Making Known the Splendor of the Kingdom

This morning, we celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew, the Apostle. Just a quick word about this Gospel: tradition holds that Nathanael and Bartholomew were the same person. Many Scripture scholars attest to this, arguing that Bartholomew is more likely Nathanael’s surname. Bartholomew actually means “son of Tolmai.” Remember, anytime in Scripture where we see…

Misunderstanding Jesus

This story from today’s Gospel about the mother of James and John approaching Jesus and asking Him to allow her sons to sit at His right and left, shows just how misunderstood Jesus was by even some of His closest disciples. So many of them initially believed that Jesus was going to be a political…

The Great Commission

Homily for the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist This morning, we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. In the Acts of the Apostles, Mark is also known as John Mark and was the son of Mary of Jerusalem and a cousin of Barnabas. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys…

The Lord Needs Laborers

Homily for the Feast of St. Luke There is no question that the Lord needs laborers in our world today. He needs each of us to do our part to go out and spread the Gospel to the world, sharing the Good News with those we encounter on a daily basis. The cooperation of human…

Son of Encouragement

Homily for the Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle This morning we celebrate the Memorial of St. Barnabas, one of the apostles to the Gentiles. We know from many of the epistles of St. Paul and from the Acts of the Apostles that Barnabas was one of Paul’s companions who traveled throughout the ancient world proclaiming…

We are the Post-Roe Generation

Homily for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James This morning, I was going to preach on Sts. Philip and James, but the news that broke last night out of Washington, D.C. definitely changed all of that. And honestly, I don’t think the Apostles that we celebrate today would mind. For those who haven’t heard,…

The Lord Calls Us

Homily for Saturday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time Today’s Gospel reading is a continuation from our passage yesterday where Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered down from the roof. But the important takeaway from these two Gospel stories is how the Scribes who are witnessing all of these moments from Jesus continue…

Our Doubts and Questions

Homily for the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle St. Thomas always seems to get a bad rap. The first thing that people always think about when Thomas comes to mind is that he doubted that the Lord appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room in the days after the Resurrection. Sure, he had…

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

Homily for the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist During the height of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to watch a new miniseries called The Chosen, a series that portrays the life of Jesus. The first season was mostly about the calling of the Apostles and Jesus making the necessary preparations to begin…