Ez 37:1-14 Mt 22:34-40 The question that is put to Jesus in this morning’s gospel reading – ‘Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ – was with a view to disconcerting him. Jesus was being put to the test. Yet, in spite of the questionable motivation behind the question, Jesus took the question seriously and gave his questioners and all of us an answer that is worth pondering. Although he was asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus’ answer put two commandments side by side. The first commandment was the core of the prayer recited by observant Jews several times…
Homily for Thursday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Ez 12:1-12 Mt 18:21–19:1 The parable Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading has two clear messages. The first and most important message relates to God and the second relates to ourselves. The parable declares that God’s forgiveness is boundless. The first servant owed ten thousand talents, which is an astronomical sum of money. It is the kind of debt that could never be paid. We might think of the debt that some of the developing countries owe to the International Bank. The king in the parable simply canceled the debt in response to the pleading of his servant. He allowed…
Homily for Wednesday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Ez 9:1-7; 10:18-22 Mt 18:15-20 We can often be impressed by numbers, and that is true even within the context of the church. We look to see how many are coming to Mass or how many are signing up to this event or to that ministry. Jesus’ way of looking at things is somewhat different from ours. Numbers did not seem to be an issue for him. He understood the value of the one; he spoke of the shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to go in the search of the one who was lost. In this morning’s gospel reading…
Homily for Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the gospel we find the disciples in a small, frail, boat, struggling with a heavy sea and a strong headwind. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by hills and strong winds can come down the valleys and stir up the sea. In all sorts of ways, we can all find ourselves struggling with a heavy sea and a strong headwind. We sense our frailty and vulnerability; the odds against us seem stronger than our resources. In today’s second reading, Paul seems to be speaking out of that kind of overwhelming situation. He says, ‘my sorrow is so great, my…
Homily for Saturday, Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Hb 1:12—2:4 Mt 17:14-20 We sometimes find ourselves helpless before a particular situation. Try as we might, the issue or problem is more than we can manage or deal with. That is the situation in which we find the disciples in today’s gospel reading. A father brought his seriously ill boy to the disciples for them to heal him, but as the father says, ‘they were unable to cure him,’ even though Jesus had earlier given them the power to do so. Jesus succeeds where the disciples failed, curing the boy of his illness, which seems to have been a…
Homily for Friday, Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 Mt 16:24-28 Jesus asks a thought-provoking question in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘What will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?’ Jesus is suggesting that we can gain a great deal of what the world has to offer and values, and, yet, lose out at some more fundamental level of our being. We can gain the whole world and, at the same time, lose our life, lose that which makes us truly alive with the life of God. Jesus declares that the opposite is also true. People can lose…
