Action
Christmas
Originally delivered on December 25, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25
On this Christmas day, Fr. Healy teases us with the possible homilies that he might give us. He reminds us that Jesus, as a baby, is like us as frail, frightened human being. We are called to be love, forgiveness, and decency to a world terribly in need of these Godly gifts. Indeed, we are a privileged people, but we are also called to act in order to make a difference in His world.
1st Sunday of Advent
Originally delivered on December 3, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44
Now is the time for us to take action. In a passionate homily, even more so than usual, Fr. Healy encourages us to be participants and seize the sacred moment, and to turn our swords into plowshares. Let us put on the armor of light that is Jesus Christ. Now is the hour, for us to work for peace, love, and fellowship with our sisters and bothers throughout the world. We are reminded of the martyrs from El Salvador and Nicaragua, including Archbishop Romero, who were slain in the name of peace. Let the blood of these martyrs to propel each of us to be peacemakers in our time.
1st Sunday of Advent
Originally delivered on November 27, 1988
Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28,34-36
Advent is a time of waiting for the birth of Jesus. What we do while waiting is worth examining. Do we seize the opportunity to improve our current condition and the quality of tomorrow? If we don’t take action to make tomorrow better, how will we ever explain this to ourselves and to God?
5th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on February 8, 1987
Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10 (73A); 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16
In this week’s homily, Fr. Healy reflects on his experiences as a missionary in Tanzania. He hopes for a day when every person would feel and believe that would believe that they “are the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” He invites us to think about to whom Jesus spoke those words. Just as He did then, He is indeed speaking to us, as the ordinary people. This means that we who have heard these words are meant to be a difference to a suffering world. We are reminded of the responsibilities of being called and the examples that we’ve seen in our parish and community of taking action.
5th Sunday of Lent
5th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on April 1, 1990
Readings: Ezekial 37: 12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45
In today’s readings, we are reminded that God can restore life. We are reminded that through Jesus, there are no human experiences from which God can’t restore us. He reflects on the life of Sr. Thea Bowman whose example shows us how to answer the call for new life. Furthermore, Fr. Healy reflects on the events in Sri Lanka and South Africa. He urges us to risk our own lives so that life may be more full, more real for our sisters and brothers in our communities and around the world. But first, we must believe.
Christmas
Originally delivered on December 25, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25
On this Christmas day, Fr. Healy teases us with the possible homilies that he might give us. He reminds us that Jesus, as a baby, is like us as frail, frightened human being. We are called to be love, forgiveness, and decency to a world terribly in need of these Godly gifts. Indeed, we are a privileged people, but we are also called to act in order to make a difference in His world.
7th Sunday of Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38
Originally delivered on February 23, 1992
We are called and anointed to make peace, forgive our enemies, and do good to those that would persecute us. In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “To you who hear me…” Are we hearing Him? Indeed, we must hear with our hearts. In the second reading, Paul tells us that we are natural beings before being divine. We are reminded that we are called to bring the Kingdom of God and His love and forgiveness to our sisters and brothers in the here and now. We know that Jesus told us to love our enemies, have we heard it in our hearts? Have we translated that love into deeds? Will we seize this sacred moment and make something of it?
5th Sunday of Easter
Originally delivered on April 28, 1991
Readings: Acts 9:26-31; John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8
Today we are challenged to get more serious in our following of Jesus. We have to be ready for God to change our circumstances and see the world in a whole new light. Like Paul, we might even switch sides. In the epistle, we are reminded that we are to love one another as Jesus loves. We are called to “love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it.”
4th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on March 13, 1988
Readings: Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21
In today’s Gospel from John, we hear, “Everyone who practices evil hates the light; he does not come near it for fear his deeds will be exposed. But he who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God.” Fr. Healy, through his own family story, reminds us how difficult it is to stand up for what we believe. Sometimes, we must give up the shelter and comfort of the hiding in the darkness. Indeed, in today’s Gospel, we are called to stand in the light and stand up for truth.
Weekly Homilies 