Forgiveness
5th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on March 12, 1989
Readings: Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3: 8-14; John 8:1-11
As a follow-up to last week’s parable of the Prodigal Son, this week’s Gospel is the story of Jesus’ forgiveness of the woman about to be stoned for adultery. He asks those that are without sin to cast the first stone. In this homily, we are reminded first of God’s all encompassing love and forgiveness for us, and second that the ultimate norm of morality is the individual conscience reflecting, as best that person can, the will of God. Jesus’ example in this Gospel story is that we must have love and compassion to bring personal forgiveness and understanding of others.
4th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on March, 29, 1992
Readings: Joshua 5:9, 10-12; Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
In this homily, Fr. Healy reminds us that the parable of the Prodigal Son allows us to be with God, despite our shortcomings. Through a powerful story of his own, Fr. Healy reminds us that God is love. Indeed, Jesus is our older brother that petitions His Father for our forgiveness because of His love for us, despite our imperfections.
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 8, 1994
In today’s homily, we are reminded that we are called to love one another – sometimes easy and other times difficult. God is Love. When we live in love then we live in God and God in us. We are not to set a measure on what makes others lovable. We must love everyone, just as God loves each of us. We are therefore called to be more forgiving with others. Indeed, in today’s Gospel, we hear: “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
3rd Sunday of Easter
Readings: Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31
Originally delivered on April 17, 1994
In this homily, we are reminded that our sins are always forgiven. Indeed, God is Mercy and Redemption. It’s so amazing that it’s difficult for many of us to believe. Nonetheless, we must try to reflect God’s forgiveness in how we treat one another. We must love one another, just as God loves us.
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on September 17, 1989
Readings: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14; Paul to Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32 or 15:1-10
In the first reading, we hear of God’s anger toward the people of Egypt for their sinfulness. But in the Gospel reading, we learn, through the story of the Prodigal Son, of Jesus’ forgiveness and love for all of us, despite our sinfulness and shortcomings. We are forgiven and loved as we are, not as we might be, because God is love, mercy, and forgiveness. As forgiven people, we need only believe that we are forgiven. But perhaps before we can believe that we are forgiven, we need to forgive others.
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on July 18, 1993
Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 or 13:24-30
In the first reading from the book of Wisdom, we are reminded of God’s unconditional forgiveness and compassion for us. How much do we hold onto the hurts that we’ve experienced? But today, through the infusion of the Holy Spirit, we are asked to let go of these hurts, as God forgives us. In the Gospel, Jesus challenges us to think of people as crops and weeds — the good and bad — and to pour our energy not into pulling weeds. We should focus on ourselves and let God sort out the wheat from the weeds. We are called, therefore, to be loving, compassionate, and forgiving as Jesus is to us. We are reminded of the courage of the six Jesuits killed in El Salvador in 1989, the debate of gays in the military, and the situation in Haiti as current events happening in 1993 that challenge us to not judge others lest we, one day, be judged by others to be a weed rather than the wheat.
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on July 4, 1993
Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30
What does it mean to be a citizen of God’s Kingdom? From the fist reading of Zechariah, we hear that God would put an end to war, jealousy, and human competition. In the second reading, Paul reminds the Romans and us today, that we must walk in the spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to learn from Him just as children learn. That is, we are to be gentle and humble of heart. We are challenged to reflect on how capital punishment fits with our being citizens of God’s Kingdom. If we really believe in the unconditional, all-embracing forgiveness of Jesus, we cannot harbor vindictive, hostile dispositions toward anyone. Let us all learn from Jesus and forgive others. Only in this way, will be truly free, in the way that Jesus talks about freedom, and find rest in our hearts.
Passion Sunday
Readings: Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27, 66
Originally delivered on April 8, 1990
How can we understand those that called for Jesus’s death? How are we like them? Like them, do we think that we are doing the right thing? Or do we shrink at the thought of standing up for what we know is right? That is, what are our motivations for what we do? Indeed, part of the human condition perhaps, is that we are not always at our best. But, we must pray to God to be accepting of our human limitations and that we may have more courage to stand up for a cause that makes the world better.
1st Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on February 28, 1993
Readings: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; Matthew 4:1-11
We all struggle with a God who is love and mercy who also permits pain, suffering, and evil within His creation. But through Jesus, we know that we are redeemed. In spite of and in the midst of all the meanness, madness, and idiocy of human behavior, we are loved and forgiven for our shortcomings.
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on February 21, 1993
Readings: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48
In this homily, Fr. Healy retells the tragic story of the fire that struck his family’s home and its aftermath for the family. We are reminded that we must always forgive unconditionally. Although this is very difficult, we have examples of parents, including those of Jesus, whose children were killed by others. We are called to forgive just as Mary and Joseph forgave. In today’s readings we are also given encouragement to forgive. In Leviticus, we hear the Lord say to Moses, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God. am holy. You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.” Then, in the second reading, Paul says to the Corinthians that we are temples of a holy God. We are challenged to let go of our hurts so that we might truly forgive.
Weekly Homilies 