Homilies and Stuff

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time



Jesus didn't come to make the commandments less important to fulfil, but more important, and even harder. But he gives us the grace we need to fulfil them, and it's totally worth it!

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Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord



The glory of God returned when the Messiah was presented in the Temple by His parents. Now, we have the privileged opportunity to bask in His glory every time we put ourselves before His Presence in the Tabernacle. But God does not want to remain there. Our eyes have seen His salvation. We are sent forth to bring the light of His revelation to all peoples so that all would know Him and offer Him right worship.

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Again, I've drawn from some of the main ideas from the Fr. Robert Barron in this sermon. Fr. Barron is a priest whom I respect a great deal. Find more of his (better) homilies here. You can also subscribe to his podcast in iTunes by clicking here.

Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord



At our baptism, we were grafted onto Jesus Christ, and just as he was a priest, prophet and king, so we too participate in those same roles in our own Christian lives.

In the interest of full disclosure, much of this homily was lifted from Fr. Robert Barron, a priest whom I respect and admire a great deal (after all, the good borrow, the great steal). Find more of his (better) homilies here. You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes by clicking here.

Here are some passages from the Catechism related to our incorporation into Christ the priest, prophet and king:

CCC 783
Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them.
CCC 1241
The anointing with sacred chrism, perfumed oil consecrated by the bishop, signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, who has become a Christian, that is, one "anointed" by the Holy Spirit, incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king.
CCC 1546
Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood."

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God


The title of Mary as Mother of God proclaims clearly that the One to whom she gave birth truly is God. In fact, He is one Divine person who is both fully God and fully Man. The feast day is a clear example of how devotion to Mary actually helps us to know and love her Son better. True devotion to Mary never takes away from our relationship with Jesus Christ, but protects and even fosters it.

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Resources from the Catechism
On Nestorianism (click here)
On Mary as the Theotokos (Mother of God) (click here)

From the Catholic Encyclopedia entry for the "Blessed Virgin Mary"
Mary's Divine motherhood is based on the teaching of the Gospels, on the writings of the Fathers, and on the express definition of the Church. St. Matthew (1:25) testifies that Mary "brought forth her first-born son" and that He was called Jesus. According to St. John (1:15) Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Word Who assumed human nature in the womb of Mary. As Mary was truly the mother of Jesus, and as Jesus was truly God from the first moment of His conception, Mary is truly the mother of God. Even the earliest Fathers did not hesitate to draw this conclusion as may be seen in the writings of St. Ignatius, St. Irenaeus, and Tertullian. The contention of Nestorius denying to Mary the title "Mother of God" was followed by the teaching of the Council of Ephesus proclaiming Mary to be Theotokos in the true sense of the word.

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family


We see that each member of the Holy Family puts God's will first in His or her life, and that God chose to come into the world through the Holy Family. It is important more than ever that members of Catholic Christian families also put God's will first in their lives today so that God can continue to come into our world through holy families.

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Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King


It is fitting that today's Solemnity marks the close of the Year of Faith. Has this year of grace helped expand the Kingdom of God in our own lives? How have we helped expand the Kingdom of God through our efforts to make disciples of all nations? How many disciples have you made this past year?

Homily for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time


We aren't dualists. What we do with our bodies matters because we are a union of body and soul, and God plans on redeeming the human person, body and soul, in the resurrection of the dead. (Sorry folks, this one's a little long).

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time


Are you the pharisee, or the tax collector? Are you convinced that you are ok, and don't need to ask God for forgiveness? Or are you aware that it is God who saves you, and tell Him that by going to Confession?

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time


There is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5), so why do you Catholics have so many other mediators? Why do you pray to the angels and saints? Why don't you just go straight to Jesus, the mediator?

I Heard Him Talk about it in a Homily...

1 Timothy 2:1-6
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all.
Revelation 5:8
When [the Lamb] had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.
Revelation 8:3-4
Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the holy ones on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the holy ones, rose before God from the hand of the angel.
Other passages worth checking out:
Colossians 4:3 & 1 Thessalonians 5:25 - "pray for us"
2 Thessalonians 1:11 - "we always pray for you"
2 Thessalonians 3:1 - "finally brothers, pray for us"
Ephesians 6:18-19 - "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel"
Tobit 12:12 - the angel presents Tobit and Sarah's prayer to God
Also check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Topic
CCC 618 - Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.
CCC 970 - Mary's mediation
CCC 1349 - We even intercede for others at Mass in the General Intercessions
CCC 2636 - The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries
Finally, check out what St. Thomas Aquinas said about the topic (Summa Theologiae III, 26, 1)
A mediator brings together those who are separated: for extremes are united at a midpoint. Now to unite men to God perfectively belongs to Christ, through Whom men are reconciled to God. And, consequently, Christ alone is the perfect Mediator of God and men, inasmuch as, by His death, He reconciled the human race to God. Hence the Apostle Paul, after saying, "Mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus," added, "Who gave Himself a redemption for all." However, nothing hinders others from being called mediators inasmuch as they cooperate in uniting men with God by directing their way or by ministerial actions.