by hiding His wounds.

He shows them.

The risen Christ still bears the wounds of the Crucifixion. And then He says:

“Peace be with you.”

That is important.

Jesus does not pretend suffering never happened.
He does not erase the wounds.
He transforms them.

And then He gives His disciples a mission of mercy:

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

Pentecost is about receiving mercy from God and then translating that mercy into the way we treat one another.

---

2. Text, Teaching, and Translation

Pentecost can be understood with three words:

Text. Teaching. Translation.

First, there is the text.

The text of today’s Gospel is simple:

“Peace be with you.”
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.”

Then there is the teaching.

Jesus shows His hands and His side. The teaching is that mercy is not cheap. Mercy cost Him something. Love required sacrifice. Forgiveness required courage.

And that leads to the third movement:

translation.

The disciples are now meant to translate God’s mercy into daily life.

Not merely to admire mercy.
Not merely to discuss mercy.
But to practice mercy.

And that is not easy.

Because mercy requires courage.

The Church has a word for that courage:

fortitude.

Fortitude is the strength to pursue what is good even when it is difficult. Mercy often requires fortitude because forgiving someone can feel risky. Showing compassion can make us feel vulnerable. Giving another person a second chance may require patience, prudence, and trust in God.

The Holy Spirit gives us courage not only to receive mercy, but also to become translators of mercy.

---

3. Mercy Is Not Pretending Wrongdoing Never Happened

One evening around nine o’clock at night, I was cleaning accumulated junk out of my car and throwing things into the dumpster near our school building. A neighbor walking nearby saw me and came over rather seriously and said:

“You know that’s illegal.”

I answered somewhat awkwardly:

“Well… I own this place.”

Which of course is not really true.
You own this place.
We all share responsibility for it.

But afterward I appreciated what the man was doing. He was watching out for the neighborhood. He cared about the community. He was trying to protect what belonged to others.

In a strange little way, it became a reminder that keeping God’s commandments also means caring for one another and caring about how we behave even when nobody is watching.

Mercy does not eliminate responsibility.
Mercy does not pretend wrongdoing never happened.

That became clearer to me in one of my first jobs after college.

A young man had recently started working in our office. My boss explained that he had gotten into serious trouble at college for creating fake identification cards for friends. He had been suspended or expelled. His parents were deeply upset. His future suddenly seemed uncertain.

But my boss decided to give him work in our office for a while.

I remember thinking how beautiful that was.

The wrongdoing remained real.
The consequences remained real.
But the young man himself was not discarded.

Someone gave him another chance.

That made a deep impression on me because I thought:

“I hope that if I ever need a second chance, someone might show mercy to me too.”

---

4. The Courage to Translate Mercy

Then recently, someone rang the rectory doorbell asking whether he could perform court-ordered community service here at the parish. He had received a driving-while-intoxicated charge in another state and needed twenty-four hours of service.

At first, I hesitated.

I felt busy.
I felt inconvenienced.
Part of me wanted to say no.

But I also remembered that young man from years ago.

So before deciding, I called the Archdiocese. I checked with our Safe Environment office. I spoke with our school principal. We made sure everything would be safe and appropriate.

And gradually I realized:
this was an opportunity to practice mercy responsibly.

Mercy does not mean calling evil good.
Mercy does not ignore prudence.
Mercy does not abandon truth.

But mercy does mean believing that people are more than the worst thing they have ever done.

That takes courage.

Sometimes it is easier to discard people the way we discard old objects.
To throw away relationships.
To throw away patience.
To throw away forgiveness.

But the Holy Spirit does not discard people.

Pentecost teaches us that God continues working within wounded and imperfect human beings.

And perhaps one of the greatest signs of the Holy Spirit is when someone chooses not bitterness, not revenge, not permanent condemnation — but mercy.

---

5. Pentecost and the Courage to Forgive

Today Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon His disciples.

The frightened apostles become courageous apostles.

And one of the first gifts He gives them is the power to forgive sins.

