Father Kevin A. Codd

Thomas: My Lord and My God!, Second Sunday of Easter-A, April 12, 2026

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

Poor Thomas gets a very bad rap for having doubted his fellow apostles' proclamation of the Lord's Resurrection. Yet, in the end, he is the true hero of John's Gospel with his simple, profound, and altogether perfect profession of faith: "My Lord and my God!" It too a bit for him to get there, but that profession of faith is the capstone of John's Gospel.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

Mary of Magdala, Easter Morning, April 5, 2026

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0700

John's account of the First Day of the Week particularly highlights the fact that the first to find Jesus' tomb empty was Mary of Magdala; she is also the first to encounter the Risen Jesus and proclaim his resurrection to the other. The immensity of what she experienced when Jesus called her by name is all the more grand by the darkness that preceded that moment of resurrection grace!

Easter morning homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Why This Way? Good Friday Commemoration of the Lord's Passion, April 3, 2026

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:00:00 -0700

Hearing once again the devastating story of Jesus' passion and death (Gospel of John), the simple question of "Why?" comes to the fore. Why did Jesus have to suffer like this to save us? Let us see if we can approach an answer...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Do This In Memory of Me, Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Last Supper, April 2, 2026

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:00:00 -0700

Memory is the key to understanding tonight's mysteries. We remember the Passover and in the remembering, it becomes present to us. We remember Jesus' breaking of the bread and passing of the cup and he becomes present to us, flesh and blood. We remember Jesus' washing of the feet of his apostles and in the remembering he is washing our feet.

Homily for the Mass of the Lord's Supper, Holy Thursday, shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Grief is Weird-Death is Strange, 5th Sunday of Lent (A), March 22, 2026

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0700

Grief is a most weird experience. It has its own timtable and agenda, coming and going in waves of all sizes. Grief maoy be weird because death, too, is a most strange experience. She who was alive one minute is dead the next: the disjunction between the two realities is confounding in a deeply troubling way. Jesus' encounter with the sisters of dead Lazarus, his great friend, reveals him as one who knows well the strange and weird experiences of both death and grief. He weeps with them and is shaken to his core by the reality. But his calling forth of Lazarus from his tomb is so much more than just another miracle among miracles; in John's gospel is is a SIGN that points to a mystery much deeper: God is creator and mastor of life! Death has no power!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Varieties of Blindness, 4th Sundy of Lent-A, March 15, 2026

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus' encounter with the beggar born blind in John's Gospel reminds us that there are a variety of "blindnesses" among us. There is the physical blindness of the beggar himself, then there is the economic and social poverty that is the consequence of that disability, and then there is spiritual poverty of being known for all time as a sinner, someone punished by God for some great sin. The beggar knows well all three. Beyond that, there is a blindness in this story that has nothing to do with physical eyes, but a terrible, dark blindness of the heart manifest in those who interrogate the blind man after his healing...and so sadly...even his parents who all but disown him...even after his healing!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

That Samaritan Woman, 3rd Sunday of Lent (A), March 8, 2026

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0800

Miracles in the gospels come in two types: those that bend the laws of nature and those that bend the laws of society, culture, and in the end, the human heart. Today's reading from John's gospel is of the second type: a miracle of the heart that leads a Samaritan woman of rather dubious repute to life as a kind of neo-apostle proclaiming Jesus as the messiah to her neighbors. All this because Jesus chose to break through all manner of social, cultural, and religious taboos to speak to her and touch her heart...a miracle indeed!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The Grandeur of God, Second Sunday of Lent (A), The Transfiguration, March 1, 2026

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The "real world" is not always so easy to live in. It is one that is marked by all the afflictions mentioned in the story of the expulsion of Adam and Eve even into our own age. It would be easy to say with some existentialist philosophers of the 20th century, that there is nothing more than the life we know here...and death...so just buck up and accept it. Jesus and his disciples had just had a big dose of the "real world" as he shared with them the terrible things that were going to come to pass in Jerusalem shortly, but a few days later, Jesus lets Peter, James, and John experience the profound rebuttle to those existenialist philosophers: he lets them see, hear, and know the presence of God in himself...and in the "real world" beyond. What the Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins put so beautifully in words: "The world is charged with the grandeur of God."

(By the way, this homily was interrupted by a happy little dog ambling down the center aisle, smiling at the preacher, and ambling on...thus the odd interruption mid-way through!)

