Videos from selected homilists; Transcript excerpts from Fr. Hawkswell, Fr. Fleming, Fr. Chama, Msgr. Pellegrino, Fr. Sigma, Fr. Kavanaugh’s homilies; Bishop Barron podcasts; Life Issues; Doctrinal Homily Outlines
July 5, 2021 | July 8, 2018 | July 5, 2015 | July 8, 2012 | July 5, 2009
B.C. CATHOLIC | 2021
Like the prophet Ezekiel in this Sunday’s First Reading, the Pope says, “Thus says the Lord God.” Like the rebellious Israelites, the world asks, “How can a human Pope be infallible?” and jeers at those who accept his authority.
Jesus is fully man, but also fully God. The Catholic Church has a divine head, who is perfect, but human members, who are sinful. Her sacraments are “outward signs” of “inward grace.” Human beings are God’s co-workers….
That is why we trust Pope Francis: not because of his origin, his environment, or his learning, but because of Jesus’ promise. That is why we hold “that the Pope cannot err when, as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.”
We believe that, like Jesus, the Pope could say to the world, “So you know me, and you know my origins? The truth is, I have not come of myself.”
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA | 2018
“Familiarity breeds contempt.” It is a well-known maxim that goes all the way back to Publius the Syrian, who lived in 2 BC. The entire caption reads, “Familiarity breeds contempt … while rarity wins admiration.” Not to be upstaged, the ever witty Mark Twain once wrote, “familiarity breeds contempt … and children.”
In the gospel we are told that our Lord’s reputation for attracting large crowds, His dynamic preaching, His astounding miracles had little effect on His own townspeople – they were not impressed. Rather, they began to mumble about the improbability of this since He was just an ordinary home boy, and He was certainly no better than anyone else in town. “This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too are they not here with us?” This led them to be contemptuous of His claims. To them, the Lord was a little more than an upstart. They had expected at least a rabbi, professionally trained for years in Scripture, to preach. They hardly expected a sermon from a mere carpenter, who could have given them a lesson in woodwork, but certainly, not one qualified to speak to them about loftier subjects. So they closed their hearts to His message and to the possibility that God was indeed working in and through Him. Yes, Jesus is truly and fully man. But He is also fully God. The Incarnation does not efface or render useless or outmoded the notion of the sacred. On the contrary, the Incarnation makes the mundane sacred, holy and divine.
Losing Sight of the Sacred (2015)
Truth and the Word (2012)
A CONCORD PASTOR COMMENTS | 2015
So… what does it take to convince these folks from Nazareth? Their “taking offense at Jesus, their rejection of him is all the more remarkable when you understand it follows four miracles Jesus worked including healings and calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee.
And it’s not that the hometown folks didn’t know about these events. This discussion takes place in the synagogue – these folks are the Jewish equivalent of regulars at Sunday Mass. They acknowledge the “mighty deeds are wrought by Jesus’ hands.” But because he was only a carpenter’s son, because they weren’t sure of the source of his knowledge and wisdom, and because they weren’t altogether comfortable with his teachings — they took offense at him.
There’s a kind of elitism at work here: he’s just a tradesman’s son; a snobbish attitude: what school did he go to?; a culture of suspicion: I heard him preach he’s teaching new and different things: don’t trust him!
Of course, Jesus’ hometown isn’t limited to Nazareth: every town is Jesus’ hometown – including Concord.
A Thorn in the Flesh… (2015)
DIOCESE OF ST. PETERSBURG | 2021
They didn’t recognize God working in Ezekiel. He was too much of a fanatic for them. A bit of a kook. Paul wasn’t all that some thought he would be. He was a little guy probably with a high squeaky voice, certainly not a great orator. They didn’t recognize that Jesus was the Word of God among them. They had watched him grow up. Today’s readings present what I would call three Ad Hominem disasters.