Why?

Because forgiveness is one of the bravest things a human being can do.

It takes courage to seek forgiveness.
It takes courage to admit wrongdoing.
It takes courage to give another person a second chance.
It takes courage to believe that grace can still change hearts.

And maybe that is the message we most need today.

In divided families.
In divided communities.
In a divided nation.

The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to translate mercy into life.

So that out of many, we may become one.

And so that the peace Christ spoke in the upper room may continue speaking through us.

Infinity and Beyond (Ascension, 2026-05-17)

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Ascension_2026 “To Infinity and Beyond”: The Ascension and the Hope That Does Not Abandon Us  

1. “Why Are You Standing There Looking at the Sky?”

This Sunday is the Ascension of the Lord. In the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples stood looking into the sky, watching Jesus disappear into the clouds. Do you perceive in them some confusion and sadness? Jesus had risen from the dead, spent time with them again, spoken words of peace to them—and now He seems to be leaving.

Then the angels ask them:

 “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

In other words: do not remain frozen. Do not stay trapped in fear or uncertainty. Go forward.

The Ascension is not really about Jesus abandoning His disciples. It is about Jesus preparing them—and us—for a deeper kind of presence. Christ ascends to the Father, but He does not stop loving, guiding, or strengthening His people. Through the Holy Spirit, His presence now reaches every time and every place.

The Ascension is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of the Church’s mission and the beginning of a new hope.

 

2. Toy Story and the Fear of Being Forgotten

There’s a movie that touches on some of these same fears and hopes. Many of you have probably seen Toy Story. The original movie came out in 1995 with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the other toys belonging to a boy named Andy.

At first glance, it’s simply a funny animated film about toys coming to life. But underneath the humor, the toys struggle with very human fears.

Their biggest fear is this:

What if I’m forgotten?

The toys worry about being replaced, ignored, or left behind. They wonder whether they still matter. And honestly, those fears are not only for toys. Human beings struggle with them too.

Sometimes we fear:

·         that we are not important,

·         that someone else will replace us,

·         that we are alone,

·         or that our lives do not have a real purpose.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples could have felt something similar. Jesus is ascending. He is no longer physically standing beside them. Perhaps they wonder:

What happens now? Are we alone?

But the message of the Ascension is this:

Christ does not abandon His people.

He ascends not to leave us behind, but to lead us forward.

---

3. “To Infinity and Beyond”

One of the beautiful themes in Toy Story is identity. Buzz Lightyear famously says:

“To infinity and beyond!”

It’s a funny line, but it also points toward something true about the human heart. We were made for more than this world alone. We were made for eternity. We were made for communion with God.

But here’s the important lesson: Buzz cannot reach “infinity and beyond” by himself. Neither can we.

We do not reach eternal life through our own strength alone. We need God’s grace. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. We need one another. We need the Church.

That is exactly what the Ascension prepares us for.

Jesus ascends to the Father, but before He goes, He gives His disciples a mission:

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel.”

Notice something important. The disciples are not told to remain standing there staring upward. They are sent outward.

The Christian life is not about escaping the world. It is about living in the world with hope.

---

4. God’s Grace Heals the Past

Part of Christian hope involves learning how to see our past differently. Many people either try to erase the past or remain trapped in it. But the spiritual life asks something different of us. We are called not to erase our past, but to place it into God’s hands.

Through prayer, repentance, and reflection, God can heal memories that still hurt us. He can redeem failures that still burden us. He can even use painful moments to deepen compassion and wisdom within us.

The apostles themselves had painful memories. Peter remembered denying Jesus. The others remembered running away in fear during the Passion. Yet Jesus did not abandon them because of their weakness. Instead, He entrusted them with His mission.

That is grace.

Sometimes people think holiness means never failing. But holiness is really about allowing God to keep working in us, even after weakness, fear, or disappointment.

