Divorce
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.
6th Sunday of Easter
Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48, John 4:7-10, John 15:9-17
Originally delivered on May 5, 1991
In the first reading, we hear of Peter’s struggles to understand God’s vision for inclusiveness and welcomes non-Jews into the new Church. Then, in the second reading, we are reminded that we don’t need to earn God’s love. God is love and god already loves us as we are. We are asked to try to love one another as God loves us. In the Gospel, Jesus says, “there is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” and “The command I give you is this: that you love one another.” What might we need to give up in order to more fully embrace God’s calling to love one another as He loves us?
3rd Sunday of Advent
Originally delivered on December 16, 1990
Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-12; Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28
Today we are challenged with the question: “Who are you?” We are called today to answer, like John, by saying “I am nobody; just a Christian trying to prepare the way for the Lord.” Indeed, Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Paul all paid the greatest price for their beliefs. The Church asks us to rejoice, even in the midst of injustices, because of the kind of God we have. In Jesus, God is forever calling us to let go of our fear and selfishness and to embrace our sisters and brothers in all their pain and sorrow. We are anointed to give our whole being to the poor and oppressed.
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.
Weekly Homilies 