Hospitality (2026-06-28 Sunday 13th)

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[13th Sunday, Year A: • 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a • Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 • Matthew 10:37-42  ]

Hospitality Begins by Making Room for Christ

1. Preparing a Room for the Lord

Our first reading introduces us to a woman from the town of Shunem. Whenever the prophet Elisha passed through her town, she welcomed him into her home. Eventually she said to her husband,

"Let us prepare a little room for him."

Notice what she includes.

A bed.

A table.

A chair.

A lamp.

Everything needed for someone to feel at home.

She was not simply furnishing a guest room.

She was making room for God's servant.

She understood that welcoming God's prophet meant welcoming God's presence.

That beautiful image becomes the thread that runs through all of today's readings.

How do we make room for God?

---

2. The Gift Is Small—The Love Is Great

Jesus answers that question in today's Gospel.

"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me."

Then He gives one of the simplest examples imaginable.

"Whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple... will surely not lose his reward."

We sometimes miss how ordinary that image would have sounded.

In the ancient world, "cold water" simply meant ordinary water. It wasn't refrigerated or luxurious. Jesus intentionally chooses the simplest act of kindness.

God does not first measure the size of the gift.

He measures the love with which it is given.

Hospitality begins with simple acts of love.

---

3. Preparing the Heart Before Preparing the House

But today's Gospel quietly asks another question.

If we prepare rooms for guests...

do we prepare our hearts for Christ?

Whenever important visitors come to our homes, we usually prepare.

We clean the house.

We straighten the furniture.

We wash the dishes.

We put things back where they belong.

Not because our guests demand perfection.

But because they matter to us.

Every Mass is also an encounter with Christ.

More than that.

At every Mass He gives Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist.

If we prepare our homes for visitors, shouldn't we prepare our souls for Him?

That is one of the beautiful purposes of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Confession is not primarily about looking backward.

It is about preparing for an encounter.

It is about making room.

Making room by letting go of resentment.

Making room by confessing pride.

Making room by surrendering selfishness.

Making room by receiving God's mercy.

Confession does not simply erase sin.

It enlarges the heart.

It makes room for Christ.

---

4. Learning Faith in Everyday Life

Many years ago, while I was in the seminary, one of my classmates shared something with me that I have never forgotten.

He had to have a very difficult conversation with someone.

Before he went, he stopped to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Not because he believed he was at fault.

He simply said,

"I wanted to have a clean heart."

I had never heard anyone say that before.

I didn't learn that lesson in a theology classroom.

I didn't learn it from a homily.

I learned it by watching another Christian quietly live his faith.

One of the beautiful things about the Church is that we don't learn only from priests and teachers.

We also learn from one another.

Our example often teaches more than our words.

---

5. Baptism Changes the Way We Welcome Others

St. Paul reminds us today that through Baptism we have died with Christ and risen with Him.

We are called to walk in newness of life.

That new life changes everything.

Even the reason why we welcome other people changes.

The world often practices hospitality because it hopes to receive something in return.

A better reputation.

More business.

Future favors.

Good reviews.

Christians welcome others for a different reason.

We welcome because Christ first welcomed us.

We forgive because Christ first forgave us.

We love because Christ first loved us.

Hospitality is no longer a strategy.

It becomes charity.

---

6. A Lesson from the World Cup

Perhaps we can see a small reflection of that this summer.

Because of the FIFA World Cup, thousands of visitors have traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Some of the most widely shared videos haven't even come from the soccer matches themselves.

They have shown fans in the streets.

Scottish supporters wearing kilts, playing bagpipes, singing, and dancing through the streets of Boston.

Local residents joining them.

Even police officers smiling and dancing with them.

People enjoy those videos because they reveal something that almost everyone desires.

People long to feel welcomed.

Hospitality speaks a universal language.

But today's Gospel asks an even deeper question.

Not simply,

"How do we welcome one another?"

But,

"How do we welcome Christ?"

---

7. Humility Makes Room

C. S. Lewis once wrote,

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less."

That insight fits today's Gospel perfectly.

A proud heart has very little room for anyone else.

A humble heart always has room.

Room for God.

Room for family.

Room for strangers.

Room for those who are lonely.

Room for those who have hurt us.

Room even to pray for our enemies.

Humility transforms hospitality into charity.

Without humility, hospitality easily becomes self-promotion.

With humility, it becomes an act of love.

---

8. Christ Is Knocking

The woman of Shunem prepared a room with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.

We prepare our hearts through repentance.

We prepare our souls through Confession.

We prepare ourselves to receive Christ in Holy Communion.

Then the Book of Revelation gives us one of the most beautiful images in all of Scripture.

Jesus says,

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

Isn't that remarkable?

Jesus does not force the door open.

He knocks.

Love always knocks.

Love waits to be welcomed.

God fills the heart that makes room for Him.

May we open that door through repentance.

May we welcome Him with humility.

May we receive Him with joy in the Holy Eucharist.

