Homily for Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083125.cfm

In today’s Gospel from the evangelist St. Luke, 

Jesus attends a formal meal 

at the home of a leading Pharisee.

Now, I am not sure if you are aware, 

but there are more references to eating, banquets, 

meals and being “at table” in Luke’s gospel 

than any other.

That might explain why I like the gospel of Luke so much!

While everyone else jockeys for position 

to find a preferred seat at this meal 

to “see and be seen”,

Jesus prepares to give them food for thought. 

You see, Jesus isn’t interested in the food being served. 

What he’s really interested in is the people at the table.

And so, He takes the opportunity to remind them 

of what is truly important.

Jesus tells them that, 

“For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  

We might think He is cautioning people

about where to sit,

but Jesus is talking about something much deeper 

than table etiquette. 

He is pointing to how we must be before God 

and how different the rules are in the Kingdom of God. 

First, he addresses the guests. 

He reminds us of our identity as children of God 

and that the true path to greatness is humility - 

to not think less of ourselves,

but to think of ourselves less,

to acknowledge our dependence on God, 

to place ourselves at the service of others, 

and to honor those that the world overlooks. 

He was telling us, 

“Instead of seeking glory for yourself, 

spend your time and energy giving glory to God.” 

Jesus takes the opportunity to remind us

that humility is necessary for salvation.

He uses the attitudes of the people at table

to remind us that it is God 

who assigns the places 

at the heavenly banquet.

That it is by grace - that we are made children of God.

It's not our own efforts that give us life, 

but purely by the grace of God 

that we have a shot at salvation.

Because we are all sinners

who fall short.

Yet, God loves us anyway, 

even though we don’t deserve it, 

can’t earn it,

and aren’t better than anyone else 

because of it. 

While the banquet guests chewed on that, 

Jesus turned to His host, the leader of the Pharisees.

“You’re inviting the wrong people,” Jesus told him. 

“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” 

He reminds us that those who cannot repay us 

are honored in the banquet of Heaven. 

Here, Jesus reveals the heart of 

the first person of the trinity, the Father,

a love that doesn’t seek repayment 

but freely gives.  

And he calls us to do the same.

But that’s hard, isn’t it?

Because of our broken human nature,

our natural instinct 

is to surround ourselves with people who can do for us, 

who can repay us, 

who we are comfortable around. 

That’s easy.  

That feels good.

But Jesus calls us to go beyond our wants to His.

He invites us to see others not by what they can do for us, 

but as God’s beloved sons and daughters.  

He asks us to examine our relationships.

Do we welcome those who are lonely, marginalized, unnoticed - 

those who can give us nothing in return? 

Or do we give our best only 

to those closest to us 

or those who can return the favor?  

Jesus calls us to renew in our hearts 

a spirit of service towards others,

to welcome the poor, 

broken, or struggling 

to find welcome at His table. 

Sometimes, we forget that the word Catholic, 

literally means universal.

It’s meant for everyone.

The Eucharist itself is the ultimate banquet - 

a feast given for us by a Lord who humbled Himself, 

even unto death, 

so that we might have life.  

Thus, He calls us to cultivate humility in our hearts. 

Putting God first, 

measuring our lives by what He says is important, 

not by our own wants.

Regardless of our position in life, 

when we come before this altar today, 

The reality is that

we come as beggars before the feast of God, 

not because of our worthiness 

but because of His mercy. 

Here we learn again 

that the way to be exalted is to kneel, 

the way to be filled is to be emptied, 

and the way to be great is to serve.  

May we, 

like Christ, 

choose the lower place - 

so that in God’s time 

and in God’s Kingdom, 

He and he alone 

may lift us up.  

Homily for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

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

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081725.cfm

In today’s Gospel from the evangelist Saint Luke,

we hear a message we may not expect

and that seems out of character with the “loving”, 

“just be nice to everyone”,

“keep the peace”,

“safe version” of Jesus the world has created.

Today, we hear Jesus say,

"I have come to set the earth on fire… 

Do you think that I have come to bring peace? 

No, but rather division."

He talks about dividing households.

Pitting family member against family member.

Isn’t Jesus, the Good Shepherd?

The Prince of Peace?

The one who tells us to “love our neighbor” 

and that “everyone is our neighbor”?

Yes, but not today.  

Today, He tells us that 

He has come to bring division, not peace.

Let’s be honest, this is not what we expect from Him.

Today, Jesus is warning us 

that following Him, really following Him, 

comes at a cost.

Jesus tells us that He has "come to set the earth on fire”

and that fire He is talking about is the fire of God’s love - 

the Holy Spirit - the fire that purifies, 

transforms and gives light.

A fire that changes us. 

And change isn’t always comfortable. 

Today, when we choose Christ over the world, 

when we speak truth, defend the weak, 

forgive enemies, sacrifice ourselves,

will the good of another,

or uphold the dignity of human life, 

more often than not,

we will be at odds with the world.

Even more, living our Catholic faith in this way,

can make other people uncomfortable - 

especially, those closest to us. 

But, Jesus knew this would happen.

And so He didn’t sugarcoat what it means to be His disciple.

That’s why he warned us that division is inevitable,

not because He wants us to seek conflict, 

but because the world and Christ do not always agree. 

The world values success, convenience and individuality. 

While Christ calls us to surrender, sacrifice, communion and love. 

