Homilies

How different might our lives be if we followed the example of Solomon? “Give your servant,” he prayed, “an understanding heart to distinguish right from wrong.” Instead of asking for long life or riches, as many people would, Solomon asked for something of greater value, the gift to tell right from wrong.

Moments ago, we proclaimed, “Lord, I love your commands.” Do we honestly love them? Were we speaking from the heart or simply moving our lips? “The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” Really? The author of this psalm sees the wisdom of God’s commands and so he says, “Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The revelation of your words shed light, giving understanding to the simple.”

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17th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

A green thumb I am not so my knowledge of plants is rather limited. I know that certain plants, like dandelions, are weeds; obnoxious eyesores that ruin the beauty of any lawn. Some plants, however, (e.g., foxglove) have fooled me into thinking they are beautiful wildflowers rather than weeds.

The weeds Jesus mentions in this parable were not wildflowers or the kind of weeds we would find in our yards. They were known as darnel, a noxious, poisonous weed that closely resembles wheat until it ripens. Only then can a farmer tell the difference between them. Wheat stands tall and golden while darnel is shorter with gray heads of grain. At harvest, the farmer would then separate the weeds from the wheat, using darnel for fuel and wheat for food.

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16th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

A young man had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend that threatened their relationship. He tried to talk to her but nothing worked. After many futile attempts, he remembered that she liked dark red roses, so he bought one, which was all he could afford. The florist put some ferns around the long-stemmed rose and wrapped them in nice thin paper.

Feeling quite romantic, the young man went to her home and placed the rose in front of her door. When she came home, as lovely as ever, his heart skipped a beat. She opened her purse, took out her key, unlocked the door and stepped inside never noticing the beautiful rose lying on the doormat.

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15th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Life is full of choices from the moment we wake up until we hit the sack. Some of the choices we make are trivial while others impact our lives and define who we are. In his poem, The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost observes, “Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.” Acknowledging that a choice has to be made, Frost ends his poem by saying, “I shall be telling this with a sigh/ Somewhere ages and ages hence/ Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–/ I took the one less traveled by/ and that has made all the difference.”

Some choices we make impact our relationship with God. Our faith is shaped by our attitude toward God. The wise and the learned, whom Jesus alludes to, are those who feel comfortable with their own wisdom, satisfied with themselves and their achievements. Feeling adequate in life, they focus on practical questions and earthly matters rather than the spiritual. Thus they feel no need for God or religion in their lives so God’s wisdom remains hidden from them.

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14th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

I have heard many times people say, “I love my father and mother or I love my spouse more than I can say.” Is this temperate love? What I mean is do we love God more than anything or anyone?

I remember back on my first love. Do any of you remember yours? I was in 7th grade at St. Pius X Parish in Mountlake Terrace just this side of Seattle. Her name was Sheila. I will not give her last name in order to protect the innocent. Anyway, she had pitch black hair and the greenest eyes you would ever have the pleasure of looking into.

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13th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »