Part One

This Sunday, the Psalm proclaims, “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge (Ps 90).. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the importance of realizing what our true treasures are and letting them be built up in Heaven. When you and I come to Mass, we have an encounter with God’s Word and receive the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood—the food intended to strengthen us on our journey to Heaven. Often, as we come to Mass, we may miss the deeper significance of what we are hearing and who we are encountering at the celebration. For this reason, over the next few weeks, I would like to repeat a series of sermons on the Mass that I gave here one summer a few years ago. Continue reading →

The Gospel of Luke today continues the series of parables that we have been listening to these past few weeks with parables about what true discipleship is about and will entail. For the Church, the greatest treasure that it knows of is Christ and the eternal life that He has won for us through His life, death and resurrection. The Christian is to have so much confidence in Christ, and His victory over death, that we are to be willing to give everything to obtain that salvation. Today’s Gospel passage tells us that we should not let even family and friends stand in the way of our relationship with Christ. However, because it is often difficult to remember that Christ has won salvation for us through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus has commanded us to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday “in remembrance” of Him so that we may be strengthened to live our faith with the Sacrament of His Body and Blood.

This Sunday, I will conclude the three-part homily on the Mass by speaking about the high point of the celebration of Mass, the Eucharistic Liturgy and the Dismissal Rites, which send us out into the world to bring to others the same Christ whom we have received in the Eucharist at Mass. Let’s start with the Eucharistic Liturgy. Continue reading →

Last Sunday, the Gospel presented us with a parable about a rich man who wanted to build new barns to store all his many possessions. As he planned to do so, the story told us that he would be taken in the middle of the night and all of his work and possession would be in vain; if he did not also exercise care for his eternal well being. As the series of parables continues, this Sunday, we hear a parable about the need to be ready each day to encounter the Lord, for we never know when we will meet him. I certainly watch in fear many days, as parishioners cross in front of the church to and from the subway station, never looking for oncoming traffic. Each one of us could meet our end at any point. As a public service announcement, let me just remind you that there is a light a block away. Continue reading →

This Sunday, the Psalm asks that if today we hear God’s voice, we not harden our hearts and that we might keep them open to listen to His voice (Psalm 90). In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the importance of realizing what our true treasures are and letting them be built up in Heaven. When you and I come to Mass, we have an encounter with God’s Word and receive the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood—the food intended to strengthen us on our journey to Heaven. Often, as we come to Mass, we may miss the deeper significance of what we are hearing and who we are encountering  at the celebration. For this reason, over the next few weeks, I would like to repeat a series of sermons on the Mass that I gave here one summer a few years ago. Continue reading →

Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

One of the world’s most famous pieces of religious art is the fifteenth century Russian icon of the Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev. This icon is intended to capture the scene that we hear about in today’s first reading from the book of Genesis. In this Sunday’s reading from Genesis, we hear how the Lord God appeared unexpectedly to Abraham as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Even though the passage makes it clear that it is God speaking to Abraham in one voice and Abraham answers God in the singular, the text makes it clear that Abraham saw three men standing there. This text, in which God is referred to in the singular, but spoken of as appearing in the form of three persons, has been seen by many as one of the first references in scripture to the Holy Trinity. This, however, is not the important point that this passage is trying to make. This reading is speaking more about the importance of being ready to greet God and welcome Him into one’s life at anytime that He might appear. Continue reading →