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
BC CATHOLIC | 2021
This Sunday, we pray “that we may hasten without stumbling” to “receive” what God has “promised.”
We call it heaven: the ultimate fulfillment of our deepest longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. The Bible describes it as life, light, peace, paradise, a wedding feast, the Father’s house, the heavenly Jerusalem. However, “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Imagine an adult trying to tell a small child the delights of marriage. The greatest pleasure the child knows comes from chocolate. Told that eating chocolate is not part of conjugal pleasure, he characterizes marriage as fasting from chocolate. He is familiar with chocolate; he cannot even begin to imagine a pleasure that overwhelms it.
In heaven, we will see that God himself is “the goal of our desires,” St. Augustine said; “we shall contemplate him without end, love him without surfeit, praise him without weariness.”
BUILDING ON THE WORD | 2006
Jewish rabbis take the bible very seriously. Because they believe it is God’s word they are convinced that nothing in the bible is there by chance. Every word, every expression, every comma has a significance. On one occasion two rabbinical students were discussing a passage from the book of Deuteronomy. They were trying to understand why God commanded us in that book to put the word of God on our hearts. Why did God not say to put God’s word in our hearts? Is not that where the word of God should be? Since they could not figure this out, they went to ask the rabbi why does the bible say we are to place the word of God on our hearts instead of in our hearts? This was his response: “We are commanded to place the word of God on our hearts because our hearts are closed and the word of God cannot get in. So God commands us to place the word of God on our hearts. And there it sits there it waits. It waits for the day when our hearts will be broken. When they are broken, then the word of God will fall gently inside.”
A CONCORD PASTOR COMMENTS | 2018
There’s quite a contrast in the two brief vignettes St. Mark pairs, side by side, in today’s gospel. First, a stern Jesus, mincing no words, condemns the scribes who take advantage of their office and of the poor for their own benefit and satisfaction. And then a compassionate Jesus directs our attention to a poor widow – from precisely the class of people the scribes are accused of scamming – a poor widow whose small offering Jesus compares with the larger contributions made to the temple by the wealthy.
Mark offers a description of the scribes. And it concerns me that I fit that description rather well. As a priest, I am among those who wear long robes. I accept the greetings of many as I walk each day through the market place of Concord center. I have a seat of honor here in the temple. And when I go to a reception or a banquet I’m almost always seated at the head table. In my defense – I do not devour the homes of widows! And we’re usually out of here in an hour – so I don’t think that’s lengthy prayers…
CHRIST IN THE DESERT MONASTERY | 2018
Jesus expects us to trust Him completely. Many of us are not quite so sure that we can trust Him, even though we want to trust Him. The widow in the first reading shows us how a person can trust completely, even to the point of giving up the little one has for another person. The Gospel of Mark today repeats that message with the story of the poor widow who gave all she had, trusting in the Lord. The challenge today: Will I trust? Will I give up what I have because I trust in the Lord?
The first reading is from the First Book of Kings and gives us stories about the Prophet Elijah. Elijah is a wonderful person in the Old Testament. Elijah trusts so completely that he always does what God asks of him, even when it puts his own life in danger. Elijah can complain to God because Elijah has such a close relationship with God and thus shares everything with God. This is part of the challenge for us today: trust and become close! When God does not give us what we think we need, we are free to tell God that we still need what we are asking for. We must have confidence will always give us what we truly need….
DIOCESE OF ST. PETERSBURG | 2021
In the first reading today and in the Gospel reading we meet two widows who are very similar. Both are common, hard working women. Both are poor. Both put their trust in God rather than in things. Both are rewarded for their faith.
The first widow is a foreigner to the Hebrews. She is from Zarephath, a coastal city on the Mediterranean, northwest of the Kingdom of Israel. Elijah traveled through this land during a famine. As in all famines, the rich complain and the poor starve. The woman was poor. When Elijah met up with her, she was putting her last scraps together before she and her son would die. Imagine her as a starving woman with her child in Africa or Asia, eyes sunken with pain, belly extended. Imagine that desperation had given way to despair and a moribund acceptance of her fate and that of her son. We have all seen pictures of starving women, holding a suffering child…
KUALA LUMPUR | 2018
As Catholics, we shouldn’t always take the Bible literally, but we should always take it seriously. To take the story of the Widow’s Mite seriously, we must keep the condemnation in the story. This story is meant to confront us, but it has, repetitively, been interpreted to condemn others or in a limited way, to highlight the virtue of generous giving. Catholic priests jump at the opportunity to use this passage to highlight the need for Catholics in the pew to give more. The collection usually increases this Sunday, but just this Sunday only! Unfortunately, it usually returns to previous levels the following week, exposing a very Catholic phenomena – Catholics usually give out of guilt, not out of passion or commitment. But the character of the poor widow being held up as a model for generous giving is secondary to the condemnation which precedes and follows this episode.