First of all, an Ad Hominem argument is an attack on a person instead of an argument based on what the person is presenting. It basically says that because a person has this or that foible, or limitation, or even failing, we shouldn’t listen to him or her no matter what he or she says. For example, someone says that it is wrong for a nation to steal land from another nation like Russia did in the Ukraine regarding Crimea. The person with the opposite viewpoint instead of countering with something like, “Russia owned this land 120 years ago,” says, “Well, you don’t have the education to argue with me, and besides, your fat and fat people don’t know what they are talking about. And your mother dresses you funny.” An Ad Hominem argument is the weakest of all arguments because it does not consider the facts, and just attacks the person presenting the opposite opinion.
On Being An American Catholic (2018)
Power Made Perfect in Weakness (2015)
A Prophet Among Them (2012)
His Power is Made Perfect in Our Weakness (2009)
Accepting Prophets, Accepting Ourselves (2006) – PDF
BUILDING ON THE WORD | 2006
Today’s Gospel is strangely disturbing, but it also carries a thread of consolation. This passage from Mark’s gospel is the only passage in the gospels where Jesus is said to be unable to act. The text is very clear about this. It says that Jesus was unable to perform any deed of power, so distressed was he by lack of faith. We believe that Jesus has the power of God, so how is it possible that he is rendered helpless?
Although we could spend hours discussing why Jesus was unable to act, it is more useful to ask what does this strange impotence of Jesus have to do with us? For we believe that all the passages of the scriptures not only tell us about Jesus, but also apply to our lives. So what does Jesus’ inability to act mean to us? The answer to that question can be found when we realize where it is that this scene takes place. It was in Jesus’ own hometown. He had no problem doing deeds of power in Capernaum or at the Sea of Galilee, but when he came to Nazareth he was helpless. He could wow the crowds in Jerusalem, but when he came to his own town, he was too local to be taken seriously. This rejection of Jesus in Nazareth points to a truth in our lives: sometimes it is the people who are closest to us who do not understand us and will not support us.
This painful truth is a part of the human condition. It is proverbial. In fact, Jesus cites a proverb in the gospel. He says, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their own hometown, among their own kin, and in their own house.” How painful it is to have our gifts and talents accepted by many, but not accepted by those who are closest to us. How hurtful it is to wait for the approval of a mother, father, or grandparent; to wait for the acceptance of a brother or sister, and yet, never have that acceptance or that approval come. How debilitating it is when we find that those we are related to by blood or by marriage do not accept us. Instead they are jealous of us, dismissive of us, or even manipulate us. We usually can overcome rejection by a stranger or by those with whom we only have a business relationship. But when it comes to rejection by family that rejection cuts deep.
Strength in Weakness (2003)
Negativity and Thankfulness (2009)
About Jesus’ Brothers (2015)
Persistent Hope (2018)
THE REASON FOR OUR HOPE | 2018
Tonight we are going to focus on what does that mean to be a prophet and how to be a prophet. Now one of the greatest prophets of our own time of course is Pope Francis and Francis speaks God’s word to us and just as Jesus made people uncomfortable, right, it says a prophet is without honor in his own place and they found offense at Him. So too, does our Holy Father, Pope Francis, speak God’s word, and people find offense at him and they say stuff like, you know, you shouldn’t pay attention to other things, don’t worry about the environment, pay attention to other things, you just tell people they can’t get you know, just follow God’s law, don’t tell them about divorce, remarried people, you want to accept them, you want to reach out to all these people, tell them no, they’re no good.
SUNDAY WEB SITE | 1997
Most of us know the old definition of an “expert”: anyone who comes from more than fifty miles away. By now, the requirement must be five hundred miles. We seem to have a problem with closeness, with the ordinary, with the everyday.
Expertise is most respected when it comes from a distance. Prophetic gifts as well. Prophets are best when they are far away and long ago. Here and now is a different story. “Surely she cannot be a prophet. I went to school with her.” “He cannot prophesy; I know his mother.” “That guy cannot be a source of grace and joy to others; I’ve been with him in community for years. He tells terrible jokes and wears cufflinks.” Is this why no one is a hero to one’s own valet?
