Author: Frank Finamore
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on July 11, 1993
Readings: Isaiah 55: 10-11; Romans 8: 18-23; Matthew 13: 1-23
What should we feel in the face of tragedies, such as diseases or natural disasters, in light of the first reading where Isaiah eloquently says that God’s words and actions come down to enrich our lives? Jesus asks us in this day’s Gospel to let God’s words live within us to be the best people that we can be, bringing triumph out of tragedy by being one with our sisters and brothers in their need. We can never understand or control nature, but we can be in harmony with it through our unique giftedness.
6th Sunday of Easter
5th Sunday of Easter
Originally delivered on May 9, 1993
Readings: Acts 6:1-7; Peter 2: 4-9; John 14:1-12
4th Sunday of Easter
Originally delivered on May 6, 1990
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 36-41; Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10
Again today we hear about the Good Shepherd and his sheep. Fr. Healy invites us to wonder why that one sheep might have left the flock. Could the flock have made it impossible to fit in? But in this day’s readings, we hear that Jesus is the gatekeeper. Others do not the have the right to keep some of the sheep out of the flock. Therefore, we have a responsibility to be like Jesus and always welcome others, and perhaps especially, the one sheep that has wondered off because of how the flock treats him or her.
4th Sunday of Easter
Originally delivered on May 2, 1993
3rd Sunday of Easter
Originally delivered on April 25, 1993
Easter
Readings: Genesis: 1:1-2.2; Genesis 22:1-18; Matthew 28:1-10
Originally delivered on April 11, 1993
On this Easter Sunday, we are encouraged to be a joyful people despite our human condition or frailty. We must remember that Jesus’s apostles loved Him so much and yet disappointed Him so much. There are atrocities in our world, but we must remember that there have been some Easter people in our midst and have translated their hallelujahs into deeds. We must do the same.
Passion Sunday
Originally delivered on April 4, 1993
Readings: Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27, 66
How can we ever understand the people’s choice of releasing Barabbas over Jesus? Fr. Healy challenges us to see similar situations in our lives where we, the people, choose Barrabas. Indeed, when we live in a society that maximizes a right or benefit for a few at the expense of the many, we are living in a time when the people still choose Barabbus. Indeed, the Passion is still with us today. We are encouraged to recognize, acknowledge, and repent for our collective sins, when we chose Barabbus, even in our complicity. Jesus, the Son of god, is in the most desperate person among us. The choice is ours how we will respond.
5th Sunday of Lent
Readings: Ezekial 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45
Originally delivered on March 28, 1993
In this Gospel of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus is speaking to us in his encounter with Martha, that we are givers and takers of life. Perhaps, we are being challenged today to be there to help our sisters and brothers in need. It is our responsibility, as Christians, to breathe new life into others. The priorities of the Gospel must be our priorities in life. Current events call us to be moved to tears, as Jesus was, and then to act on behalf of the poor and marginalized. The shame of our past silence and the guilt of our past conspiracies, demand of us that we take the place of Jesus to be bearers of life, where people are free and live without oppression. We must involve ourselves in others’ struggles, just as Jesus did with Martha.
Weekly Homilies 