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

God Comes to Us So We Don't Have to be Gods, The First Sunday of Lent (A), The Temptations in the Dessert, February 22, 2026

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The story of Adam and Eve's original sin is a sin of hubris: striving to become gods themselves by knowing what God knows. The consequenses of that sin reverberate to the present day. God's response to our human inclination to make ourselves gods is to come to humanity, God in flesh here with us, so we don't need to be gods. Jesus' fundamental temptation in the desert, then? To shortcut his humanity and not really be fully human anong us.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Smudged or Sprinkled? Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The decision of a young priest to "sprinkle" ashes over the crown of the faithfuls' heads rather than smudge a cross on their forehead was met with some annoyance. Who, according to today's Gospel passage was "right"?

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Commandments and Jesus, 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), February 15, 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The segment of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that we here today (Matthew's version) is a lot to chew on. He affirms his fidelity to the Law of Moses in no uncertain terms, then shifts into a kind of "turbo" gear as he blasts the leaders of his people for their heartless enforcement of the Law.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A Passage that Shakes Us, 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), February 8, 2026

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The clear, direct, and convicting words from the late chapters of the Book of Isaiah are shaking. What makes Israel a "light" in the darkness and a people pleasing to God isn't the adormnents of the Temple nor its animal sacrifices. The hungry, the naked, and the oppressed come first. Loving them is what gains God's love for Israel. As it was then, so it is now...to be a light in the darkness of our own time, and dark it is, we must attend to the prophet's call to care first for the least.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Humility and Antigua Sta. Catarina Ixtahuacan, 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), February 1, 2026

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

Having just returned from an eight-day visit to the small village in the mountains of Guatemala where I once served, I offer some reflections on the virtue supporting all the Beatitudes in today's Gospel reading from Matthew...and how that virtue, humility, is being actually lived in the small village of Antigua Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The Lamb of God, 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), January 18, 2026

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The Gospel of John begins with a mystical reflection on the Word...even before time, but eventually "made flesh and dwelt among us." Woven into this magnificent poem is John's version of the encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus. The baptist's role in John's gospel is not to baptize Jesus, but to proclaim him as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Let us reflect on this image of the Lamb...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

A Messiah WITH, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (A), January 11, 2025

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0800

Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River by John raises a perplexing question; as John himself asks, "should not I be baptized by you?" Indeed, why would Jesus need to be baptized since he he needs no repentence and is the very object of John's preparing of the people for the coming messiah? Let's see if we can make sense of this from Jesus' own point of view...or more accurately, based on the character of Jesus' mission as he himself sees it.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Mary Kept These Things in Her Heart: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1, 2026

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0800

Oh, what a dizzyingly hectic year! Not 2025, but perhaps 6 AD. What a dizzyingly hectic year for young Mary! In the midst of all that had happened around her and within her in the previous months, Luke tells us, "She kept all these things and reflected upon them in her heart." Her contemplative heart is a model for us as we begin a new year.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A Man had Two Sons... Holy Family Sunday (A), December 28, 2025

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Being deeply ensconced in the heart of the Christmas season, today's feast of the Holy Family almost always leads us to focus on the images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Bethlehem. We highlight, in paraticular, their docility before God's will and their great love for one another. But the place in the gospels where Jesus himself actually teaches us something about "family life" is found elsewhere, in magnificent story that begins: "A man had two sons..." (Luke 15). Perhaps in the images of this story, we can find important lessons about what makes a family holy, as God sees it.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A God of Surprises, Christmas Morning (A), December 25, 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Our God is one of great surprises! With the creation of the Univserse, we stand surprised. With his choice of an enslaved and impoverished people as his beloved, we stand surprised. And most of all, in his choice to come to us in flesh and blood, touch us with hands like our own and speak to us in words we understand, he surprises us in the most stunning way possible! This is the God we celebrate on this Christmas morning!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Joseph the Dreamer, Fourth Sunday of Advent (A), December 21, 2025

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

This Fourth Sunday of Advent gives us an opportunity to reflect on the quiet presence of Joseph in Matthew's Nativity story. It is easy to let him fall into the background of the story with little thought...and indeed, his very silence throughout the narrative makes that too easy. Yet, his very silence speaks deeply about the spirit of this man.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

