Ordinary Time

The Eucharist: God's most gracious gift to us

Fr. Anthony offers the homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (also known as Corpus Christi).
 
Readings at this Mass: Gn 14:18–20 | 1 Cor 11:23–26 | Lk 9:11b–17

Living with our eyes on God

The way we enter into the divine life – and the way we experience the joy and the sense of purpose that come from God – is by fixing our gaze on Jesus, who reveals to us the Father. Real life consists not in fixating on ourselves, but in forgetting ourselves, in letting go and losing ourselves in service to God and one another.
 
Below is a photo of Rublev's icon of the Holy Trinity, which is displayed in our parish.
 
Readings at this Mass: Prv 8:22–31 | Rom 5:1–5 | Jn 16:12–15

Our words condition our soul

Our speech can act like a sieve that can filter out the bad and negative words a person can deliver to yield the beautiful and good characteristics about this person. In other words, when we listen to our own words/speech, we can filter out the ugly/unneeded husks to reveal the inner soul which should display what is a resemblance of the image and likeness of God.
 
Readings at this Mass: Sir 27:4–7 | 1 Cor 15:54–58 | Lk 6:39–45

Christology, Part 4: Knowing vs. knowing about God

What we say about Jesus matters because in the end, who Jesus is determines whether we’re able to really know God or only know about God. For the Arians and the Gnostics, knowing God was impossible; God was too far beyond us, inaccessible to mere mortals. For our Christian ancestors, knowing God was the very essence of faith, and the key was the direct, personal encounter with Jesus. In Jesus, God Himself entered our reality and sought us out — so, to know Jesus was (and is) to know God.
 
Readings at this Mass: 1 Sam 26:2, 7–9, 12–13, 22–23  |  1 Cor 15:45–49  |  Lk 6:27–38

Christology, Part 3: "You may be gnostic if..."

Gnostic thinking can creep into all of us, but the answer is simple — trust Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He sanctified both body and soul, and when we sin, our salvation isn't dependent upon some hidden, secret knowledge. We have something far greater — the Sacraments, where God's grace makes us new.
 
Readings at this Mass: Jer 17:5–8  |  1 Cor 15:12, 16–20  |  Lk 6:17, 20–26

Christology, Part 2: Covenantal Way of Being

This covenantal way of being requires us to see salvation as more than just reaching the end goal, heaven, but as new way of being, in which we see Christ in ourselves and in others. This week, in everything that you do and in every interaction that you have with others, see if you can identify whether it is transactional or covenantal. If it is transactional, ask God to help you transform your mind and move toward seeing Christ in you and in others.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 6:1–2a, 3–8 | 1 Cor 15:1–11 | Lk 5:1–11

Christology, Part 1: Introduction

The wholeness, the peace, the fullness of life for which we all long only comes from being connected to God. Communion with Jesus is the key to our salvation; He unites in Himself both humanity and divinity. The more deeply we enter into relationship with Him, the more He can draw us into the Father’s embrace. 
 
Readings at this Mass: Mal 3:1–4 | Heb 2:14–18 | Lk 2:22–40

"Rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

It's easy to praise God when things are good and going our way. I want to encourage you to also do it when things are hard. Don't forget that the Lord can take anything  and use it for good. And when we turn to our loving God, He will help guide us and give us strength to endure.
 
Readings at this Mass: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 | 1 Cor 12:12-30 | Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21