May 26, 2010. Homily, May 29, 2010.

Mark 11:27-33

Jesus and His Disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached Him and said to Him, "By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you the authority to do them?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me." They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say, 'Of heavenly origin, he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?" - they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." Then Jesus said to them, "Neither shall I say by what authority I do these things."
The Gospel of the Lord.

St Augustine: “They said, ‘We do not know.’ And because they had shut themselves up against him, by asserting that they did not know what they knew, the Lord did not open up to them because they did not knock. For it has been said, ‘Knock and it will be opened to you.’ But they not only had not knocked that it might be opened, but by their denial they barricaded the door against themselves. Then the Lord said to them, ‘Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.’”

May 24, 2010; Homily May 25, 2010.

Mark 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother of father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more in this present age: house and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last and the last will be first."
The Gospel of the Lord.

Yesterday's Gospel was about the young man who ran up to Jesus and asked, "Lord, what must I do to be saved?" Jesus answered, "Follow the commandments." "Lord, I have followed the commandments since my youth." "Then, if you would be saved, give up all that you have to the poor and come and follow me." And the young man turned away saddened, for he had much property.

Then in today's Gospel Jesus responds to yesterday's Gospel and promises "a hundred times more in this present age" to those who have given up family and property to follow Jesus.

He defended the commandment to honour one’s father and mother (Mk 7:10-13), but here he was asserting freedom from control by one’s family. The call to discipleship is not necessarily in conflict with family, but in case of conflict it has to take priority over it.

Here we have the oft-repeated paradox of the Gospel, set off very clearly against yesterday’s account of the rich young man: when we try to possess something we lose it; it is only when we are prepared to give it away that it really becomes ours (Mt 10:39; 16:25; Mk 8:30; Lk 9:24).

May 20, 2010. Homily, May 22, 2010.

John 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and said , "Master, who is the one who will betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die, just "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of your?"

It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Each of the four gospels, each of the four tellings of the "good news" is about Love. How many times/descriptions of love do we have in this last story of John's gospel.

Peter turns and sees the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Peter is jealous. Lord, what about him. Jesus says, What if i decide that he should remain until I return. What business is it of yours? You follow me.

John writes about his love for Jesus, but his writing is incomplete, for it he wrote it all, he does not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Erma Bombeck had fantasized that her 25th wedding anniversary would be held under a big white tent with guests milling around and an orchestra playing "our song." It turned out differently. Her kids threw a few hamburgers on a grill, scarfed them down and split-- leaving her and her husband to clean up. Later, her husband said, "Close your eyes." She did. When

she opened them, he held in his hand a jar of cauliflower, packed in pickle juice. "I hid them from the kids," he said, "because I knew how much you like it." Erma ended, with this beautiful remark, "Maybe love is that simple."

What did Erma mean?

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together. Simone Signoret

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May 14, 2010, Homily, Tuesday, May 18, 2010.

John 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ, I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
"I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the word you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."
The Gospel of the Lord.


The Gospel has the conclusion of the farewell prayer of Jesus given at The Last Supper: known as The Great High Priestly Prayer. In it Jesus prays first for Himself, in this Cycle A Gospel, then for his Disciples, in Cycle B, and then for all Christians which He does in Cycle C. The part read in today's Gospel is similar to the Lord's Prayer in that it calls God "Father", blesses God's name, asks that God's will be done, and prays for deliverance from the evil one.

The Epistle reading is Paul's farewell prayer to the presbyters of the Church at Ephesus.

I prefer Paul's farewell prayer in his letter to Timothy: (2 Tim 4:6-8) Even now I am being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I am at the point of dissolution. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. I wait now my merited crown in heaven sure that God, just judge that he is, will grant it to me as he grants it to all who wait with hope for the Lord.

May 11, Homily, Ascension Thursday, May 13, 2010

Luke 24: 46-53

Jesus said to His Disciples: "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Tuesday's Gospel, Jesus says "Now I am going to the one who sent me." And Sunday's Gospel,

Jesus says, "and the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me."

Ex. 3:4-6 God called to him [Moses] out of the [burning] bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God.

Mt. 3:16-17: And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Mk. 1:10-11: And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased."

Mt. 17:1-7 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them, Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still talking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud, a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

May 7, 2101. Homily, May 11, 2010.

John 16:5-11

Jesus said to His disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. for if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Last Tuesday's Gospel:

Jesus said to His disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' * * * * I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. * * * for the ruler of the world is coming * * * Who is "the ruler of the world"? The "ruler of the world" is Satan. The "ruler of the world" is Lucifer.

John Paul II: I would have liked to stay with you longer, but I find consolation in the words of Jesus. He tells us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my Name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. The Father sends His Spirit of trust and love into the world and the Spirit guides us in the way of peace. Therefore, Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid, dear brothers.

In John’s gospel the Paraclete is the continued presence of Jesus. Henceforth it is through the Spirit that we know Jesus. Every teacher, sooner or later, has to stand back. In other words, you have to learn from your own experience, and that is what a good teacher always sends you back to in the end.

This Spirit, Jesus said, “will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” Richard Rohr’s comment on this: “What you thought was sin was only your own guilt, what you thought was righteousness was self-righteousness, what you thought was justice was only your instinct for vengeance.” These distinctions can only be learned from the inside.

May 4, 2010, Homily, May 8, 2010.

John 15:18-21

Jesus said to His Disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is grater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me."

The Gospel of the Lord.

There’s nothing in this world so sweet as love,

And next to love the sweetest thing is hate. (Longfellow)

As my colleague Andrew McCarthy wrote, “Civilization is not an evolution of mankind but the imposition of human good on human evil. It is not a historical inevitability. It is a battle that has to be fought every day, because evil doesn’t recede willingly before the wheels of progress.” -- "Our Reprimitivized Future"

Tuesday's Gospel:

Jesus said to His disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' * * * * I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. * * * for the ruler of the world is coming * * * Who is "the ruler of the world"? The "ruler of the world" is Satan. The "ruler of the world" is Lucifer.

John Paul II: I would have liked to stay with you longer, but I find consolation in the words of Jesus. He tells us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my Name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. The Father sends His Spirit of trust and love into the world and the Spirit guides us in the way of peace. Therefore, Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid, dear brothers.