And may His Kingdom come, His will be done, beginning first in our own hearts.

Fear Not (2026-06-21, 12th Sunday, Father's Day)

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[12th Sunday, Year A,  Readings: Jeremiah 20:10 – 20: 13  __ Psalm 69 __ Romans 5:12-15 __ +Matthew 10:26-33 ___   ]

Father's Day "Do Not Be Afraid"

[1] THE FEAR OF HUMAN OPINION

Father's Day brings many different memories and perspectives to different people.

Some remember their fathers with gratitude. Others remember them with sadness, disappointment, or loss. Some fathers wonder whether they have done enough. Others miss fathers who have died.

The readings today invite us to look beyond our earthly experience of fatherhood and to remember something deeper: the fatherhood of God.

In the Gospel, Jesus repeats a message several times:

"Do not be afraid."

Fear is one of the strongest forces in our lives. We worry about what others think. We worry about our future. We worry about our families, our children, and our grandchildren.

Many years ago, when I left my career to enter the seminary, an old friend thought I was making a terrible mistake. He was shocked. He strongly opposed the idea and told me so in front of several other people.

I still remember that conversation.

Not because it changed my decision. It didn't.

But I cared what he thought.

Part of the reason was that I respected him. He was successful in his career, and we often give extra weight to certain opinions not only because of what is said, but because of who is saying it.

Many of us know that feeling.

That is exactly the situation Jeremiah faces in today's first reading. He hears people whispering against him. They are waiting for him to fail.

Yet Jeremiah refuses to let fear have the final word.

[2] WHAT GOD SEES THAT WE DO NOT

Jeremiah says:

"The Lord is with me."

That is the turning point.

The question is not whether opposition exists in our lives. The question is whether we can find God amid that opposition.

Years after that conversation, my friend became seriously ill with a heart condition. He nearly died and underwent major heart surgery.

Later, he sent me a text message from the hospital. In the midst of everything he had gone through, he wrote:

"I guess my Catholic faith runs deep."

That simple sentence stayed with me.

It reminded me that faith can remain alive beneath the surface even when we cannot see it.

God sees the heart.

That is exactly what Jeremiah discovered. While others judged him from the outside, God knew what was happening within.

[3] THE RELATIONSHIP LASTED LONGER THAN THE REMARK

One thing that never happened was this: my friend never came back to me and said, "You know, Jim, I was wrong. It was a good idea that you became a priest."

Life rarely ties itself up so neatly.

He never formally retracted what he had said.

But he never repeated it either.

Then years later I discovered something I had never known.

In a small-world connection, I learned that this same friend was the first cousin of one of my classmates in the seminary.

They both came from the same part of Ireland. I knew that much. But I had never put the pieces together.

It was one of those moments that made me smile.

It did not change the past, but it reminded me how connected we really are.

For years, I remembered the criticism.

But God remembered the person.

And perhaps that is how God wants us to see one another.

Not simply as a source of anxiety or disappointment, but as a person whom God continues to love and guide.

The relationship lasted longer than the remark.

[4] WHAT A FATHER SEES

That insight helps us understand Father's Day.

A good father sees more than a moment.

He sees more than a mistake made by a child.

He sees more than an argumentative reaction from a son or daughter.

He sees the person.

Perhaps that is what God was teaching me through this friendship.

For years, I remembered a reaction.

God remembered the person.

God the Father sees each of us not merely by our worst moment, but by the person we can become through His grace.

Christian fatherhood is about more than providing things.

A father helps his children grow in faith and character.

St. Joseph remains a beautiful model. He says nothing in the Gospels, yet faithfully protects and provides for the Holy Family.

[5] INVESTING IN RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE YOU NEED THEM

That lesson applies to all of us.

Presence matters.

Relationships matter.

If you own a home and have a little extra money, it is often wise to put something extra toward the mortgage. It may not seem significant at the time, but years later the benefit becomes clear.

The same principle applies to relationships.

When you have a little extra time, invest it.

Invest it in your marriage.

Invest it in your children.

Invest it in your family.

Have the conversation.

Share the meal.

Pray together.

Build trust before it is needed.

And parents, thank you for bringing your children to church.

We are blessed by your children.

Now I know that for parents with young children, coming to church can sometimes feel like work. In fact, some Sundays it feels like a lot of work.

But we do not come here simply for another task to complete.

We come here for worship, renewal, and rest in God.

The investment may seem small today, but over the years it bears tremendous fruit.

[6] THE FATHER WHO NEVER STOPS CALLING US

Ultimately, this is what God the Father does for us.

He remains faithful even when we are fearful.

Jesus says:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge."

Then He adds:

"Even all the hairs of your head are counted."

Jesus is telling us that God notices what others overlook.

He sees every sacrifice, every prayer, and every burden carried quietly.

That is why an old Gospel hymn can say:

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

Because He knows us, values us, and cares for us.

