Traversing Emmaus

Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (children receiving First Holy Communion), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. As an offering to the Lord they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of the Lord. And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord." (Is 66:18-21).

"Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News." (cf. Ps 117).

"Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him...?" (cf. Heb 12:5-13).

"Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!” ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth... yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.'" (cf. Lk 13:22-30).

Artwork: "Jesus among the doctors" by Paolo Veronese (c. 1560).

Homily for Friday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time (Feast of Saint John Eudes), delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"The hand of the Lord was laid on me, and he carried me away by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, a valley full of bones. He made me walk up and down among them. There were vast quantities of these bones on the ground the whole length of the valley; and they were quite dried up. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘You know, Lord.’ He said, ‘Prophesy over these bones. Say, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this to these bones: I am now going to make the breath enter you, and you will live. I shall put sinews on you, I shall make flesh grow on you, I shall cover you with skin and give you breath, and you will live; and you will learn that I am the Lord.”’ I prophesied as I had been ordered. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a sound of clattering; and the bones joined together. I looked, and saw that they were covered with sinews; flesh was growing on them and skin was covering them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, “The Lord says this: Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead; let them live!”’ I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army. Then he said, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They keep saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead.” So prophesy. Say to them, “The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.”...’" (Ez 37:1-14).

"When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’" (Mt 22:34-40).
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"If anyone examines the state of affairs outside the Christian fold, he will easily discover the principle trends that not a few learned men are following. Some imprudently and indiscreetly hold that evolution... explains the origin of all things, and audaciously support the monistic and pantheistic opinion that the world is in continual evolution. Communists gladly subscribe to this opinion so that, when the souls of men have been deprived of every idea of a personal God, they may the more efficaciously defend and propagate their dialectical materialism. Such fictitious tenets of evolution which repudiate all that is absolute, firm and immutable, have paved the way for the new erroneous philosophy which, rivaling idealism, immanentism and pragmatism, has assumed the name of existentialism, since it concerns itself only with existence of individual things and neglects all consideration of their immutable essences. [This] overthrows the foundation of all truth and absolute law, both on the level of philosophical speculations and especially to Christian dogmas." (Humani Generis, par 5-7).

Artwork: "Valley of The Dry Bones" by Gustav Doré, (1866).

Homily delivered for one year level at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord says, 'Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.'" (Is 58:7).

"I am the servant of the Lord. The Lord rescues the poor who call to him, and those who are needy and neglected; He has pity on the weak and poor; he saves the lives of those in need; He rescues then from oppression and violence; their lives are precious to him; God remembers his people. He has done marvellous deeds for me. Holy is his name.” (cf. Ps 72).

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose one of you has a servant who is ploughing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry and eat his meal? Of course not! Instead, you say to him, 'Get my supper ready, and put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.' The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? It is the same with you; When you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Lk 17:7-10).

Artwork: "Miracle of the Slave" by Tintoretto (c. 1548).

Homily for Wednesday in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld, Australia.

"The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'Shepherds, the Lord says this: Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock, yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and violently. For lack of a shepherd they have scattered, to become the prey of any wild animal; they have scattered far. My flock is straying this way and that, on mountains and on high hills; my flock has been scattered all over the country; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them. Well then, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, I swear it – it is the Lord who speaks – since my flock has been looted and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of any wild animal, since my shepherds have stopped bothering about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, in view of all this, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this: I am going to call the shepherds to account. I am going to take my flock back from them and I shall not allow them to feed my flock. In this way the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will not prey on them any more. For the Lord says this: 'I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view.'" (Ez 34:1-11).

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." (cf Ps 23).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard... the last will be first, and the first, last.’" (cf. Mt 20:1:16).

Artwork: "Good Shepherd" by Jean Baptiste de Champaigne (17th Century).

Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"So, David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it. Next, he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites. The Levites carried it on poles on their shoulders, as the Lord had commanded through Moses. David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals. They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God. After David had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord." (1 Cor 15: 3-4; 15-16; 16: 1-2).

"Soon afterward Mary got ready and hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judea. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, 'You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord's mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. How happy you are to believe that the Lord's message to you will come true!'

Mary said, 'My heart praises the Lord; my soul is glad because of God my Savior, for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is holy; from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him. He has stretched out his mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans. He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel. He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever!' Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth and then went back home." (Lk 39-56).

Artwork: "Visitation" by Domenico Ghirlandaio, (1491).

Homily for the Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Monday in the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth... The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ.’" (cf. Rev 11:19-12:10).

"The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold. The daughters of kings are among your loved ones. On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir. Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: He is your lord, pay homage to him. They are escorted amid gladness and joy; they pass within the palace of the king." (cf. Ps 45).

"Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet." (1 Cor 15:20-26).

"Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' And Mary said: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour...' Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home." (cf. Lk 1:39-56).

Artwork: "Immaculate Conception" by Peter Paul Rubens, (16th Century).

Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death...' Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well, where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies.’ (cf. Jer 28).

"As for me, wretched and poor, the Lord thinks of me. You are my rescuer, my help, O God, do not delay." (Ps 40).

"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us... and keep running steadily in the race we have started... Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage; keep fighting to the point of death." (cf. Heb 12:1-4).

"‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'" (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Artwork: Wrisberg epitaph (showing divine graces distribute in the church and through the sacraments), by Johannes Hopffe (1585).

Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in St Peter Chanel Church, Miriam Vale, Qld.

"The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.’ ‘He is in your hands as you know,’ King Zedekiah answered ‘for the king is powerless against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank." (cf. Jer 28).

"I waited, I waited for the Lord and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry. Lord, come to my aid! He drew me from the deadly pit, from the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock and made my footsteps firm." (Ps 40).

"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started... for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death." (cf. Heb 12:1-4).

"Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over...!'" (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Artwork: "Jeremiah" in the Sistine Chapel, (Michaelangelo, 1508-12).

Homily delivered for St Francis of Assisi's Sporting Houses School Liturgy (Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi), in St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum Sands, Qld.

"My child, always be humble, and all of God’s people will love you. The more important you are, the more humble you should be. This will please the Lord. The Lord has great power, and it is praised by those by those who are humble." (cf. Sir 3:17-20).

"I will bless the Lord at all times. I will always praise the Lord; with all my heart, I will praise the Lord. Let all who are helpless listen and be glad. Honour the Lord with me! Celebrate His great name. I ask the Lord for help, and for him to save me from all my fears. Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to Him for protection, and you will be glad. Honour the Lord! You are His special people. No one who honours the Lord will ever be in need." (cf. Ps 34).

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My commandment is this: Love one another just as I love you. The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them. And you are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father. You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. This, then, is what I command you: Love one another." (Jn 15:11-17).

"Happy the soul to whom it is given to attain this life with Christ, to cleave with all one’s heart to him whose beauty all the heavenly hosts behold forever, whose love inflames our love, the contemplation of whom is our refreshment, whose graciousness is our delight, whose gentleness fills us to overflowing, whose remembrance makes us glow with happiness, whose fragrance revives the dead, the glorious vision of whom will be the happiness of all the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. For he is the brightness of eternal glory, the splendour of eternal light, the mirror without spot. Look into that mirror daily... and ever study therein your countenance, that within and without you may adorn yourself with all manner of virtues, and clothe yourself with the flowers and garments that become the daughter and chaste spouse of the most high King. In that mirror are reflected poverty, holy humility and ineffable charity, as, with the grace of God, you may perceive. Gaze first upon the poverty — the King of angels, Lord of heaven and earth, is laid in a manger. Consider next the humility — the untold labours and burdens which he endured for the redemption of the human race. Then look upon the unutterable charity with which he willed to suffer on the tree of the cross and to die thereon the most shameful kind of death. This mirror, Christ himself, fixed upon the wood of the cross, bade the passers-by consider these things: ‘All you who pass this way look and see...' Contemplate further the indescribable joys, the wealth and unending honours of the King... In such contemplation be mindful." (from Saint Clare's writings to Blessed Agnes of Prague).

Artwork: a painting of St Agnes of Assisi contemplating the crucified Christ, (n.d.).

Homily for Wednesday in the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Saint Laurence, Deacon, Martyr), delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten. The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one." (2 Cor 9:6-10).

"I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life." (Jn 8:12).

"Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him." (Jn 12:24-26).

Artwork: "St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church" by Bernardo Strozzi, (c. 1625).