HOMILY
Ash Wednesday – March 5, 2025
In his message to the Church as we begin this holy season of Lent, Pope Francis reflected upon the great Jubilee Year of Hope in which we find ourselves. He remarked that the very challenges we all confront in life – even the personal tragedies that we experience and the brokenness of our lives due to sin – provide us with a context for hope. “Beyond the darkness,” the Holy Father notes, “we glimpse a light: we come to realize that we are sustained by the power flowing from Christ’s cross and resurrection. … The Christian life is a journey calling for moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope that guides our steps towards the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus.”
Lent provides us with one such moment in which we are invited to grow in our relationship with the Lord.
Today, in a ritual dating back to the days of the prophets and kings of Israel, we place ashes on our heads – a powerful reminder that dust is exactly what we are. Yet, there is also a certain sense of hope in these ashes.
Yes, the ashes placed on our heads remind us of our mortality and our need for repentance and change. Yet, the journey our spirits begin today ends not merely with the imposition of ashes. The scriptures on this Ash Wednesday speak of reconciliation and hope – grounded in a renewed relationship with Jesus.
In today’s gospel from his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his listeners to a deeper understanding of reconciliation and conversion through quiet, humble acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The prophet Joel in our first reading summons Israel to a season of repentance to transform individual hearts and reconcile their nation to the Lord of compassion and mercy. And in his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul appeals for reconciliation among the members of the badly fractured Corinthian community and for a return to the one faith shared by the entire Church.
Pope Francis captures the heart of today’s scripture passages in these words which he shared in his Lenten message. “God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend out time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs. Let us ask ourselves in the presence of the Lord whether … we cooperate with others, whether we show ourselves welcoming, with concrete gestures, to those both near and far.”
The day – this moment of grace – is meant to transform the ashes of our lives – our brokenness, suffering and sin – into generous hearts open to the Lord and to the needs of our brothers and sisters through the forgiveness, mercy and justice of Christ.
HOMILY
Disabilities Mass – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 9, 2025
Today’s scripture passages are united to offer us a very simple yet profound lesson. Each passage presents the call stories of biblical heroes – Isaiah, Paul and Peter. And in each story, the individuals called by God resist, asserting that they are too sinful or too ill-equipped to offer much of anything in God’s saving plan.
At prayer in the temple, Isaiah has a vision of God and senses God’s call to be his messenger to the people of Israel. In response, Isaiah attempts to dissuade God’s intent to engage him and cries out, “Woe is me, for I am doomed. I am a man of unclean lips.” … Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, shares Isaiah’s recognition of his unworthiness, as he asserts, “I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted church of God.” … And Peter, who in so many ways throughout the gospels exhibits his own flawed character, responds to Jesus’ call by falling at his knees and begging him, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Yet, God prevails, doesn’t he? And he uses Isaiah, Paul and Peter to proclaim his saving grace and to give hope to our Church and our world.
More than we might realize or be willing to admit, we are all far more similar to these three prophetic individuals than not. Like them, we’re called to engage life with the gifts that God has entrusted to us, no matter how reluctant or unable we may be to recognize and appreciate their presence in our lives. We’re called to use these gifts generously, lest we miss out on the life that God offers us. As such, this means that we need to let go of any past hesitations to share our gifts and move into a generous future, a holy future, and a heroic future, however uncertain that future may be.
In the face of such uncertainty, Pope Francis, in proclaiming the great Jubilee Year of Hope in which we find ourselves these days, shared these encouraging remarks, especially directed to “those affected by illnesses or disabilities.” He stated, “Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. … Even so, often we find people who are discouraged and pessimistic about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. … But God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope.”
And the word of God today, brothers and sisters, is clear in reminding us that we all have a role to play in the building up of God’s kingdom and in conveying the love and mercy of God to our corner of the world. From Isaiah to Paul to Peter – to me and to you – every one of you – we are all recipients of God’s mercy, and we are all called to holiness and mission as God’s beloved children.
Not sure about this assertion? Let me share a story with you that speaks to all of us about what I’ve just shared. … A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on either end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to his master’s house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water. The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and dismayed that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. The water bearer felt sorry for the old, cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said to the pot, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path. Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walked back from the stream, you watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, those flowers would not have graced his house.
That’s a wonderful story, isn’t it? I hope and pray that you understand and believe its message with all your hearts.
A few years ago in remarks for the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Pope Francis noted, “In the Church – with regard to the disabled – there can be no us and them, but a single us, with Jesus Christ at the center, where each person brings his or her own gifts and limitations. This awareness, founded on the fact that we are all part of the same vulnerable humanity assumed and sanctified by Christ, eliminates arbitrary distinctions and opens the door to the participation of each baptized member in the life of the Church.”
My brothers and sisters with developmental disabilities, more than you realize, your unwavering trust in God and your example of acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude and selfless love provide us all with priceless lessons for how best to live as disciples of Jesus. Simply put, you teach us that like Isaiah, Paul and Peter, we are all a part of God’s plan. Each of us is treasured by God, for being just the way we are. And each of us is more than well equipped to give witness to God’s merciful presence among us and to bring hope and peace to our corner of God’s world.
