Calling
Mary, Mother of God
Originally delivered on January 1, 1990
Readings: Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21
In this homily, Father Healy reminds us that Mary is the first woman to be liberated by Christ Jesus. She is a prophet for all ages. We are reminded that a simple girl was asked to say Amen to Jesus and change history. We, too, can make a difference regardless of our fears. We must not allow the magic moment of grace today to pass us by. We are called to act for justice and human rights and dignity. Because of Jesus, we must hold ourselves accountable to love our enemies and to be one family with everyone in the world.
3rd Sunday of Advent
Originally delivered on December 17, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 1:2-11
Today we are reminded to Rejoice! Rejoice for our being prophets to bring Jesus’ Gospel to our sisters and brothers here on Earth. We are each called to be prophets despite our frailties, doubts, and even our sins. It is in our infirmity that the Glory of God becomes more evident. So, today as we rejoice in the Good News, we are each challenged to be true prophets in our actions.
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on November 15, 1992
Readings: Malachi 3:19-20; Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21: 5-19
We live with earthquakes, famine, war, and all sorts of tragedies. We needn’t fear the future because we are living in hell already. We also have the ability to bring the Risen Lord into our lives right now. We are not being scared by God by the darkness in our society or lives, but rather, we are told that we, each and every one of us, can bring lightness to the world. We are reminded that life is indeed short, no matter how long we are here on Earth. Time is precious. We must act now to make our lives meaningful, by helping others and bringing God’s light to the world. We are called to bring our deepest passion to the struggle, the struggle for justice and truth in a very cruel and unjust world, without nurturing a personal need for a tangible success. We must trust in God to triumph and to give it meaning. Each moment of our lives is a sacred grace. Our witness counts.
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on November 8, 1992
Readings: Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14; Thessalonians 2:16 -3:5; Luke 20:27-38 or 20-27 , 34-38
How does our conscience shape our actions? Are we, like the seven sons and their mother from the Book of Maccabees, willing to die for what we believe? In today’s homily, we are reminded that we may have to take a stand for something which will become irrelevant at a later date. Nonetheless, in the moment, we are called to follow our conscience. We should pray dearly and act sincerely based on what our conscience tells us. On the issues of women priests, abortion, sexual orientation, divorce, and our economic systems, we must pray and ultimately follow our conscience.
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on January 26, 1992
Readings: Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10; Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21
In this week’s homily, we are asked to imagine that we are a Jew waiting for the Messiah in order to fully comprehend the power of the Gospel story where Jesus announces that he is the Messiah for whom the Jews had been waiting. We are asked to think about the part of us that wants the responsibility of living The Good News to be for someone else, but not ourselves. Today, in the second reading, we are reminded that we are part of the body of Christ. There is no insignificant part of the body. As such, we must be the living Christ to our sisters in brothers around the world. We are anointed. We are called. We will never have the perfection of Jesus. We will be misunderstood, rejected, ignored, or even stopped in our attempts, but we must continue to try.
1st Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on March 4, 1990
Readings: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; Matthew 4:1-11
In today’s readings we hear about the Garden of Eden, Jesus’ forty days in the desert, and His temptation by the devil. We are reminded that God created the right order of things in His creation of the Garden of Eden, but like Jesus, we each experience our time in the desert, struggling with every demon. We would do well to remember that Jesus went before us and will always be with us, as God’s people. But with Jesus’ support and love, we are each called to re-create the right order of things. This means that we must experience the desert and our temptations, such as our desire for things and power, and trust in our God. To do this requires our penance, but most importantly, responsibility to make the future different.
2nd Sunday of Advent
Originally delivered on December 10, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12
In this homily, we hear of the death of Fr. Healy’s sister, Sally, and Pope John Paul II’s warning of the impending ecological crisis. Animated about the issues of racism, refugees from Central America, and Haiti, Fr. Healy shares his struggle about which issues to address with the people of God. We are asked to hear the words of John the Baptist, as if he was speaking directly to each of us when he say’s “prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight His path.” May we make a resolution to not be content to enjoy any of the blessings of God’s creation without a daily consciousness of how our use of God’s gifts affects the lives of our sisters and brothers.
Weekly Homilies 