Homily - 1C Advent, Sunday homily (01 December 2024) Be vigilant at all times

 

1C ADVENT, SUNDAY HOMILY, LUKE 21:25-28, 34-36 December 1, 2024

1. STORY

One lovely morning a bus was taking 60 children, ages four to six, on a picnic.  As the bus was approaching a railroad crossing, the bus driver saw that the railroad gate was open so he proceeded to cross the railroad tracks.  Just at that very moment, a high-speed train came passing by.  The result was 49 deaths and 18 injuries.  How did this terrible accident occur?  The railway signal operator was asleep.  He failed in his duty.  He failed to close the safety gate.  He was not vigilant.

 

2. GOSPEL, LUKE 21:25-28, 34-36

A. WE MUST BE VIGILANT AT ALL TIMES

There are two reasons to be vigilant. 

i) “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy by the anxieties of daily life”.  Many people are so busy that they must be reminded to be vigilant. 

ii) When Jesus comes at the end of time, “We must stand erect and raise our heads because our redemption is at hand.”  Jesus will come to judge us so we must be ready for this great event.

 

B. WE MUST PRAY

We must pray for two reasons.

i) We must have strength to resist the temptations that will attack us at the end of time. 

ii) We must be ready to stand before Jesus when he comes to judge us.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus.  One way to prepare for Christmas is to send Christmas cards, buy gifts for family and friends, put up a Christmas tree, go to eat delicious food, or even set out on a trip.  These are all good and enjoyable activities, but we must remember we are celebrating the birthday of Jesus.  We are not celebrating our birthday.  There is another way to celebrate this great feast.

B. PREPARING FOR THE COMING OF JESUS

Here are three suggestions to prepare for the coming of Jesus. 

i) Put up a CRIB in your home.  It will remind you that Jesus is the center of Christmas.  It will help members of your family better understand the meaning of Christmas. 

ii) Make an effort to make a good CONFESSION during Advent, thus preparing our hearts to welcome Jesus. 

iii) Invite a friend or family member to GO TO MASS with you during this Christmas season.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The railroad worker was not doing his job, he was not vigilant.  This caused a serious accident resulting in the death of many innocent children.  Jesus warns us to be vigilant so that we will be prepared for his coming at the end of time and at Christmas.  Advent is a time to prepare for the great feast of Christmas.  We can put up a crib in our homes, make a good confession during Advent, and invite a friend to go with you to Mass at Christmas.  We thank Jesus for his instruction and ask him for the strength to make good use of Advent.

Homily - 34B Sunday homily (24 November 2024) Christ the King (B)

 

SUNDAY HOMILY, JOHN 18:33-37, November 24, 2024

1. STORY

Once a great king decided to share all his wealth with his subjects.  He placed his treasures in front of his castle and placed his throne at the center.  He invited his subjects to choose whatever was there, reminding them to choose carefully.  A wise elderly woman asked the king if she could really choose anything.  He answered yes.  The woman then said she chose the king.  The king told her she had chosen wisely saying, “Because you chose me, all my kingdom will be yours as well.”  We chose Christ as our King.

 

2. GOSPEL, JOHN 18:33-37

A. ARE YOU A KING?

Pilate did not know if Jesus was a king.  Jesus had no crown, no castle, no army, and no royal clothes.  There are many who do not know that Christ is the King of kings. 

B. CHRIST IS A KING

Jesus is a King.  He is not king of a particular country but is king of the whole universe.  He is king of kings.  He came to save us.  He came to teach us the truth which is to teach us about God.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. JESUS IS OUR KING

i) Jesus LOVES us.  Jesus created us to live a happy life.  When we sinned, he did not abandon us but was merciful.  He came from heaven to save us by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.  He has prepared eternal life for us.

ii) Jesus CARES for us.  He provides us with a family, the Catholic Church, to care for us on our journey in life.  At Mass, through his word, he teaches us how to live a happy life.  He gives us the Eucharist as spiritual food for our journey.  When we sin, he forgives us when we go to confession.  We must be thankful for his love and care. 

B. WE MUST SERVE JESUS

i) We serve Jesus by our obedience.  Jesus has given us instructions on how to live.  He told us to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves.  By living in his way, we are serving Jesus.

ii) We serve Jesus by HELPING others.  We help others by praying for them, by being kind in our speech, by forgiving them if they have offended us, by patiently listening to their problems, by calling them if they are lonely, by visiting them if they are sick, by sharing some of our wealth if they are poor, and in so many ways.  God has blessed us, and we must share our blessings with others.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The wise elderly woman chose Jesus as her most precious treasure.  She chose the King of kings.  Pilate was not sure if Jesus was a king.  Jesus replied that he was a king but not of this world.  He is king of the whole universe.  He is the king of kings.  Jesus loves us and cares for us.  We are his servants, his disciples.  We must love Jesus and show this love by helping others.  We thank Jesus for his instruction.  We ask Jesus to make us his faithful servants, his dedicated disciples.