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5. We All Have a Purpose

That is also one of the lessons in Toy Story. Woody and Buzz spend much of the movie competing and fighting with each other. They are jealous, insecure, and frustrated. But eventually they learn to work together. They begin to recognize that their purpose is greater than their rivalry.

The Christian life works the same way. We are not meant to live in constant comparison with others. We do not need to panic about whether someone else is smarter, more successful, or more talented. God has given each person a vocation and a purpose.

You may not know yet what your future will look like. You may not know your future career, your future family, or the path your life will take. But you already have a purpose today:

·         to love God,

·         to love your family,

·         to forgive,

·         to grow in holiness,

·         and to become the person God created you to be.

And we do not live that purpose alone.

The Ascension reminds us that Christ still reigns. He still guides His Church. He still intercedes for us. He still pours out the Holy Spirit upon His people.

That means our future is not empty or meaningless.

Our future is anchored in Christ.

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6. Go Forward with Hope

The disciples eventually stopped staring into the sky because they realized something important: Jesus was still with them, though in a new way. His presence would continue through the Holy Spirit, through the Eucharist, through the Church, and through the mission He entrusted to them.

And so the Ascension calls us to move forward with hope.

Not hope based on wishful thinking.

Not hope based on pretending life is easy.

But hope rooted in the victory of Jesus Christ.

Because Christ has ascended into Heaven, we know that suffering and death do not have the final word. Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us. He opens the Father’s house to humanity.

So when life feels uncertain, when we feel forgotten, when we worry about the future, we remember this:

Christ has not abandoned us.

He remains with us and strengthens us.

And His grace carries us forward—to infinity and beyond.

Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Not Leaving. Staying (2026-05-10, Easter 6th Sun)

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[ 6^th Sunday Easter ● ● Acts    ● ● Psalm  ● ● ● ●  John 14:15-21 ● ● ]

1. “I Will Not Leave You Orphaned”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says:

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”

Those are deeply personal words.

Jesus speaks them at the Last Supper, on the night before his Passion, when the disciples are anxious and afraid because they know suffering is coming. Separation is coming. Their world is about to change.

And Jesus does not say to them:
“You are on your own.”

Nor does he merely say:
“Be confident in yourselves.”

Instead, he says:

Whatever comes, we do not face it alone.
Whatever lies ahead, Christ does not ask us to face it by ourselves.

“I will not leave you orphaned.”

That is the promise.

The Holy Spirit—the Advocate, the Consoler, the Spirit of Truth—is the fulfillment of that promise. The Holy Spirit is not merely a feeling or vague inspiration. The Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of God with us and within us.

And on this Mother’s Day weekend, we recall that Jesus speaks here with the language of a parent.

A loving mother or father not only gives life, but continues to accompany the child with prayer, sacrifice, encouragement, and love.

A loving parent says:
“I will come looking for you if you are in trouble.”
“I will stand behind you when you are discouraged.”
“I will not abandon you when you are afraid.”

2. The Love That Does Not Abandon

Now this does not mean parents are perfect.

As we grow older, many of us can probably think of things our parents could have done differently. I certainly can.

But at the same time, I also look back with gratitude for what my parents did do for me—and even some of the things they didn’t do for me.

Sometimes we can thank our parents for what they did not do:
for not solving every problem,
for not always telling us exactly what to do,
for allowing us to struggle while continuing to pray for us,
for allowing us to grow.

But they were present.

And now, looking back, I can see that through their patience, sacrifice, encouragement, and love, God was caring for me through them.

Not because parents are the Holy Spirit.
They are not.

But because mothers and fathers can become instruments of the Holy Spirit—signs of the faithful love of the Father who says:

“I will not leave you orphaned.”

And perhaps that is why Mother’s Day touches people so deeply.

Whether our mothers are living or deceased, whether our relationships were easy or complicated, we recognize something sacred in the love that continues to care, continues to pray, and continues to look out for us.

And the Lord does the same thing with us.

Jesus says:

“I am coming to you.”

Not:
“Come find me if you can.”

But:
“I am coming to you.”

3. The Holy Spirit in the Midst of Suffering

Now sometimes people hear promises like this and wonder:
if God is with us, then why is there still suffering?
Why illness?
Why tragedy?
Why death?

Pope Benedict XVI once reflected that the deepest question is not simply why God allows suffering and death. The deeper question is:
What will our response be?

Because very often, it is precisely in moments of sorrow and tragedy that the love of God becomes most visible.

We see it when families gather around someone who is sick.
We see it when people sacrifice themselves for another person.
We see it when someone remains faithful through grief.
We see it when people forgive, comfort, encourage, and persevere.

Sometimes we even see someone who is suffering deeply continue to care lovingly for another person who is struggling even more.

In other words, we often see the Holy Spirit most clearly not by escaping suffering, but by the way love appears in the midst of suffering.

The Holy Spirit does not promise that we will never experience pain.

The Spirit promises that suffering and death will not have the final word.

4. Saint Marianne of Molokai

It is fitting on Mother’s Day weekend to remember Saint Marianne Cope, who worked alongside the much more widely known Saint Damien of Molokai.

Most people know Father Damien because he gave his life serving people suffering from leprosy on the island of Molokai in the Hawaiian islands in the Pacific Ocean.

But in the 1800s, Molokai was not known as a place of tourism or beauty. It was known as a leper colony—a place where people suffering from leprosy were isolated, abandoned, and often separated from their families.

And Sister Marianne Cope did not abandon them.

Unlike Father Damien, who went to Molokai as a young missionary priest, Marianne was already well established in religious life. She was respected, experienced, secure in her vocation, and a leader in her religious community.

But at the age of 45, she left all of that behind to go and serve people whom society had largely rejected and forgotten.

The people on Molokai were not officially orphans, but in many ways they had been treated like orphans.

They were isolated.
Rejected.
Feared.
Separated from family.
Often left without dignity or hope.

And Sister Marianne remained with them.

She helped organize hospitals and schools.
She cared for children.
She formed choirs.
She helped restore dignity to people who felt forgotten.
She reminded suffering people that they were still loved by God.

In other words, she lived the words of today’s Gospel:

“I will not leave you orphaned.”

5. Consumed by Love

The Church often speaks about the Holy Spirit through images of wind and fire.

At Pentecost, the Spirit comes as a strong driving wind and tongues of fire.

And recently, I was reminded of that in a very concrete way.

Every year in the Church, we renew the sacred oils used in the sacraments. There was some remaining chrism oil from a previous celebration that needed to be disposed of properly. Since it is sacred oil, it is traditionally burned or buried.

So I wiped the remaining chrism oil into a paper towel and brought it outside.

I put a match to it.

And honestly, I was surprised.

That one small flame caught quickly, and the oil-soaked paper towel burned steadily and beautifully until the entire towel had been consumed.

And I stood there thinking:
that is what the Holy Spirit is meant to do in us.

That same chrism oil is placed upon us at Baptism.
At Confirmation.
At Ordination.

The Holy Spirit is meant to burn within us—not destructively, but as the fire of divine love.

The fire that purifies.
The fire that strengthens.
The fire that gives light.
The fire that enables us to give ourselves completely to God.

And perhaps that is what happened in the life of Saint Marianne Cope.

She was consumed in love.

Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
But faithfully.

Holiness often looks like that.

Remaining faithful when we are tired.
Sacrificing quietly for others.
Continuing to hope when life becomes heavy.
Refusing to abandon another person.

And sometimes all it takes is one small spark:
a small prayer,
a small act of charity,
a small act of forgiveness,
a small return to God.

The Holy Spirit can work powerfully even through what seems very small.

And that is the great promise of today’s Gospel.

We are not abandoned.
We are not orphaned.
We are not alone.

The Advocate remains with us.

And Christ still comes looking for us.
Still caring for us.
Still refusing to leave us orphaned.

Troubled Hearts and a Promise

🎧 [Listen to  Homily: Audio]    

📺 [Watch Mass: YouTube Video]   

[ 5^th Sunday Easter ● ● Acts 6:1-7 ● ● Psalm 33 ● ● 1 Peter 2:4-9 ● ●  John 14:1-12 ● ● ]

5^th Sunday of Easter —

1. Troubled Hearts and a Promise

When Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel, the apostles are unsettled.

They sense something is changing.
They know he is leaving.
And they are troubled.

So Jesus says:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God, believe also in me.”

And then he gives them a promise:  “I go to prepare a place for you… so that where I am, you also may be.”

That is good news.  But here’s the problem:  they don’t really receive it—not at first.

And that can happen to us.

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2. The Message That Was Misplaced

Earlier this week, something unusual happened at the rectory.

Several of us received an email from someone we know at the Archdiocese—someone who regularly sends important messages.

But this time, it didn’t show up in the inbox.

It went straight to the spam folder.

Now you know what that means.

Spam is where suspicious messages go.
Messages you’re told not to trust or open.

So at first glance, it looked like something to ignore.

But something didn’t seem right.

So we called her.

“Did you send this?”

She said, “Yes—it’s real.”

And it turned out, it was a real message—
something we needed to act on.

But the system filtered it out.

Why?

Because it was sent to many people.
It didn’t seem personal enough.

So it was treated as something to ignore.

We almost missed it completely.

---

3. How We Filter the Gospel

And that’s when it struck me:

We can do the same thing with the Gospel.

Jesus speaks clearly:

• forgive your enemies
• do not let your hearts be troubled

And most of us agree with that—in general.

But when it becomes personal?

That’s where the filtering happens.

“Forgive your enemies…”
That’s a good idea—but this situation is different.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled…”
That sounds nice—but I have real worries.

And little by little,
we don’t actually delete the Gospel—

we just leave it in the spam folder, unread.

Not because it isn’t true,
but because we don’t fully receive it.

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4. Why We Need Others

And here’s something important.

The only reason we found that email
was because one person saw it and said,
“This might matter.”

That matters.

Because in the Christian life,
we don’t come to faith alone.

We need others:

• to be witnesses to us,
• to help us recognize what is true,
• to walk with us as we try to live it out.

Sometimes the very thing troubling us
is something we need to say out loud.

And that’s why the Church gives us the sacrament of confession.

Not just to list sins,
but to speak honestly,
to be heard,
and to hear the truth spoken back to us.

To be reminded:
this is real.
God is present.
Don’t ignore Him.

That’s why, in Acts, the apostles say:

“We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Because the Word of God must not be neglected.

It must not be filtered out.

---

5. A Real-Life Example

Let me give you a real-life example.

Over the past few years, my siblings and I
have been helping my father with his affairs.

That includes difficult conversations.

Conversations like:

“Dad… what happens when you’re not here?”

“What’s the plan for this? For that?”

No one wants to start there.

But they are necessary.

And to his credit, my father has been open.

Sometimes he says, “That’s enough for today.”
And we stop.

But we come back to it.

Because it’s real.

Because life doesn’t last forever.
And love requires responsibility.

---

6. Two Ways to Respond

I remember a friend of mine whose father was dying.

His father would say similar things.

And my friend said:

“I think he’s being too dramatic.”

But he wasn’t being dramatic.

He was being realistic.

7. The Gospel Is Reality

And that’s the point.

Jesus is not being dramatic in today’s Gospel.

When he says:

“I go to prepare a place for you…”

He is telling the truth.

There is a life beyond this world.

There is a place prepared.

There is a future with God.

The question is not whether the message is real.

The question is:

Will we receive it?
Or will we filter it out?

---

8. Conclusion: Receive the Message

So today, Jesus speaks directly to you:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Believe in me.”

Where have I been filtering this out?
Where have you been filtering this out?

The message is real.
The place is prepared.

And Jesus is not trying to take anything from you—

he is reaching out so that you may know
his love has always been there,

and calling you personally
to believe,
to follow,
and to come home.