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I still remember the first homily I ever preached as a new deacon. It was at the seminary, and the Gospel was this one: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37-38) Standing before more than 200 classmates and professors, I stumbled awkwardly through my words and realized how strange — almost insane …

Jean Améry, a Holocaust survivor tortured by the Nazis, later wrote about the abyss of human evil. He described his reaction as an “indignant despair.” Haven’t we all, to some degree, felt that abyss opened beneath us? A sudden loss, a violent headline, a moment of loneliness or panic, when the world feels fragile and meaning seems to collapse? It is …

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is the revelation of God’s tremendous, excessive, extravagant, infinite love. It is God’s initiative, the invasion of grace. It points to the Cross, the supreme act of Jesus’ total self giving love. It reveals that we are completely loved by God and we belong to the God of eternal …

The Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our Christian faith and life. It is not a puzzle to solve but a mystery in which we are invited to worship, adore and believe. God has revealed Himself to us so that we know Him, love Him and live in communion with Him. It is the initiative of God. We believe …

Pentecost is the birthday of the Church because it marks the start of the Church’s public mission to spread the Gospel, to continue the work of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. It comes from the Greek word, pentekoste which means fiftieth or fifty. It is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday. For the Jews it is the …

The Ascension of the Lord means empowerment, fulfillment and gain. It does not mean abandonment. It is mission accomplished because Jesus completed the work of our redemption. He fulfilled the work of new creation. It is a celebration of victory. Life triumphs over death. Love triumphs over hatred. He defeated evil, sin and death forever. Ascension points to our final …

In the Gospel of John (14:1-12), the Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure. This is His farewell discourse calling His disciples to total faith, confidence and trust in  Him. He said that in His Father’s house there are many dwelling places and He is going to prepare a place for them so that they are always with Him. Thomas …

In the Gospel of John (10:1-10), Jesus uses two metaphors for Himself. He said, “I am the Good Shepherd and I am the Gate!” He uses these two images to reveal His true identity. The I am sayings in the gospel of John point to the name of God revealed to Moses in the burning bush. Jesus uses the name …

The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is themasterpiece of Luke (24:13-35). It is one of the most beautiful of the Resurrection appearance stories in the New Testament. It contains all the ingredients of Christian life. It points to the two major parts of the Holy Mass: the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of …