Homily - 33B Sunday homily (17 November 2024) He will gather his elect

 

33B, SUNDAY HOMILY, NOVEMBER 17, 2024, MARK 13:24-32 

1. STORY

John, an architect who worked for a large company for many years, was given a plan for a special house to be built in a lovely section of the city.  He was told to use the best materials and the best workers and not to worry about the expense.  This would be the last house he would work on before his retirement.  As the work progressed, he thought no one would know if he used inferior material or inferior workers.  He could keep the money saved for himself.  He substituted inferior material and hired inferior labor and pocketed the difference.

When the house was completed, the boss had a special celebration for all involved in the construction.  At this celebration, the boss amazed John by presenting him with the keys to the house saying, “We give you this house as a token of the high esteem we have for your many years of faithful service.”  John deeply regretted not doing his best in building the house.  He learned the importance of doing the best we can in this life.

 

2. GOSPEL, MARK 13:24-32

A. HE WILL GATHER HIS ELECT

i) Who are the elect?  Through baptism we are the elect, the chosen ones.  Jesus expects us to serve him to the best of our ability.

ii) Why are we being gathered together?  We are being gathered to be led into heaven to receive our eternal reward, eternal life. 

B. NO ONE KNOWS THAT DAY

We do not know when this will happen.  Jesus wants us to be always ready, always prepared, and always doing our best in life as we await this great event in our lives.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. LIVE AS A SPECIAL FRIEND OF JESUS

Here are some suggestions as how to live as elect, the special friends of Jesus. 

i) PRAYER

We must pray daily thanking God for his blessings and asking for his help to do his will. 

ii) KEEP LEARNING

Through bible reading, we should deepen our understanding of Jesus so as to imitate him. 

iii) HELP OTHERS

Just as Jesus went about helping others, we must also follow his example of helping others. 

B. BE ALWAYS READY

i) There is no set time or day when this will happen. We are only sure it will happen.

ii) We must be always ready for this great meeting.  We do this by daily living a life as friends of Jesus.

 

4. CONCLUSION

John was not aware that the house he was building was going to be his house.  If he knew this, he would have used the best material and best workers.  He would do the best he could and not cheat his company and, of course, ultimately cheat himself.  Jesus tells us that we are his elect, and he expects us to live as his faithful followers.  He will come to lead us to heaven, our eternal reward.  We have not been told when this will happen, so we must be ready at all times for the coming of Jesus.  We thank Jesus for alerting us to this important event in our lives.  We ask Jesus to daily give us strength to do our best in serving him on earth.  We ask Jesus to keep us alert to his coming.

Homily - 32B Sunday homily (10 November 2024) The Generous Widow

 

32B, SUDAY HOMILY, MARK 12:38-44, NOVEMBER 10, 2024 

1. STORY

A poor worker grew a large red carrot in his small garden.  He thought that because it was so beautiful he should give it to the king.  The king was very delighted to receive it.  To show his gratitude, he gave the poor worker three pieces of gold, a most generous gift.  Upon hearing this, a greedy merchant decided he would also give the king a gift hoping he would be generously rewarded.  He went to the palace with his precious gift, a cow.  The king saw this greedy person and refused the gift.  However, the merchant insisted that the king accept his gift.  In order not to offend the merchant, the king accepted the gift and told the merchant that to show his gratitude he would give him a gift worth three pieces of gold.  Naturally the merchant was delighted.  The king gave the greedy merchant the beautiful carrot.  The merchant was both surprised and greatly disappointed. 

 

2. GOSPEL, MARK 12:38-44

A. THE GREEDY SCRIBES

Jesus observed the conduct of the greedy scribes or lawyers.  He said, “They devour the houses of widows and they will receive a severe condemnation.”

B. THE POOR WIDOW

Jesus saw a poor but generous widow.  As she entered the temple, she donated “two small coins worthy a few cents.”  Jesus praised her generosity as “She had contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. THE GREEDY PERSON

i) The greedy person is one who is never satisfied with what he has.  He always wants more.  It could be more money, more food, more clothing, or more gadgets.  These will not bring him more happiness.

ii) The greedy person thinks only of himself with little or no concern for others.  He does not share some of his wealth to help the needy.  He does not realize that in bringing happiness to others, he, too, will be happy.

B. THE GENEROUS PERSON

i) The generous person thanks God for his blessings.  He realizes that God is the source of his wealth though it be large or small.  He is satisfied with what he has. 

ii) The generous person shares his wealth to help others.  He knows that in bringing happiness to others, he will be blessed with happiness.  In our parish we can help others by supporting the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The king generously rewarded the poor worker for his generosity.  The king taught the greedy merchant an important lesson.  Do not be greedy.  Jesus praises the generous widow and criticizes the greedy scribes.  The greedy person does not help the needy with his wealth.  The generous person does help the needy with his possessions.  We can help in our parish by supporting the St. Vincent de Paul Society.  We thank God for the wealth he has given us.  We ask for the strength to use our wealth to help those in need.