Today’s Gospel reading is one that can cause a lot of discomfort. Jesus talks to a Canaanite woman who wants Him to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon.

Father Loomis explains that the reason why this Gospel reading looks and feels harsh is because this woman is in a tug-of-war with Jesus… she is resisting Him, and He can’t help her until she is honest. “Humility is the basis for holiness”.

Father says that resisting God is a danger that we can all fall into, but God doesn’t budge. Humility was the basis for the woman’s salvation, and “humility will be the basis for ours.”

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time-

First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

Second Reading: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28

“Oh God, the people have forsaken the covenant and I alone am left.”

This is the cry from Elijah in today’s first reading and is a relevant concern to the modern Catholic. Father Loomis discusses how so many Catholics can feel alone in their faith and the choosing Christ can feel like a lonely path.

What should we do when we find ourselves here?

Father Loomis asserts that we are given the same call as Elijah. God tells Elijah that he is NOT alone and to begin preparing the next generation.

Father says that “we were created for this very moment in the Church’s ebb and glow of history” and that we can heed this call in our homes, in our communities, and in our parish.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: First Kings 19:9, 11-13

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14

Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

In this final homily on the vice of “Acedia”, Father Loomis discusses how we can know when Acedia has begun… when life feels meaningless.

Father Richard Heilman says. “For more than 50 years, we have been peddling a weak and watered-down religion; a religion that denies the power of God; a religion of “activism” that seems to abhor the call to advance in the spiritual life. It almost seems like the proponents of this modern-day Catholic religion were (and are), themselves, plagued with acedia.”

Father Loomis explains how Acedia can take a form of Nihilism where “nothing has meaning”.

But what is the antidote for this vice? Father Loomis gives us that answer in saying, “Life is not the prison, Acedia is, and surrender to Christ is what frees us from it.”

Feast of the Transfiguration

First Reading- Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Responsorial Psalm- Psalms 97:1-2, 5-6, 9

Second Reading- Second Peter 1:16-19

Gospel- Matthew 17:1-9

In part two of this multi-part mini series, Father Loomis preaches about the demon of “Acedia” and it’s role in causing a sadness of soul.

St. Thomas Aquinas portrays Acedia as “A sadness at the notion of possessing a loving, intimate union with God.”

Father Loomis explains that “Union with God is the reason for our existence” and that the absence of that union is literally the definition of Hell.

In this episode you will hear relevant examples of the dangers of Acedia and what that “sadness of soul” can look like in today’s world.

For more information on Acedia, Father Loomis recommends the book titled “Acedia and It’s Discontents” by R.J. Snell.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

Second Reading: Romans 8:28-30

Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52

In part one this multi-part mini series, Fr. Loomis preaches about the demon of “Acedia” and its role in instilling a disgust of being.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: Isaiah 55: 10-11

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 65: 10, 11, 12-13, 14

Second Reading: Romans 8: 18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-23

1st Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

2nd Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13

Alleluia: Matthew 11:25

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

First Reading: Second Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16a

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

Second Reading: Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11

Alleluia: First Peter 2: 9

Gospel: Matthew 10: 37-42

First Reading: Exodus 19: 2-6a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 100: 1-2, 3, 5
Second Reading: Romans 5: 6-11
Alleluia: Mark 1: 15
Gospel: Matthew 9: 36 – 10: 8

First Reading: Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 116: 12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
Second Reading: First Corinthians 11: 23-26
Verse Before the Gospel: John 13: 34
Gospel: John 13: 1-15