So today, whether Father's Day brings gratitude, grief, joy, or regret, Jesus gives us the same message:

"Do not be afraid."

Your heavenly Father knows you.

Your heavenly Father sees you.

Your heavenly Father loves you.

Your heavenly Father values you.

The Father who created you never stops calling you back to Himself.

Commitment (2026-06-14, __ 11th Sunday)

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[11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Readings:  Exodus 19:2-6a, Psalm 100, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 9:36—10:8.]

1. Sheep Without a Shepherd

When Jesus sees the crowds in today's Gospel, He doesn't look past them. He sees them.

St. Matthew tells us that His heart was moved with pity because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Who are the shepherds in our lives today?

We're not living in sheep fields, but there are many voices competing for our attention. Advertisers, social media, entertainment, politicians, and even sports all invite us to follow them. Many of those voices want something from us. They want our attention, our loyalty, our money, or our time.

Jesus is different.

Jesus does not come to exploit us.

He comes first to give Himself to us.

He sees our wounds, our struggles, and our sins.

And then He says:

"The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few."

The problem is not that there is no work to do.

The problem is that too few disciples are willing to enter the harvest.

2. A Lesson From a Coach

With the World Cup beginning and other sporting events filling the headlines, many people are thinking about sports.

Sports can teach us valuable lessons if we pay attention.

When I was in college, I volunteered as a sports writer for our student newspaper. Eventually I was assigned to cover the men's basketball team.

The coach was one of the most successful coaches in Division III basketball.

One day he challenged me in a way I never forgot.

He said, "Jim, your articles matter. What you write and what you say affect whether people come to the games."

I had never thought about it that way.

I thought I was simply writing articles.

But he wasn't merely giving me instructions.

He was trying to form me.

That's why he sent me to observe a veteran reporter named Arthur.

After a victory, Arthur asked the coach a question that has stayed with me ever since:

"Is there a danger of complacency when a team is on a long winning streak?"

It was a positive question.

But it was also a challenging question.

It made people think.

There was something else about that coach that stayed with me.

One Sunday morning I needed to reach him about an article. He had told me to call him at home.

I called.

No answer.

I knew where he was.

He was at church.

The team had played an important game the night before.

Yet Sunday morning still belonged to God.

He never preached a sermon to me.

He simply showed me by his example that sports matter, but they are not everything.

And in many ways, that is what Jesus is doing with His disciples.

He is not simply giving them orders.

He is forming them.

He is teaching them how to see people as He sees them.

And He is teaching them that what they do matters because the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few.

3. Saved by Grace, Not by Success

St. Paul writes in today's second reading:

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Salvation does not begin with our success.

It begins with God's grace.

Christ did not wait for us to become holy before He loved us.

He died for us while we were still sinners.

That is why achievement does not save us.

Success does not save us.

Christ saves us.

In the first reading, God calls Israel His treasured possession.

Before He gives them a mission, He first makes them His people.

Before Christ sends us into the harvest, He first calls us to Himself.

4. The Church as Christ's Team

The Church is not simply a collection of isolated individuals.

It is a people.

A communion.

A family.

The virtues often learned on a good team can help us live as disciples:

Humility.

Perseverance.

Teachability.

Sacrifice.

Concern for others.

These virtues do not replace grace.

They help us cooperate with grace.

St. John Chrysostom once wrote that when the strong are joined to the weak, the strong support the weak and do not allow them to perish.

That is what a good team does.

And that is what the Church is supposed to do.

The strong support the weak.

The discouraged are encouraged.

The sinner is called back to mercy.

The lonely are welcomed into communion.

5. From Complacency to Commitment

And so we return to that question:

"Is there a danger of complacency?"

That question belongs not only to athletes.

It belongs to every disciple.

If things are going well, have I forgotten gratitude?

Have I recognized my blessings as gifts from God?

If things are difficult, have I surrendered to discouragement?

Have I avoided repentance?

Have I stopped trying to grow?

Because complacency leaves the harvest unworked.

It leaves virtues untested.

It leaves successes unacknowledged as gifts of God's grace.

But commitment does the opposite.

Commitment enters the harvest and goes to work.

Commitment tests and strengthens virtue.

Commitment recognizes success as a gift from God.

Commitment admits sin, seeks forgiveness, and begins again.

And that is what Christ asks of us today.

Not perfection.

Not flawless performance.

Commitment.

A commitment to prayer.

A commitment to repentance.

A commitment to charity.

A commitment to serving others.

For the harvest is plentiful, and Christ is still calling laborers today.

You are one of those laborers.

And the vineyard to which He sends you is not somewhere far away.

It is your home.

Your family.

Your workplace.

Your classroom.

Your neighborhood.

It is every place where God has planted you and every person whom God has entrusted to your care.

That is the vineyard to which Christ is calling you today.

Sacred Heart of Jesus (Consecration of USA)

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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)

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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)

🎧 [Listen to  Homily: Audio]    

📺 [Watch Mass: YouTube Video]       

[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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.