Homily for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

The readings for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081626.cfm

Today, the evangelist St. Matthew 

introduces us to a woman who just won’t give up.

She is a Canaanite woman.

An outsider.

And more importantly, a mother whose daughter is suffering terribly.

And every parent understands that.

When your child is hurting, you hurt.

So this mother comes to Jesus and cries out,

“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!”

Eventually, kneeling before Him and saying just three words,

“Lord, help me.”

Those three words tell us something very important about prayer, we need God.

We spend so much of our lives trying to handle things ourselves.

Fix our own problems.

Make our own plans.

Stay in control.

And then life gives us something we cannot fix.

And suddenly we discover we are not as in control as we thought.

Maybe that is where some of our deepest prayer begins,

when we finally admit we need God.

That is what this woman does.

She kneels before Him and says,

“Lord, help me.”

At first, Jesus says nothing.

The disciples want to send her away.

And then the scene becomes really uncomfortable.

Jesus says,

“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Ouch.

This woman could have become offended.

She could have walked away.

Instead, she takes the very image Jesus gives her and turns it into a prayer,

“Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

She’s not trying to win an argument with Jesus. 

She just continues trusting Jesus.

That is humility.

That’s persistence.

She isn't saying, “Lord, I deserve this.”

She is saying, “Lord, I trust that even the smallest gift of Your mercy is enough.”

She could have become angry.

She could have walked away.

But she stays.

Jesus is silent. She stays.

The disciples want her gone. She stays.

The answer she gets is difficult. She stays.

She stays and she keeps praying.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church points to this woman as an example of prayer offered with ‘loving persistence’.

You can look that up in CCC 2610.

Persistence in prayer isn't about wearing God down until He gives us what we want.

It is about trusting Him enough to keep coming back.

Jesus finally says:

"O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."

And her daughter is healed.

Her persistence does not earn God's mercy. 

Instead, it reveals a faith that refuses to stop trusting in Him.

And in the process, this woman becomes our teacher.

If you prayed yesterday and nothing happened - 

pray today.

If you have been praying for months -

keep praying.

If you have been praying for years -

keep bringing it to Jesus.

Not because God will always give us exactly what we ask for.

Prayer isn't a transaction.

Sometimes God changes the situation.

Sometimes He changes us.

Sometimes He opens a door.

Sometimes He gives us the strength to accept what we cannot change.

But persistent prayer keeps us close to Him through all of it.

So think about the situation you’ve been carrying in prayer.

Bring it to Jesus again.

Not, “Lord, You owe it to me.” But, “Lord, help me.”

Sometimes great faith doesn’t have to be dramatic.

Sometimes great faith is simply showing up before God one more time.

One more prayer.

One more Rosary.

One more Mass.

One more visit before the Blessed Sacrament.

One more, “Lord, help me.”

And there is one more thing.

This woman believed that a crumb from the table of Jesus would be enough.

And look where we are today.

We’ve been invited to the table of the Lord.

Where we are not offered crumbs.

In the Eucharist, Christ gives us Himself.

His Body and Blood.

His Real Presence.

She believed that even a crumb from the Lord's table was enough.

How much more should we trust the One who gives us not a crumb, but nothing less than Himself?

This week, let us remember the lessons of the Canaanite woman.

To go to the Lord.

To stay, even when it is hard.

To pray  “Lord, help me.”

Because He hears.

He sees.

He knows.

And even when His answer

is not the answer we expected,

He never abandons

the one

who calls upon Him.

Lord, help me.

Homily for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

The readings for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072626.cfm

The gospel asks us one simple question today.

What do we treasure most?

Because whatever we treasure most 

is what we're willing to sacrifice for.

For some - it's our family. 

For others - it might be our home, our career, 

financial security or personal achievements.

And there is nothing wrong with any of those things, by the way. 

They are all gifts from God.

But today, 

Jesus invites us to go deeper, asking,

What is so valuable 

that it is worth giving everything for?

In today's Gospel, 

Jesus tells us about a man 

who finds a treasure hidden in a field. 

A merchant who discovers a pearl 

unlike any he has ever seen.

When they recognize the great treasure in front of them, 

they sell what they own to get it.

Not because someone forces them to.

They do it with great joy.

They know that what they are getting 

is worth far more 

than what they are giving up.

Jesus is teaching us something very important. 

The Kingdom isn't valuable 

because it costs us everything. 

It's worth everything because of what we receive.

He's teaching us 

about discovering something so valuable 

that everything else 

becomes secondary.

The treasure is Jesus Himself, 

who invites us into the Kingdom He came to establish.

Because when we truly discover Jesus, 

our whole way of looking at life changes.

Sometimes people think being Catholic 

is mostly about giving things up,

following rules,

carrying crosses,

and yes, being Catholic does involve sacrifice.

Jesus never promised life would be easy.

But sacrifice itself is never the goal.

Jesus Himself is the treasure, 

and through Him we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Think about a bride and groom 

standing before God on their wedding day.

They aren't thinking about what they're giving up.

They're thinking about the life they're beginning together.

Love changes the way we look at sacrifice.

The same is true with Jesus.

He doesn't ask us to let go of things 

just to make life harder.

He asks us to let go of whatever keeps us from Him 

because He wants to give us 

something infinitely greater.

That's why the saints lived with such joy.

They discovered that nothing 

compared to knowing Christ.

So, the question for us today is -

What do we treasure most?

Because whatever we treasure most 

shapes the way we live.

If Christ is really our treasure, 

everything begins to change.

Prayer becomes a conversation instead of an obligation.