When we allow Christ’s love to take root in us, 

His love, will slowly burn away our sin, 

selfishness, and anything else that holds us back from God. 

Separating us even more from a world and sometimes even

family and friends who might not understand

and, instead, experience us as judgy, “holier than now”, 

or taking sides against them.

There is a common misconception,

that being a Christian means being “nice” all the time, 

avoiding disagreement and keeping the peace. 

But Jesus never watered down the truth to avoid confrontation. 

His mission was not to win popularity, but to save souls - 

even if it meant being misunderstood, hated, or rejected.

That doesn’t mean because we follow Jesus 

we are entitled to be judgemental or harsh. 

But instead, it means our witness should be marked by 

gentleness, patience, compassion, truth and love.

Not always easy to do.

Because when we stand firm in God's truth, 

that truth is not always appreciated by people and 

things can get uncomfortable quick.

But if we stay strong, 

we gain something far greater than comfort.

We gain intimacy with Christ, 

the One who stood firm for us 

all the way to the Cross. 

This coming week, let us take some time in prayer

to think about this difficult Gospel message

of division and fire

and think on some challenging questions:

Do we ever stay silent about our faith to avoid conflict or discomfort?

How can we stand for truth while still showing love and mercy?

Are we willing to choose Him, even if it costs us comfort, 

convenience, or human respect?

Where in our hearts do we need the fire of Christ’s love to purify us?

Let us all pray that God give us hearts that love the truth and the courage to live it. 

To help us witness to Him with compassion, able to stand firm in faith, especially when it is hard to do so. 

And for the strength to never trade His approval for the fleeting praise of the world.

Homily for ​​Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071325.cfm

This week, the evangelist, St. Luke tells us of

a scholar of the Law

approaching Jesus to ask

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus responds 

by asking what is written in the law.

To which the scholar responds,

"You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus assures him 

that if he does these things 

he will gain eternal life.

But the scholar,

senses something troubling in Jesus’ reply

and presses Him to define,

“Who is my neighbor?”

What the scholar wanted was specifics - 

who should qualify to deserve our help.

And if that is what he wanted, 

He asked Jesus the wrong question.

When asked “Who is my neighbor”, 

Jesus responds with a parable.

He tells the story of a Jewish man, 

stripped, beaten and left half-dead 

on a remote desert road.

This remote road was long, mountainous,

Dangerous, indirect 

and difficult to travel,

but favored by Jews because it avoided Samaria.

You see, 

Samaritans and Jews were mortal enemies.

Jesus tells us 

that the first person to come upon this half-dead man 

was a Jewish priest.

And rather than help, 

he deliberately moved to the other side of the road 

to avoid the injured man.

You would think, 

with his knowledge of God

that he would stop to help.

But he doesn’t.

Next, 

a Levite came upon the man, 

and like the priest before him, he too, 

moved to the opposite side of the road as he passed.

Showing a complete lack of compassion and kindness.

Both failing to love their neighbor.

You can imagine what they were thinking.

I don’t want to get involved.

I don’t know this person or worse,

what the people who put him here 

might do to me.

So, Jesus brings on the Samaritan.

Today, 

the term Samaritan refers to 

a charitable person who helps those in distress.

But in the time of Jesus, 

a Samaritan would be the least likely source of help 

for a Jew.

Yet, what does this Samaritan do 

when faced with this injured traveler?

Move to the opposite side of the road?

Pretend not to see him?

No.

Instead,

he was moved by compassion.

He acted.

He saw 

and embraced 

the urgent need to rescue 

and recover this man.

He showed love.

He bore the man’s burdens 

as though they were his own.

Jesus tells us 

that this man didn’t just give a little care, 

the Samaritan made extraordinary sacrifices 

for someone he didn’t even know.

His heart was so full of love 

that when someone came across his path 

with a desperate need he was able to meet, 

he did everything he could possibly do. 

Not a question,

Not a hesitation. 

In other words, 

the Samaritan 

never stopped to ask what the expert asked,

“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus is describing a rare love that has no limits.

So, when Jesus tells us to 

“Go and do likewise” as He does today,

this impossibly high standard 

should move us 

not to question or to explain away or make excuses,

It should drive us to plead for grace and forgiveness.

The way that the good Samaritan cared for the traveler 

is the way God loves sinners.

Today’s gospel 

is a powerful reminder of how far away 

we are from where God is.

It should drive us, 

not only to think of everyone as our neighbor,

But recognizing the near impossibility of that,

should call us to repentance.

To call us to go to confession,

To take advantage of the great sacrament our Lord made for us,

To confess our lack of compassion and sacrificial love

And to seek grace and mercy 

by turning with repentant faith 

to our Lord - 

The only One 

who truly and perfectly fulfills what the law demands of us.

Now, 

alot of people have very strong reactions to confession,

Most of us literally move to the opposite side of the road to 

avoid it.

If it has been a long time 

since you have been to confession,

be assured,

that God’s mercy 

is always greater 

than our shortcomings.

No matter how long it’s been,

He will not move to the opposite side of the road,

He will meet you in your need,

Bandage you up,

Carry you,

Care for you

And make you well again

in the sacrament.

And you might just find,

that in doing that,

in receiving the great graces 

that come in the sacrament of confession,

We are better able to 

“Go and do likewise”

to love our God, 

the way we were made to

and to better love our neighbor as ourselves.