HOMILY
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord – January 5, 2025
In inaugurating the great Jubilee Year of Hope on Christmas Eve, just a few days ago, Pope Francis invited us to reflect upon the very familiar scene of the manger in Bethlehem that adorns our churches and our homes during this holy season. What do we see as we look at the faces and the stories of all who gathered for the birth of Jesus? “Are our hearts full of expectation?” the Holy Father asked. “Does hope find a place there?” He went on to reflect, “As we contemplate the loving kindness of God who overcomes our doubts and fears, let us also contemplate the grandeur of the hope that awaits us. … May this vision of hope illumine our path each day.”
More than we might imagine, the story of the astrologers and the star of Bethlehem just proclaimed on today’s Solemnity of the Epiphany provides us with a unique lens into the hope of which Pope Francis refers. Let’s look a bit more closely at Saint Matthew’s gospel just proclaimed.
In terms of specifics to the story, we really know very little. If you listened carefully to it, you might have noticed that Matthew doesn’t even call the astrologers kings – nor does he give their names – nor does he report where they came from. In fact, Matthew never even specifies the number of the magi. We traditionally have just presumed that there were three since three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh – were presented to the Christ child. In stripping away the layers that have been added to the story, Matthew’s purpose in telling it can be better understood – a purpose that points to us and the need to fill the emptiness that so often exists within us.
More than any others who arrived in Bethlehem, the magi represent all the different types of individuals to whom the message of salvation is addressed: faithful souls – outsiders – seekers – latecomers – you and me. … Let’s consider how they speak to us.
First, the magi are outsiders. They didn’t belong. They were different. Yet, as Pope Francis noted, the magi “are a living witness to the fact that the seeds of truth are present everywhere, for they are the gift of the Creator, who calls all people to acknowledge him as our good and faithful Father. The magi represent men and woman throughout the world who are welcomed into the house of God. Before Jesus, all divisions of race, language and culture disappear: in that Child, all humanity discovers its unity.”
As such, the presence of these outsiders is a challenge to all of us about the way we welcome individuals who are different than ourselves into our churches – and particularly into our lives. … Today’s gospel is very clear in conveying that there were no outsiders at the birth of Jesus. It is a stark reminder to all of us that no matter how much we may believe that we have cornered the market on God, we are all recipients of his mercy and love, for we all stand on the peripheries of life looking for love and acceptance – because of our life styles, our behaviors, our addictions, our struggles and so many other aspects of our lives. … Thankfully, the message of the gospel proclaimed on this great feast is that all of us are welcome to encounter the Christ. No one is excluded from the love of God.
In addition to being outsiders, the magi were seekers. They were looking for something more in their lives – even if they were uncertain about precisely what would provide them with fulfillment and peace. … They crossed the desert and made their way to Bethlehem with a certain amount of doubt. They weren’t sure of the path that they were taking. They asked questions. They looked for signs. They made mistakes. … They did the types of things that we all do as we move through life trying to make sense of things.
Pope Francis reminds us that the magi “personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home, their heavenly homeland. They reflect the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts be anesthetized.” Moreover, the magi possessed something unique: the humility and the openness of mind and heart to seek and welcome Jesus. … Their following of the star is a journey of faith, a constant search for meaning, for purpose, for the things of God. Nor were they deterred on that journey, even as they encountered people and events along the way that had the potential to keep them from achieving their goal. … Their search mirrors our own life-long search for compassion, justice, peace and forgiveness.
Finally, the magi were latecomers to Bethlehem. It took them a bit of time to decide whether they’d set out on the journey to Bethlehem in the first place. … They were like those souls who flirt with religion when it’s convenient or necessary but, ignore its value and richness in their lives. … Yet even though we might find ourselves a bit critical of such individuals or inclined to question the authenticity of their newfound faith, the gospel tells us that they – the magi and those of us who are like them – are welcomed by Jesus.
Ultimately, the story of the magi provides us with a very clear and vivid framework for how the scriptures speak to our lives. … Not unlike us, the magi were outsiders who wondered if they’d be welcomed in Bethlehem. … They were seekers, not always certain about where they should look. … And they were latecomers who were nonetheless given a place in the life and love of the newborn Christ. … Ultimately, the magi’s journey offers a consoling and hope-filled opportunity for each of us to see our own journey of life and faith somewhere within their own, provided that we look carefully enough.
I hope you can see how today’s celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, for all that it offers to us with its message of challenge and consolation, sets the stage for the great Jubilee Year of Hope.
“All of us,” Pope Francis proclaimed, “have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost, lives broken, promises unkept, dreams shattered, and hearts overwhelmed by adversity. We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted. To bring hope to the interminable, dreary days of prisoners, to the cold and dismal lodgings of the poor, and to all those places desecrated by war and violence. To bring hope there, to sow hope there.
The Jubilee has now opened so that all people may receive hope, the hope of the Gospel, the hope of love and the hope of forgiveness.” Amen!