Homily - 30C Sunday Homily (October 23, 2022) Be humble

 

TOPIC: BE HUMBLE
30C Sunday Homily, Luke 18:9-14, October 23, 2022

1) STORY
There was a beautiful apple tree which was very proud of its apples and leaves.  One day a humble little woodpecker flew to the tree and heard a buzzing sound.  After listening carefully, it discovered that there were bugs inside the trunk and decided to help the apple tree.  It then made a hole in the trunk of the tree and ate the bugs.  The proud apple tree became very angry and told the woodpecker never to return as it only welcomed beautiful birds.  Thus, the woodpecker never returned.  Eventually the bugs returned and ate the inside of the hollow trunk, but the tree paid no attention to this.  One day a strong wind knocked down the apple tree because the bugs destroyed it by eating away at it.  The proud apple tree learned too late that it needed the help of the humble woodpecker to stay strong.

2) GOSPEL, Luke 18:9-14
A) THE PROUD PHARISEE
The first act the Pharisee did was to criticize others by saying he was not like the rest of humanity: greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like the tax collector.  The second was that he praised himself saying he fasted twice a week and paid tithes on his income.

B) THE HUMBLE TAX COLLECTOR
The first act of the tax collector was to admit that he was a sinner. The second was that he asked God to be merciful to him.  “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  Jesus tells us that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) The humble person understands that all good things come from God. Only with God’s help are we able to walk, talk, hear, work and think. Without God’s help, we are helpless.

B) The humble person knows that he/she has virtues and vices, has good points and bad points, has strengths and weaknesses and is both a saint and a sinner.  This person always asks for God’s mercy and for his help to improve.

4) CONCLUSION
Just as the apple tree needed the help of the woodpecker so, too, do we need God’s help.  We, like the humble tax collector, understand the need for God’s mercy, forgiveness and help.

 

Simple explanation of the mass (Chinese)

 

Simple explanation of the mass (English)

 

Homily - 29C Sunday Homily (October 16, 2022) Perseverance in prayer

 

TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER

29C Sunday Homily, Luke 18:1-8, October 16, 2022

1) STORY

A group of friends who enjoyed mountain climbing decided to climb to the top of a nearby mountain.  They started early in the morning and at noon reached halfway and decided to rest before continuing to climb to the peak.  As they were enjoying this break, several said that they were very tired and decided to return home.  Several enjoyed the quiet and beauty of the spot so much that they decided to stay there rather than continuing the climb. The remaining members decided to continue to climb the peak as they had planned.  In life, some start toward a goal but soon quit. Some get half way to a goal and give up.  Finally, there are some who persevere and reach their goal.

2) GOSPEL, LUKE 18:1-8

A) THE UNJUST JUDGE

The judge neither feared God nor respected any human being including the poor widow who was asking for justice.

B) THE POOR WIDOW

She needed the judge’s help to get justice which was her due.  She had the power of perseverance and finally received justice because she kept pleading to the judge until he finally helped her.

 

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) GOD

God is our loving father who cares for us and knows what is best for us. He is the opposite of the judge.

B) PRAY

In the Our Father, Jesus teaches us to ask God for our daily bread and teaches us to ask for our material needs.  When Jesus teaches us to ask God for the forgiveness of our sins, he teaches us to ask for spiritual blessings.  We must follow the good example of the poor widow who had great perseverance.   We must not set a time limit when we ask God for help.   He listens to us and will always help us in his way.

4) CONCLUSION

In the story there were three types of persons.  Those with no perseverance, those with some perseverance, and those with great perseverance.  In the gospel the widow, through her great perseverance, achieved her goal.  We must persevere in our prayers as God is our loving father who will always help us in his way.

 

Homily - 28C Sunday Homily (October 09, 2022) Be thankful

 

TOPIC: BE THANKFUL

28 C Sunday Homily, Luke 17:11-19, October 09, 2022

1) STORY

John died and went to heaven where he was greeted by St. Peter who then gave him a tour of heaven.  Peter showed him a large room divided into three sections where angels were working.  Peter explained that the first section was the receiving section where prayer requests from earth were received.  There were many angels working on these requests.  The second section was the packaging and delivery section where many angels were busy sending blessings to earth.  The third section was the thank you section where people sent God their thanks for blessings received.  There was only one angel working there with very little to do. Peter said many are blessed but few thank God for his blessings.

 

2) GOSPEL, Luke 17:11-19

A) Ten lepers asked to be cured and Jesus cured them all.  This had a profound effect on their lives.

B) Only one of the ten came back to thank Jesus for his curing them.

 

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) Just as the lepers were blessed with good health, we are also blessed by God. 

i) We have material blessings such as food to eat, water to drink, a place to sleep, the ability to walk, to talk, to see and to hear.

ii) We have spiritual blessings.  We know Jesus and love Jesus, we hear the word of God, we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, and we have our sins forgiven.

