Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time—Year A

The Gospel of Matthew today continues the series of parables that we have been listening to these past few weeks with parables about the treasures that one finds buried in a field and is willing to trade everything to obtain. 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. 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 →

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

Last Sunday, as the Gospel presented the beginning of the series of parables that we will hear over a few weeks, the parable was about a sower who sowed seed generously and the different kinds of soil on which the seed would take root and grow. As the series of parables continues, this Sunday, we hear about the mysterious way in which the seed miraculously grows into something much larger, without anyone really knowing how or why the growth takes places.

As I stated in the homily last weekend, these parables that speak to us about the generosity of the sower, and the mysterious way in which growth occurs, provide a wonderful opportunity for me to respond to one of the requests that was expressed in the survey that the pastoral council distributed this past Spring. In particular, these Gospel readings provide an opportunity to respond to the request for more information about the Mass and an effort to increase the participation of parishioners in the celebration of the Eucharist. Last Sunday, I began this series of homilies about the Mass by preaching about why we celebrate the Mass and what it is that we believe we are doing when we do so. This week, I would like to speak about the Introductory Rites to Mass and the Liturgy of the Word. Next weekend, I will conclude by speaking about the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Dismissal Rites. As this division suggests, the Mass is divided into four parts that form a unity, these are: 1) The Introductory Rites; 2) The Liturgy of the Word; 3) The Liturgy of the Eucharist; and 4) the Dismissal Rites. Continue reading →