Law
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8; James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Originally delivered on September 1, 1991
In this week’s homily, Fr. Healy speaks about the law. In the first reading, Moses tells the Israelites that the law is the law and not meant to be changed. We are challenged then to determine what we should do with the “eye for an eye” and other such laws stated later in Deuteronomy. So, by what means must we look upon the law with great reverence and other parts as outdated? Luckily for us, Jesus gave us the answer: Love the Lord with all we have and our neighbors as ourselves. That is, there is but one law – the law of love. It takes boldness and courage to stand up for what we see as man-made laws that are contrary to Jesus’s law of love and we are called to do so.
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?
5th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on March 20, 1988
Readings: Jeremiah 31: 31-34, Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33
Today we hear that we should not be legalistic but boldly loving with God’s Spirit in our hearts. We are challenged to look beyond the law, which often provides easy or black and white answers, to find the spirit of the law. Fr. Healy points to the first reading of Jeremiah which says, “ …I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers…I will place my law with them, and write it upon their hearts.”
5th Sunday of Lent
Originally delivered on April 5, 1992
Readings: Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3: 8-14; John 8:1-11
In this week’s homily, we hear of others’ reactions to Fr. Healy’s penchant for speaking emphatically and his rationale for becoming a lawyer. But more importantly, he discusses the law as it relates to today’s Scripture readings. In the Gospel about the woman about to be stoned for adultery, we are reminded how Jesus showed compassion to her as well as breaking the law when He says, “Let the one among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” He shares with us, his thoughts on various legal issues of the day. He compels us to be called by today’s Gospel to remember that we must follow the law of love if we are to imitate Christ.
Weekly Homilies 