Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Can money buy happiness?

People will wisely claim that money cannot buy happiness. But what if the answer is actually "it depends"? It depends what you spend it on...and HOW you give.

Matthew 14:13-21

Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It is possible to use the gifts, use the opportunities...and lose your heart.

King Solomon asked God for an understanding heart, and he was blessed with incredible wisdom. So how did he end so poorly? He did remarkable things, but he failed to do the ordinary things.

Matthew 13:44-52

Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Faith grows through trial and prayer.

We all want a greater faith...and we all want a purified love. But how does our faith grow and how does our love get purified? Through trial and prayer. But we do not know how to pray as we ought. Prayer is more a posture than it is a procedure. And the posture is trust.

Matthew 13:24-43

Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It is possible to live the rest of your life with no more bad days.

Life can be so overwhelmingly difficult and challenging. But challenge and suffering can and do change us; they can break us down or they can change us. Not only that, but every challenge can be united to Christ and can change lives.

Matthew 13:1-23

Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Citizens must live with conviction, responsibility, and courage.

On the 250th anniversary of our nation, it is a moment to stop and reflect on our identity. Are we "subjects" or are we "citizens"? Are we "American Catholics" or are we "Catholics who are citizens of America"? And what would it be to live as a citizen without the virtue of patriotism?

Matthew 11:25-30

Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The necessary risk we must take.

Jesus calls us to love Him first. To place Him ahead of every other goal or desire in our lives. In order to answer the question "What are you living for?", we have to take the risk of knowing what we are NOT living for.

Matthew 10:37-42

Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We will need Humility and Hope.

The moment will come when we will all stand before the Good and Holy God in judgment. This truth can fill us with fear, but there are two virtues we need more powerful than fear: humility and hope.

Matthew 10:26-33

Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Precisely as strong as it needs to be.

When Jesus sends out His Apostles in His Name, He also gives them all of the strength and ability that they are going to need. He continues to give us the same: precisely the strength that we need at every moment.

Matthew 9:36—10:8

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

To have the Real Presence in the Eucharist, one needs the Apostolic priesthood.

Corpus Christi is an important feast for an important Reality. We know that Jesus was clear when He taught about His Body and Blood in the Eucharist...yet this true Presence requires the true ministerial priesthood that Jesus established with His Apostles. Christ's followers are divided, but He continues to desire our unity.

John 6:51-58

Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

God is not a problem to solve, but One to be trusted.

The Holy Trinity is the term that we use to try and convey the Mystery of Who God ultimately is. But no definition will suffice. And no explanation could possibly capture God's fullness. God is simply beyond anything that we can conceive of or imagine...but He has revealed Himself and called us into relationship with Him. Even if we do not fully grasp Him.

John 3:16-18