 

B) We must thank God:

i) Every day we say “Thank you Lord for your blessings.”

ii) We should attend Mass which is the great act of thanksgiving.

iii) We share our blessings with those in need.  This is how we thank God.

 

4) CONCLUSION

In this story, many asked God for help and received their requests but few thanked him.  Jesus cured ten lepers and only one returned with thanks. We receive many blessings from God and must be sure to show our gratitude by thanking him.

Homily - 27C Sunday Homily (October 02, 2022) Increase your faith

 

TOPIC: INCREASE YOUR FAITH
27C Sunday Homily, Luke 17:5-10, October 2, 2022

1) STORY
John, a poor village boy, had to cross a forest each day to get to his school in the neighboring village.  He asked his mother if she could hire a servant to accompany him to school.  Being too poor to do this, she suggested he ask his guardian angel for help.  John was delighted when his guardian angel agreed to go with him.  It was the school’s custom to give the teacher a gift. John asked his mother for a gift, and she suggested he ask his guardian angel for help and was given a gift of a jug of fresh milk.  The teacher was grateful but very surprised when he poured out the jug of milk.  The teacher asked John where this gift came from, and John said it came from his guardian angel. When his teacher asked to meet this angel, John was very happy. Going into the forest, John called out to the guardian angel many times but there was no response.  The teacher then suspected John was lying.  John was deeply upset.  He cried out one last time and the answer came to John. T he guardian angel said, “Son, I cannot come until the day your teacher has your purity of heart and your simple childlike faith.”  John was able to see with the eyes of faith what the teacher was not able to see.


2) GOSPEL, Luke 17:5-10
A) Faith gives us the power to see what the non-believer cannot see.

B) Just as a plant can grow, so too can our faith grow.

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) With the eyes of faith, we believe there is a God who exists and loves us.  We believe Jesus is the Son of God who came to save us and give us eternal life by dying on the cross.  We believe that God gave us the Ten Commandments as a guide to live in this world.  We believe the Bible is the word of God and that Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist.

B) Just as a plant can grow with the help of the sun and water, so can our faith grow by prayer, reading the Bible, and receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.

4) CONCLUSION
Just as John could see with the eyes of faith what others could not see, so we can see with our eyes of faith what the non-believer cannot see.  We thank God for this great gift and ask him to continue to increase our faith.  We ask for the strength to pray, read the Bible, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

Homily - 25C Sunday Homily (September 25, 2022) Be generous

 

TOPIC: BE GENEROUS

26C Sunday Homily, Luke 16:19-31, September 25, 2022 

1) STORY

A boat crowded with passengers was crossing a river when it struck a rock and began to sink.  The lifeboats could hold only half of the passengers, so the others were forced to jump into the river and swim to shore.  There was one man on deck, a thief, who stole gold which belonged to the many gold miners returning home and hid it in his luggage.  Satisfied that he had enough gold with him, he jumped into the river planning to swim to shore.  He sank like a rock and drowned. When his body was recovered, even his pockets were filled with gold that he had stolen.  His greed was the cause of his death.

2) GOSPEL, Luke 16:19-31

A) In the parable, the rich man had fine clothes, good food, a beautiful home, and a comfortable life.  He thought only of himself, totally ignoring poor Lazarus.  The rich man’s selfishness resulted in his eternal suffering.

B) Lazarus was poor, hungry, and sick but received no help from the rich man.  After his death, he enjoyed eternal happiness.

 

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) Our wealth included many things.

i. It includes money, time, talents, and experience.

ii. Wealth can help us or hurt us just as a knife or fire can help or hurt us. It can make us generous or selfish.

iii. We must make prudent use of our wealth as it will influence our future.

B) There are many poor and needy persons in the world.   They may have no money, food, home, or work.  They may have no happiness, peace, or purpose in life.  We must help them with the blessings God has given us.  We must be generous.

 

4) CONCLUSION 

Selfishness caused the greedy passenger, the thief, to steal gold but lose his life.  Selfishness caused the rich man to neglect poor Lazarus resulting in the rich man’s suffering.  We must prudently use the wealth that God has given us for ourselves and for others especially those in need.  We must not be selfish.  We must be generous.

 

Homily - 25C Sunday Homily (September 18, 2022) Serve one master

 

Topic: SERVE ONE MASTER
25C Sunday Homily, Luke16:10-13, September 18, 2022

1) STORY
John was on his way home when he heard a voice asking if he would like seven jars of gold.  He saw no one, but his greed was aroused and he answered yes.  The voice told him to go home where he would find the gold.  Sure enough, there were seven jars of gold all full except one which was only half full; but he was not happy until all the jars were full.  He sold all the jewelry he had and put the gold in the jar, yet it still was not full.  He skimped and starved himself and his family for more gold and went out begging for money.  He even asked the king for a raise in salary which was then doubled.  Yet the jar was still half empty.  The king noticed that John was miserable and near starvation and asked him what was wrong.  He noted that previously John was happy and content with his former salary; but now that it was doubled, he was worn out and dejected.  The king then asked John if he had seven jars of gold at home.  John was astonished that the king knew this and asked how he knew about the gold.  The king smiled and answered that he, too, was offered the gold only to reject the offer as the gold could only be hoarded and not used.  The king urged John to return the gold, which he did.  Only then was John happy again, as he learned that unhappiness comes when money is our master.