SUNDAY WEB SITE | 1997
There are times when we are down, and we think we have nothing left to give. Little remains in the barrel of our lives. Then, for some reason, we still manage to give more out of the nothing we have left. And grace is born again.
How often the mere pennies of others replenish us. It happens in those moments when someone seems to have nothing much to give us: no education, no program, no sermon, no sound advice, no solution to our problems. If they do not give up on us, but give us something else, if they give not from their surplus, but all they have to live on, we find that they have offered their very being. Their presence. Their hearts. What they bestow on us, finally, is no merely human asset, but the life of God flourishing in our faith, hope, and love.
SINGLE HUMANITY | 2018
The word of God shakes us out of the slumber of fears and illusions so that, liberated from a Pharisee in us, we can experience the joy of being loved unconditionally. Then, we can have the courage to present ourselves as we are. There’s no higher form of generosity than when we become strong enough to stand before others, unarmoured, in the light of truth. Let’s see what this means.
The first part of the gospel text for this Sunday we have Jesus denounce the behaviour of Pharisees. In the second part he praises a widow in the temple who offers generously the little she has for her survival. What a combination! I wonder the inspiration of such arrangement. That’s why, to bypass the embarrassment of commenting the apparently unrelated parts, I wanted to take only the short version of the reading, thus, leaving out the part about Pharisees. In that way, it would be a lot easier handling related stories about widows, in the First Reading and in the Gospel. However, after a little reflection I realise that these distant parts may actually have a big story to tell.
Fr. Chama’s homily is divided into the following sections:
- So, let’s dare
- A plea in favor of Pharisees
- See how religious I am!
- Look how strong I am!
- Indeed, the truth will set you free
Homily for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time preached by Father Stephen Lowery, C.O. at The Pittsburgh Oratory.
Fr. Larry Swink, Pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in La Plata, MD talks about what he’s planning for this weekend’s homily.
Celebrant & Homilist: Msgr. Kevin Hart; Guest Choir: Resurrection Catholic Church, Burtonsville, MD
A TALE OF TWO WIDOWSby Bishop Robert Barron November 11, 2018 .
Today’s Scriptures highlight two widows and two very important biblical principles: God reveals himself precisely at that moment of our greatest vulnerability and need, and the grace in your life will increase in the measure that you give it away.
CHRIST THE HIGH PRIESTby Bishop Robert Barron November 12, 2006
For the past several weeks, we have been reading from the extraordinary letter to the Hebrews, the principal theme of which is the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Jesus can be the ultimate bridge-builder between God and us, precisely because in his own person he reconciles divinity and humanity. True God and true man, Christ is true priest.
Friends, a couple years ago, there was a poll conducted in Great Britain that revealed that the majority of people there feel that Jesus was not a real, historical figure, but rather more of a mythic character. There are all kinds of spiritual systems that trade in mythic language bearing spiritual truths—but that’s not what Christianity is.
We have modern versions of the Scribes and Pharisees. Today, when some people give to charity, they call for a press conference so that the whole world would know of their generosity. Not so with the followers of Jesus. We are to give in secret and for no other reason but to be of help to a brother or sister, in need.
Nature shows us the way. A well that is unused becomes stagnant. A well from which water is often drawn remains fresh.
If the poor can give out of their meager resources, so much more should the wealthier ones share what they can. Giving is making sacrifices. Only the giver really knows how much sacrifice he is making. And God, who sees the heart.
Jesus calls all of us, would cast all of us in his eternal peace and glory. Our lives are in rehearsal for Christ’s second coming. Lord, may we all be ready. For “many are called but few are chosen”. Lord, help our unbelief.
Translation used for Mass in majority of English-speaking world outside U.S./ Canada.
The Revised Common Lectionary NRSV translation is used in Christian worship. Text provided by Vanderbilt Divinity School.
Sunday Readings
We must straighten injustices,
fill the void with goodness, mercy, respect and understanding,
bring low pride, barriers and violence, and
make smooth all that prevents people from living a free and dignified life.
2nd Sunday of Advent C
An oddball prophet, who speaks the word of God, is ushering in a whole new way of ordering one’s life. (2018)
TOMORROW'S REFLECTION
2nd Sunday of Advent C
We can’t only pray for justice. We must also work to promote it.
During Advent we should be intentional in trying to improve, to grow mentally and spiritually and to help to create a just society. (2021)
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