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.

 

Homily - 31B Sunday homily (03 November 2024) The Greatest Commandment

 

31B SUNDAY HOMILY, MARK 12:28b-34 November 3, 2024

1. STORY

Mary brought home a birthday invitation card from her new third class classmate, Ruth.  All 36 classmates were invited.  As her girlfriends were not going to go, she told her mother that she would not go.  After looking at the invitation, Mary was told that she was going to go.  She was shocked as her mother never forced her to go to a party.  On Saturday morning, her mother drove Mary to the party.  The room was decorated beautifully withy 36 cups of candy, one for each classmate.  The two waited for the other classmates to come.  To their great surprise, no one came.  Mary’s heart was filled with sympathy for Ruth and filled with anger at her 35 selfish classmates.  She cried out, “Who needs them?”  Though only two, they had a great time playing games and eating food.  At noon Mary’s mother came to pick her up.  Mary thanked Ruth for the great time they had.  Mary thanked her mother for making her go to the party.  Mary learned the great lesson that one caring person can make a great difference.

 

2. GOSPEL, MARK 12:28b-34

A. WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?

Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment.  This was no easy question as the Jews had 613 important commandments.  Jesus gave the answer.  We must love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself.  How blessed we are knowing what the most important thing for us to do in life.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. LOVE GOD

We love God by praying to him.  Each day when we pray in the morning and evening, we are loving God.  We love God when we obey him.  It is like when a child obeys his parents.

B. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

We love God by loving our neighbor just as Mary did by attending the birthday party.  We love our neighbor when we are willing to help them by being respectful, by being kind and encouraging in our speech, and by being forgiving.

C. LOVE OURSELVES

We love God by loving ourselves.  We do this by caring for our physical and mental health.  We are careful in what we eat and by not overeating.  We try to get enough rest and not overwork.  We try to relax and avoid being over stressed.  We are God’s children, and God wants us to be strong and healthy.

 

4. CONCLUSION

Mary learned the important lesson that the love of one person makes a great difference.  Her presence made the birthday party a great success.  Jesus answered the difficult question as to which was the greatest commandment.  We must love God, our neighbor and ourselves.  We carry out this commandment by praying and obeying God.  We obey by being kind and helpful to our neighbor.  We listen to Jesus by caring for our health.  We eat properly, we get enough rest, and we take time to relax.  We thank Jesus for the clear instruction and ask for his help in carrying out this commandment of love.

Homily - 30B Sunday homily (27 October 2024) Master, I want to see

 

30B, SUNDAY HOMILY, MARK 10:46-52, OCTOBER 27, 2024 

1. STORY

In a temple, there was a large clay statue of a Buddha.  In the process of moving it by the use of a crane to a new location, it began to crack.  At the same time, it began to rain.  It was lowered to the ground and covered with a large canvas cloth to protect it from the rain.  Later in the evening when a monk checked on the Buddha with his flashlight, he saw a light coming from the crack.  He got a hammer and chisel and began to chip away at the clay.  After many hours of work, he saw that the clay statue was really a solid gold Buddha.  He saw the outer layer of clay only to discover that beneath the surface it was a solid gold statue.

 

2. GOSPEL, MARK 10:46-52

A. MASTER, I WANT TO SEE

A blind man called out to Jesus for help.  Despite being rebuked by many of the people, he continued calling out to Jesus for help.

B. IMMEDIATELY, HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT

Jesus called him and he came running to Jesus who asked him what he wanted.  He replied, “Master, I want to see.”  Jesus was deeply impressed by his great faith and immediately cured him.

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. JESUS, I WANT TO SEE

There are two kinds of blindness, physical blindness and spiritual blindness.  The physically blind cannot see physical things such as other people, buildings, trees, and flowers.  The spiritually blind do not know there is a loving God, that Jesus has come to save us, and that after death there is heaven. 

B. JESUS CURED HIM

Just as Jesus cured the physically blind person, so does Jesus cure our spiritual blindness. 

i) GOD

Jesus tells us that there is a loving God who created the world and made man to live happily.  Man sinned and brought suffering into the world.  Jesus was sent to save us.  The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us. 

ii) CATHOLIC CHURCH

Jesus tells us that the Church is the family of God.  The Catholic Church teaches us how to live a good life by doing good and avoiding evil.  It tells us of the seven sacraments which are helps along the road of life. 

iii) HEAVEN

Jesus tells us that this life on earth is our temporary home.  God has a special place as our permanent home, heaven.  Jesus wants to cure our spiritual blindness which brings us happiness.

 

4. CONCLUSION

To the surprise of the monks the clay Buddha was in fact a solid gold Buddha.  The blind man asked Jesus for a cure.  Jesus was deeply impressed by his faith and cured him.  Jesus cures our spiritual blindness by telling us about God, the Church, and heaven.  We thank Jesus for the great gift of spiritual sight.  We ask him to deepen and strengthen our faith.  We share with others our knowledge of God, the Church, and heaven.

Homily - 29B Sunday homily (20 October 2024) Jesus has come not to be served but to serve

 

29B: SUNDAY HOMILY, MARK 10:35-45, OCTOBER 20, 2024 

1. STORY

John, a high school student, constantly came home late from school.  After many warnings to come home on time, his father warned him that the next time he came late he would only have bread and water for his supper.  Sure enough, the next time he came home late, his plate contained a single slice of bread and a glass of water while his parents’ plates were filled with food.  Naturally, John was unhappy but he knew he deserved this punishment.  As they were to begin eating, the father took John’s plate for himself and then took his own plate and put it in front of John.  The father was taking upon himself the punishment that John had brought upon himself.  The father taught his son a very important lesson, and by doing so, served his family.

 

2. GOSPEL, MARK 10:35-45

A. THE DESIRE TO BE FIRST

Two of the twelve apostles, James and John, wanted to be first among them.  They wanted to sit “one on your right and one on your left,” at the end of time when Jesus came into his glory.

B. THE DESIRE TO SERVE

In response to this request, Jesus told them that “whoever wishes to be the first among you will be the slaves of all”.  He told them that he “did not come to be served but to serve.”

 

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE

A. THE DESIRE TO BE FIRST

The desire to be first means:

i) The desire for FAME

One would like to be well known, to be liked, and to be praised.

ii) The desire for POWER

One would like to be the boss by telling others what to do and wanting others to follow his plan.

iii) The desire for WEALTH

One would have the money to buy what one likes and to go where one wishes.  Jesus tells us this is not the way to be first.

B. THE DESIRE TO SERVE

Jesus teaches us that to be the greatest, to be first, is by serving others as he did.  “I, the Son of Man, did not come to be served but to serve”.

Here are 3 examples of how to be first by serving others.

i) At home, you can help to keep the house clean by being neat yourself and being on time for meals.

ii) At work, you can carry out your duties in an efficient way by doing them on time.

iii) As a Catholic, you can follow the example of Jesus who gave his time and energy to help those in need.  We treat people in a respectful way by using these words:  Thank you, I am sorry, Please, Excuse me, and Well done.  Jesus gives us enough strength, time, and ability to follow his example of serving by helping others.  Thus, we become the greatest, the first, in the eyes of Jesus.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The father served his family by teaching his son a lesson in being on time.  Jesus taught his disciples the correct meaning of being the greatest by telling them to serve others.  We thank Jesus for instructing us and ask him for the strength to be first by serving others.