Talking to Him in the car, while walking the dog, 

or before making a difficult decision.

Mass becomes the place we want to be.

We seek His mercy in Confession.

We hunger to receive Him in the Eucharist.

Loving and forgiving others becomes possible.

Serving others becomes a privilege.

Everything begins to change 

because our hearts have changed.

But if prayer feels like a burden,

if Mass feels like just another item on the checklist,

if we only follow Jesus when it's convenient,

maybe the problem isn't that Jesus asks too much.

Maybe the problem is 

that we've forgotten the value of the treasure.

The beautiful thing is that Jesus’ love for us is relentless.

Every day He asks us to trust Him a little more,

to love Him a little more,

and to place Him a little closer to the center of our lives.

To remind us to live each day with eternity in mind.

To help us choose what lasts over what passes away.

To choose Him over everything else.

In just a few moments, 

the treasure will be here on this altar.

The Pearl of Great Price will no longer be hidden.

In the Holy Eucharist, 

Jesus doesn't simply teach us about the Kingdom.

He gives us the Kingdom's King.

He gives us the greatest treasure - Himself.

Now He invites us to place Him first, 

not because He wants to take something from us, 

but because He wants to give us everything.

May we have the wisdom 

to recognize the treasure before us.

May we receive Him today 

with joyful hearts.

May we leave here knowing 

that there is nothing in this world 

more valuable than Him.

And may He give us the strength 

to live lives 

centered on Him 

and what He wants for us.

When Jesus becomes our treasure, 

everything else finally finds its proper place.

May we recognize Him.

May we receive Him with joy.

And may we leave this church today 

willing to give Him our whole heart, 

because nothing we surrender to Christ 

can ever compare 

with everything He gives 

to us.

Homily for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

The readings for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062126.cfm

This week, the evangelist Saint Matthew gives us part 

of what scholars call the "Missionary Discourse."

In it, Jesus is in Galilee speaking to the Twelve Apostles, 

preparing to send them out 

to preach, heal, and proclaim the Kingdom of God.

And three times, He says, "Do not be afraid."

Because He knows how easily fear can take hold of our hearts.

Many of us have waited for test results,

worried about a loved one,

or wondered what the future might bring.

And in those moments, fear can overwhelm us.

What’s remarkable 

is that Jesus doesn’t speak these words 

to people living comfortable lives.

He has just warned the Apostles 

that they will face opposition, rejection, and persecution.

Yet He tells them, "Do not be afraid."

Not because nothing bad will happen. (pause)

But because God is greater than whatever they will face.

And in today's Gospel,

Jesus gives us three reasons 

why we should not be afraid.

First, God sees us.

Jesus says, "Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed."

Sometimes, it may seem like our goodness, 

sacrifices, and burdens go unnoticed.

Yet, Jesus reminds us 

that nothing hidden remains hidden before God.

He sees the whole picture. 

He sees the sacrifices nobody notices. 

He sees the burdens we carry in silence.

Even when no one else sees - God sees.

Second, God loves us.

Jesus tells His disciples, 

"You are worth more than many sparrows." (pause)

He even knows the number of hairs on our head.

Think about that.

The God who created the universe 

knows each of us personally.

He knows our fears,

our disappointments,

and the prayers we’ve carried for years.

And still, He loves us.

Not because we’ve earned it or are perfect,

but because He is our Father.

Third, God is with us.

Faith is not simply believing that God exists. 

It’s knowing that God walks with us 

through every joy, every sorrow, and every uncertainty.

Jesus says, "Do not be afraid of those 

who kill the body but cannot kill the Soul."

Reminding us that everything else will pass away -

our careers, possessions, even our earthly lives.

But our souls are eternal.

And that should change how we look at everything else.

That’s why prayer matters.

Confession matters.

Mass matters.

Receiving the Eucharist without mortal sin matters.

And why time spent before Jesus 

in the Blessed Sacrament matters.

Because our God is not distant.

He walks with us, strengthens us, and shows us the way home.

Jesus also tells us,

"Everyone who acknowledges me before others 

I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father."

Most of us will never be asked to die for Christ.

But every one of us is called to live for Him.

And sometimes living for Christ 

can be harder than dying for Him.

And living for Him, means choosing Him every day.

In ordinary moments,

ordinary decisions.

and in ordinary acts of love.

We acknowledge God when we pray with our families,

forgive those who hurt us,

invite someone back to Mass,

or step out in faith instead of letting fear hold us back.

But if that seems like a lot, 

there are some simple steps we can all take this coming week

Maybe we can think about one fear that’s been weighing on

our heart and place it before God every day in prayer.

Maybe we can spend a few moments each day thanking God for

His blessings, instead of making our worries or what we want the

main focus of our prayer life.

Maybe, we can make our faith more visible to others.

Praying before a meal in a restaurant or at work.

Spending time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Reaching out in person to someone who is struggling.

Inviting someone who doesn’t come regularly, to join us at Mass.

Because whether we realize it or not,

for some people we meet this week,

the closest thing they may see to Christ

is the reflection of Christ 

they encounter 

in us.

And that may be exactly 

why God is placing them in our path.

Jesus knew the fears of His disciples - 

and He knows ours.

Whatever burden we are carrying, God sees us.

Whatever regret we are feeling, God loves us.

Whatever uncertainty lies ahead, God is with us.

And because God sees us, loves us, and walks with us,

we too can be sent out

to preach, heal, and proclaim the Kingdom of God.

with the reassurance Jesus spoke to the Apostles -

Just as clearly as he does to us today -

"Do not be afraid."