2) GOSPEL, LUKE 16:10-13
A) Jesus tells us we cannot serve both God and mammon (money).  To serve God means to love God, love your neighbor (others), love yourself, and work for a living.

B) To love mammon (money) is to work and live only to increase one’s wealth while forgetting about God, others, and self.

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) We love God by doing the following four things:

i. Spending time in prayer, going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist and other sacraments.

ii. Caring for our family, relatives, friends, and the needy according to our ability.

iii. Caring for our health by eating properly, getting enough rest, and exercising when possible.

iv. Being a responsible and cooperative worker.  This is what it means to serve one master, God.

B) When our master is money, we live for wealth and forget God, neighbor, and self.  Greed blinds us and we cannot attain happiness, joy and peace.

4) CONCLUSION
We are wise when God is our one master, as only He brings us peace, joy and happiness.

 

Homily - 24C Sunday Homily (September 11, 2022) Lost and found

 

TOPIC: LOST AND FOUND
24C Sunday Homily, Luke 15:1-10, September 11, 2022

1) STORY
John, a violinist, was on his way home via ferry with his valuable US$300,000 violin when he fell asleep.  He woke up and to his great surprise discovered that his violin was lost.  He became very worried wondering if he would ever find it.  After ten days, through the hard work of the police, it was found and returned to a very happy John. What was lost had been found.

2) GOSPEL: Luke 15:1-10
A) A shepherd lost one of his 100 sheep.  He knew that this sheep was in great danger, had no water or food, and had no way to find his way back to safety.  So, he went in search of his lost sheep. He was very sad over this incident.

B) After searching, he finally found the sheep and returned home carrying the sheep on his shoulder.  He was so happy that he had a celebration with his friends.  What was lost had been found.

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) Today’s lost sheep are those separated from Jesus, the good shepherd. Some have left him after baptism and some have never known him.  They have no spiritual guide, they have no spiritual food, and they have no spiritual security against the many temptations and trials in life.

B) When one finds Jesus, he finds his caring and loving elder brother. He finds spiritual food in the Eucharist and in prayer.  He finds a guide who will lead him to joy, happiness, peace and eternal life.  He who was lost has been found by Jesus.  We must help Jesus find those who have left him or have never known him.  We do this in three ways: by praying for them, by giving good example by our lives, and finally by inviting them back to the church or inviting them to know Christ by studying for baptism.

4) CONCLUSION
To lose something valuable as a violin is sad, but there is no comparison to losing a person.  Finding the violin brought joy to the owner.  Finding a lost person brings great joy to Jesus.  Let us help the good shepherd find the lost sheep.

 

Homily - 23C Sunday Homily (September 04, 2022) Christ is number one

 

TOPIC: CHRIST IS NUMBER ONE

23C Sunday Homily, Luke 14:25-43, September 4, 2022

1) STORY

There was a famous football player who always wore a gold medal with these four words: I AM NUMBER THREE.  When asked what the words meant, he said that in his life God is number one, his family is number two, and he is number three.  He always tried to live his life with this motto in mind.

 

2) GOSPEL 

A) Jesus tells us to become his follower, his disciple.  We must be willing to leave our families though we continue to love them.  We must be willing to leave them in order to follow Christ.

 

B) To follow Jesus, we must be willing to carry our cross.  This means we must be willing to do difficult things for Jesus.  “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

 

3) APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) For different reasons, many people leave their families.  For example, when a couple marries, they will normally leave home.  On finding a new job, a person may have to leave home.  When a person becomes a priest, brother, or sister, they leave home.  They love their family even though they must leave them.  This is the same for the person who follows Jesus.

 

B) To carry one’s cross means to be willing to do difficult things for Jesus, thereby imitating him.  We try to imitate Jesus with our head, heart and hands.  By learning more and accepting his teachings to love God, neighbor and self, we imitate Jesus in our heads.  By seeing the good qualities in others despite their short comings, we imitate Jesus in our hearts.  By giving our time and effort to those in need, we imitate Jesus with our hands.

 

4) CONCLUSION 

Just as the football player tried to make Jesus number one in his life, we must try to make Jesus number one in our lives if we wish to be his disciple. 

We do this by imitating him in our heads, hearts and with our hands. The more effort we make in becoming disciples, the more Jesus will bless us with his peace, joy and happiness.