African-American

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Originally delivered on January 31, 1993

Readings: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

In this homily, we remember the passing of Justice Thurgood Marshall.  The first African-American member of the Supreme Court, he challenged the status quo and represented the poor and marginalized.  Perhaps he was considered a thorn in the side of the establishment, just as Jesus must have been considered by His contemporaries. In this week’s Gospel, we hear Jesus from the mountain, just as Moses gave the ten commandments from the mount, giving us the Beatitudes which were so very different in nature than the straightforward ten commandments.  But who are the poor in Spirit? Poverty in Spirit surely means genuine dependence on and trust in the Lord.  But being poor in Spirit also may mean those with material wealth who stand with the poor, the disadvantaged, and the marginalized. In doing so, we will be rich in God’s love.

 

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Readings: Jeremiah 23: 1-6; Ephesians 2: 13-18; Mark 6: 30-34

Originally delivered on July 21, 1991

In today’s Gospel, we hear a continuation of last week’s mission.  Jesus welcomed back the disciples from their mission as messengers of the Gospel. We hear about two recent deaths – one young person taken due to violence and another elderly member of the parish. Fr. Healy challenges those marginalized, particularly black Americans, to stand up and not take the blame for their oppression, but demand leadership. We hear in the first reading from Jeremiah, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture.” In the second reason, we hear that Jesus calls us to unity with one another. Our greatest gift is to be the family of God. We cannot rest until we become a family with all of our sisters and brothers. Indeed, we are called to be the bearer of this message.

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Originally delivered on February 13, 1994

Readings: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46; Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45

The first and last readings today are about leprosy.  Fr. Healy suggests that we all have leprosy from time to time. Fr. Healy surmises that leprosy is something that scares, threatens, or makes someone feel insecure. Even those with “gifts” can be ostracized as a leper. We’ve all counted another “out”, so that we can be sure that we are “in.” We are challenged to look for God in the faces of those that we’d otherwise reject, including gays, lesbians, people living with HIV/AIDS, and those of different races or ethnicities.

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4th Sunday of Easter

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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.

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