THE MISSION OF THE PROPHETby Bishop Robert Barron . July 8, 2018
This week’s Scriptures illuminate the identity and mission of a prophet—a calling that belongs to all the baptized by virtue of our Baptism. God appoints the prophets to a specific mission. This mission is to speak God’s word of truth. God’s word of truth is not a private or personal opinion, but the Word of God communicated through human words. The prophet speaks God’s word of truth to those within and those outside the Church. Prophets do not seek to proclaim a message that is easy to be accepted, but seek to speak God’s word of truth, no matter how hard it might be to hear and accept. Christ is the paradigmatic example of the identity and mission of the prophet.
A THORN IN THE FLESH: WHY WE SUFFERby Bishop Robert Barron . July 8, 2012
Saint Paul conveys a unique and powerful perspective on suffering. What he called a “thorn in the flesh,” was a suffering so great that it burdened him, prompted him to beg God for relief. But it is in this sort of suffering that we most acutely understand God’s love. When all falls away, we have him, we cling to him and we are saved. And when we bear suffering leveled by others and offer it to Christ, we absorb it, we take it out of circulation, and ease the burden for others.
THE CALL OF THE PROPHETby Bishop Robert Barron . July 9, 2006
Every baptized person is conformed to Christ: King, Priest, and Prophet. Thus speaking the divine truth (prophecy) is not the concern of priests and bishops alone, but of all members of the church. From Ezekiel and Mark, we can discern a number of qualities of the prophetic office. First, the prophet does not speak his own word, but God’s. Second, the prophet is given a difficult assignment. And third, the prophet is summoned, not to success, but faithfulness.
PERSEVERANCE PRODUCES CHARACTERby Bishop Robert Barron . July 6, 2003
Another homily from Fr. Robert Barron and Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
Friends, in today’s Gospel, we hear the marvelous story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus—an icon of tremendous power and a sacred picture of the spiritual life and the process of salvation. We all find ourselves, in our need of Christ, in this image, as our own blindness distorts our vision of spiritual reality and the meaning of life.
Pride was what led to the rejection of Jesus by the people of Nazareth. So that this will not befall us, let us learn not only to see but also to accept the good qualities of others instead of considering them as threats to our self-esteem.
The Bible tells us that true Christians are easily recognized. They are the generous ones, the ones who support their neighbor, no matter what the nationality of their neighbor may be. And Jesus tells us that we have to decide: are we or are we not true Christians?
Even if the truth hurts, it has to be told. Somebody has to tell the truth. This is the role of prophets. The prophets are truthtellers.
Each of us having some thorn in our flesh; however, few, in any of us, would brag about this thorn as though it was a badge of honor. I cannot imagine any teenager saying, “I rejoice in the fact that I have attention deficit disorder” or someone saying, “My weight has been a problem all of my life and I am so thrilled about that.” In fact, people who would boast about these things would be looked at rather strangely. These are the types of things that most people would keep hidden from others for various reasons, including the fact that they might not be accepted by others if anyone else knew what they were going through.
St. Paul himself experienced personal difficulties in preaching God’s word. Inhis letters he mentioned being beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and robbed in the course of his journeys. Beside these externally-imposed hardships, he had to deal with a personal weakness which he described as a “thorn in the flesh”.
Let our daily crosses be our war against the culture of death, Saint John Paul II, fought against — the dark stain on human life — contraception, abortion and abandonment of spouses and children.
The only lectionary translation approved for Mass in the United States; also used in Catholic dioceses of the Philippines.
This lectionary translation is used for Mass in dioceses for the majority of the English-speaking world outside the U.S. and Canada.
The Revised Common Lectionary NRSV translation is used in Christian worship. Text provided by Vanderbilt Divinity School.
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