Listen to the homily here.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Parish Bulletin Article: "Verses in the Bible": 7-26-20
This past two weeks we have heard a clear proclamation from the prophet, Isaiah, and Jesus Christ. Both reminded the culture back then and now, that we must have ears to hear, and eyes to see. Sadly, many people do not hear or see the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, I wanted to type some verses from the Scriptures that may really support your journey towards heaven. Enjoy!
· Micah 6:8: “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
· Proverbs: 27: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
· Sirach 6:14-17: “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.”
· Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
· Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
· Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
· Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”
Always hear, with your ears, as you listen to the readings at Mass. And see, as you use your eyes to see the Scriptures.
The best news (pun intended) is in the BIBLE!
God Bless!
We need Understanding Hearts and Right versus Wrong: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Triathlons
· Swimming in tough water
o Even in calm water—zig-zags vs. straight lines
o Large waves—where am I going?
o Bumping each other like minnows in a bucket
o Where’s the buoy?
o Get me out of this swim!
o Another image for me right now
Here is a great conversation between God and Solomon—the son of King David:
· “The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
· Pause…
· Take your name instead of Solomon…imagine this dream at night and God said the same question: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
o As typically we ought to ask God for prayers—intercessions
o NUANCE: But again, what if He asks YOU?
How would you answer…not a genie, but God?
· A long life? Health?
· Riches?
· Life of our enemies?
· Power?
· Fame?
· Popular?
· Possessions?
· “I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.”
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.”
Solomon’s answer was understanding
· Isn’t that a key of life? Or, as we say throughout our history, the virtue of prudence/wisdom?
I think that virtue is crucial today.
· What about some upside-down situations today?
· Again, Covid-19?
o School that is quickly coming?
o No sports on TV?
o No movies in Holywood popping out?
o Carazy news?—right from wrong?
o Protocols?
I hope that we may what pray for these virtues—an understanding heart, wisdom, prudence, a map no matter what situation we are in
· And the beauty is that this question from God is a question to help us on our journey
· At the same time He is the one to follow
· And the closer we are with Him, we must be with Him
· And when we are feeling distance from God, this is how we can see His will
Spiritual War with the Wheat and the Weeds: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
The spiritual war
· Recently I have mentioned the City of God vs. the City of Man
· Or our parable this weekend, again with seeds, but with the enemy
o “The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.”
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.”
§ Wheat and tares…wheat and weeds
· Welcome to humanity!
So there we have, with the good fruit, and the bad fruit, the team with God, and the team with Satan
Yet we have more when we are with God
· For instance
o Wisdom: “But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;”
and with much lenience you govern us;”
o “Lord, you are good and forgiveness…”
o And in a special way during this time is that the Holy Spirit will even give us power without speaking:
§ “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”
And at the end of our lives, God is the Judge
· And we ought to listen to the response to this parable with reality:
o “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Seeds and Sower, Ears and Eyes: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We heard several times today about seeds
· In Isaiah
o “…till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows…”
· Responsorial Psalm
o “The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest”
· Gospel according to Matthew
o The sower that sowed on different ground, and the most important to be on rich soil
Each of these are the seeds of God’s Word
So today, I want to speak about this deeper, even beyond the prophetic and Jesus parable…why?
· Jesus challenged his disciples against a secular (or back then, a pagan culture):
o “‘You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’”
I mean, how often is the Scriptures in our public venue today?
· And dare would I also add that we do have citizens that are pagan, heretics, polytheism, atheism, communism, socialism, capitalism, scientism, when God is left alone
· Have you ever read, prayed, or listened to God’s Word every day? Do you hear or see how God’s Word does affect in our society?
· Or, do you remember how often our presidents normally used the Scriptures in their talks (like Abraham Lincoln emancipation of slavery?) Or Marten Luther King, seeking peace and justice? Or our Astronauts orbiting around the moon by reading Genesis 1? Or our public venue with the 10 commandments, on our money, on statutes?
Sadly, many, many people do not hear or see the best news, the most important news, even though that our Bible is not written with our 2020 data.
Please read that Bible and you’re learn a lot, and grow closer to our savior!
Parish Bulletin Article: "Last Six Months with Chaos": 7-12-20
Can you believe that I will be concluding the sixth year at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban and begin the seventh? Wow!
Each year, you may remember that I offer some of my perspective, gratitude, or some updates the last six months for you.
We have had some blessed gifts earlier in 2020, like our UCA goals, students at school, a new teacher, the selling of another building, serving, and beyond. Yet I will never forget these last several months and in the future with many of you.
Covid-19. Period.
A perfect storm after the death of George Floyd.
I mean, we experienced the first time in world history, that most everything was closed: schools, sports, businesses, hotels, airplanes, churches, and the hardest for me: Mass.
We have also faced changes in many levels after bad decisions in our country, especially with our brothers and sisters as American Indians, African Americans, Hispanics, and more. At the same time, we continue to see chaos, polarization, and political agendas.
What do we do for the next six months from my perspective?
First, I believe that each of us has individual responsibilities, and each of us is sinners. We must seek God's forgiveness and seek His mercy. If we receive that gift from God, we must do the same to others.
Second, I believe about a crucial verse: "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). We ought to learn not only real history but also the TRUTH of God's Word in the Scriptures. Pick up that book and read it!
Finally, we must know that God IS LOVE. Follow Him. Listen to Him. Come to His Mass and His sacraments.
To my family, work and pray for our neighbors, and St. Teresa of Avila once said, "We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us."
God Bless, and may we continue to pray with each other.
Independent Weekend vs. Chaos: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Happy Independence Day!
Once again, what perfect readings from God and the connection between this weekend in the Liturgy as well as the weekend in our Country
And during this weekend, I’ll simply begin with Covid-19, and chaos as while we must learn, listen and discern how God has called us to do in our lives, we also need time to rest, celebrate, and worship, especially at MASS
Zechariah:
· “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.”
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.”
· “His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
· (Jesus would go into Jerusalem to offer his life for us…)
Gospel in Matthew 11:
· “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Jesus Christ gives us love as he is love. He has given us blessings, grace and mercy around the world. And∑ He is THE person to show us all levels of our lives…to serve him well and take time for rest. Both the above are like marathons, but even longer for our entire lives on earth.
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