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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on September 12, 1993
Readings: Sirach 27: 30-28:7; Romans 14: 7-9; Matthew 18: 21-35
In this week’s homily, we hear of the atrocity of a supporter of Haitian President Aristide being dragged out of a Mass being said by Fr. Antoine Adrien and murdered. We are also reminded of the history taking place in Yugoslavia. Despite these global injustices, and even with our personal pains and grievances, we are, as Christians, called to forgive, just as God forgives us. Indeed, the message is clear: God is forgiveness. What about you?
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on September 5, 1993
Readings: Ezekial 33: 7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20
In today’s readings, we first hear Ezekial telling us that we must speak the truth. Paul then tells us that we must love our neighbor as we love ourself. Indeed, it must be our life’s work. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus tells us to talk to the person. Sometimes we need others to help us, even the whole Church, if necessary, but understand that sometimes nothing will work, but still love them. We must know and believe that when we’ve done our best, we can leave it in God’s hands. There are dramatic examples of people following these words and being prophets in our time. We too are called to be prophets.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on September 6, 1987
Readings: Ezekial 33: 7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20
Today we are reminded that we have the responsibility to change evil to good through our actions. And in doing so, we are told in the second reading, that we must confront the evildoer in a loving manner. Indeed, we are called to “love our neighbor as yourself.” The implications of this is immediate and consequential for each and every one of us. We must wrestle with how we can be more effective witnesses within our own families, neighborhood, country, and the entire world. We are called to stand up while knowing that we risk ourselves in some ways.
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on August 30, 1987
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27
In today’s Gospel, Jesus rebukes Peter and tells him to “Get out of my sight, satan!” Like Peter, the Church, and all of us, will stray from God. We must return to the will of God, knowing that Jesus will be with us through the turmoil. Indeed, Jesus already knows that we will be human. That is, weak and sometimes even cowardly. And yet, Jesus is with us. We are told of Father Antoine Adrien and his courage in standing up for the poor of Haiti as well as the ways that the Church has failed to serve the people of Haiti. Like Peter, we, the Church, are both courageous and incredibly weak at other times. In each of those times, Jesus is with us; sometimes encouraging us and sometimes scolding us, but always as a means of reminding us to follow His ways, regardless what that means for our journey.
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on August 22, 1993
Readings: Isaiah 22:15, 19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20
In this week’s readings, we hear about authority, but it’s not equivalent to power, when Jesus gives authority to Peter. We are reminded that those who positions of authority, are bound by conscience, where one is alone with God. When Jesus speaks, He calls each of us to be one with God by seeking out His will. Then, we must follow Him by our actions in our lives. Fr. Healy passionately explains that God doesn’t want us to always be right, but rather, we must be sincere, driven by our deep connection with God through our conscience. Indeed, we must struggle with those that have reached a very different view of an issue of today through their own conscience. The ultimate measure of truth, goodness, and beauty, is the person of Jesus. We must constantly ask ourselves what Jesus would say or do. Living according to that principle makes us Christian.
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on August 26, 1990
Readings: Isaiah 22:15, 19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20
Fr. Healy tells us that he always wanted to be parish priest, despite signing up for the Holy Ghost Fathers who are dedicated to missionary work. He recounts that he had doubts about his ability to remain a priest within the institutional Church. He lets us know that priests and other religious people are often put up on pedestals thereby making it difficult for many religious to deal with their humanity. In these stories, he challenges us to reflect on the role of Peter in today’s Gospel. It is the same Peter who Jesus said, “You are a rock and upon this rock I build my Church” that also denied him three times. He suggests that the religious should come down from the pedestals and be with the people to create the Church.
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on August 19, 1990
Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28
In this week’s Gospel, a Canaanite woman addresses Jesus and asks for His help. Through her persistence, despite being a non-Jew, Jesus recognizes her faith and heals her daughter. But first, Jesus, in his humanity, rebuffed the woman and, in fact, asked his disciples to get rid of her. In this homily, Fr. Healy invites us to reflect on the humanity of Jesus reflected in today’s Gospel from Matthew. In the first reading, Isaiah tells the Jews, and us today, that salvation is for all peoples. All people are God’s people. We are asked to examine our own lives to see how we’ve practiced exclusion, but then rise to the challenge of overcoming our sins, in the spirit of Jesus’s example.
