14A Sunday homily (05 July 2026) Be gentle toward others

 

14A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 11: 25-30, JULY 5, 2026

By Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM

 

1. STORY

The sun and wind had a dispute over which of the two was stronger.   One day an opportunity arose to settle the dispute.  A person dressed in a coat was walking down a country road.  The sun said to the wind that the one who could make the person remove the coat faster would be the winner.  The wind went first.  He blew and blew, but the more he blew, the tighter the person held on to the coat.  Finally, exhausted, the wind gave up.  Then the sun took over.  It merely shone on the person and within minutes, the person took off the coat.  The moral of the story is you can achieve more by gentleness than by violence.

 

2. GOSPEL, MATTHEW 11: 25-30

A) LEARN FROM ME

Jesus is our great teacher who taught us by his words.  He taught us forgiveness in the story of the prodigal son.  He taught us about how some people need extra help by the story of the Good Shepherd.  He taught us to help others by the story of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus taught us by his work.  He cared for the needy, the lame, the blind, the hungry and the sick.  He comforted those in sorrow and forgave the sinners. 

B) I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE OF HEART

Jesus was gentle. 

i) He was understanding when dealing with the problems and difficulties of others.

ii) He was forgiving and not critical of those who were sinners.

iii) He helped people become better.  Jesus was humble as he always obeyed his Father's will.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) LEARN FROM JESUS 

i) Many people teach us by their words and actions such as our parents, relatives, friends, and school teachers.  We are taught by what we read as from newspapers, magazines, what we watch on TV and the computer, and what we hear on the radio.

ii) We must remember that our great teacher is Jesus.  He teaches us when we attend Mass, read the bible, and other spiritual books.  He teaches us through our Pope, bishop and priests.  He teaches us through our parents and good friends.

B) BE GENTLE TOWARD OTHERS

We are gentle toward others by our words:

i) When we use kind, forgiving, encouraging, and supportive words.

ii) When we avoid using nasty, harsh, and hurtful words.

When we are gentle toward others by works:

i) When we help those in need by using our time and money to make life a bit easier for them.

ii) When we give our time to listen to people, to make a phone call showing our concern, and to visit the sick in the hospitals.

 

4) CONCLUSION 

Just as the warm sun was stronger than the powerful wind, so too was Jesus powerful as he treated people by his word and actions and taught us to treat others by our words and actions in a gentle way.  We follow Jesus' good example by using kind and encouraging words and by treating people with care and respect.

 

13A Sunday homily (28 June 2026) Choose Jesus

 

13A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 10:37-44 June 28, 2026

1. STORY

Three-year-old Mary's uncle asked her to choose a gift on her birthday.  He offered her a choice to select one of two ten-dollar bills.  She noticed one was bigger than the other and was about to select the larger one when she paused and asked her mother for help.  Her mother told her to select the smaller one which she did.  Her mother than explained to her that the smaller one was a US ten-dollar bill worth much more that the larger one which was a Hong Kong one.  Mary made the right choice.

 

2. GOSPEL, MATTHEW 10:37-44

A) CHOOSE JESUS

Jesus told his apostles that he was more important than anyone else including the members of his family.  They must be willing to leave them in order to follow him.

B) WELCOME THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS

Jesus tells us that when a disciple of Jesus is welcomed by anyone, it is the same as welcoming Jesus himself and one will be rewarded by Jesus for such a welcome.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A) WHY WE SHOULD CHOOSE JESUS

We should choose Jesus for two reasons:

i) Jesus will remind us that it is our duty to love our parents and family members.  He will remind us of the importance of the fourth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." 

ii) Jesus will give us the strength to carry out this command.  Though we may be burdened with many other responsibilities such as caring for one’s own family, or working long hours, Jesus will help as we pray, hear his Word and by receiving the Eucharist.

B) HOW TO WELCOME THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS

We welcome Jesus' disciples in two ways: 

i) When we welcome a priest, a nun or a Catholic we welcome Jesus. 

ii) When we help a needy person, we welcome Jesus.  He also tells us that by doing this we will be rewarded because we are following his example.  He will bring us peace, joy and happiness.

 

4. CONCLUSION

In the story Mary was able to make the right choice of selecting the US dollar bill because of her mother's help.  Jesus in today's gospel helps us to make the right choice of selecting him above all others including members of our family.  In doing so we actually love them more because Jesus reminds us of the importance of honoring our parents and family and he gives us the strength to do so no matter how many obligations we may have.  We welcome Jesus into our lives by welcoming his disciples such as priest, nuns, Catholics and the needy.  For this we will be rewarded with peace, joy and happiness.  We thank Jesus for his instructions and ask for his help to carry this out in our lives.