What Joy Is, 3rd Sunday of Advent (A), December 154, 2025

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Our usual image of the prophets of old is as purveyors of doom and gloom, so what then do we make of old Isaiah in today's first reading as he positively exudes joy in proclaiming the coming of Israel's salvation? What kind of "joy" is that of Isaiah, not to mention that of the Baptist and Jesus himself (in today's Gospel reading)? It is certainly distinct from pleasure, contentment, and even self-fulfillment. Scriptural joy has its roots in something beyond anything we can create for ourselves; it is founded in faith, hope, and love. And so this day, we celebrate that joy with the simple call to Rejoice!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

"I Have a Dream...", The Second Sunday of Advent (A), December 7, 2025

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:00:00 -0800

Martin Luther King's famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial repeated over and over the refrain: "I have a dream..." In a very real, he and the prophet Isaiah shared the vision of a better future rooted in justice and human fraternity so eloquently expressed in the words, "I have a dream..." In Isaiah's case, the dream was founded in the hope that the living God would come to save his people from their own arrogance, idolotry, and lack of trust in God's guidance of his own beloved people. John the Baptist also has a dream, but it is one that is unfolding even as he spoke and baptized in the desert: the messiah is close, he is near, he is already bringing his Kingdom to us!

This homily was prepared for delivery to the Saint Francis Catholic Community for the Second Sunday of Advent, but unfortunately, yours truly, was afflicted with a fairly bad cold and could not make it to church. So this is a recording at home of what that homily might have been. Preaching only to oneself rather than a community loses a lot, but at least the hard work that went into preparing the homily is not completely lost.

In God's Good Time: The First Sunday of Advent (A), November 30, 2025

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Our usual experience of the passing of time is like a straight line moving from creation to the present moment. The biblical experience of time is formed by an understanding that with God, there is no past, present or future: all of it remains present. Time is not a straight line so much as a revolving series of ovals! On this First Sunday of Advent, the notion of "time" comes up often in the readings of the Liturgy of the Word and understanding these references in the biblical manner is revelatory.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

¿Rey del Universo? 23 de noviembre de 2025

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:00:00 -0800

La imagen de Jesús crucificado y la de los reyes de este mundo con sus riquezas, ejércitos, y poder absoluto no se combinan bien. ¿Entonces, porque celebramos hoy un rey humillado, sin poder ni riquezas, muriendo en desgracia? ¿En que sentido es este Jesús un rey? Vamos a ver…

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.

This Man a King? November 23, 2025

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800

The image of Jesus dying on the cross and that of our worldly kings seem to be polar opposites, yet this day we proclaim this humble, defeated, and dying man a king. How is this possible?

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Se Acaban Todo, 33o domingo ordinario (C), 16 de noviembre de 2025

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0800

Al acabar el año litúrgico, las lecturas de las misas dominicales se enfocan más y más en cómo se acaban las cosas hecho por las manos humanas, y lo más importante, la esperanza que Jesús nos ofrece en medio de las tribulaciones de los últimos días.

Esta homilía es un poco improvisa porque Padre Kevin no tuve la oportunidad de prepararla con anticipación.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Things Fall Apart, The Center Cannot Hold, 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), November 16, 2025

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800

As the Church year draws to a close, our Sunday readings become ever more preocupied with the end of things. Today, the great Temple of Jerusalem offers a starting point in understanding Jesus' pragmatic understanding of just how fragile are the things made of human hands...and his great hope in God's promises of eventual victory over all that is evil.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community, Cuenca, Ecudador

Churches and The Church, Feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran, November 9, 2025

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0800

On a feast-day dedicated to Christianity's first great church, the Roman cathedral of Saint John Lateran, we pause to reflect on why we love our churches and what The Church most truly is.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Humility in Prayer, 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), October 26, 2025

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Even the best of prayers, perfect in form and eloquent in speech, can be perverted from the inside out by human hubris and spiritual pride. Arrogance and judgementalism are the enemies of true prayer, as Jesus teaches in today's parable of the two men who went up to the temple to pray: one a tax-collector and the other a Pharisee.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Praying Persistently, but Praying for What? 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), October 19, 2025

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The "message" in today's parable is easy to grasp...no head scratching required: pray persistently! Nevertheless, the final words of Jesus in this reading are more perplexing: "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" So what does this have to do with the parable he just told about the persistent widow and the hard-hearted judge? Maybe Jesus is applying the principle of persistent prayer to much more than us just asking God to tend to our own needs?

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Ten Lepers and One Samaritan: 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), October 12, 2025

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The very word "leper" for most of human history would have evoked revulsion in most people. The disease had terrible consequences for those who contracted it almost everyone deeply feared it. Somewhat the same, the word "Samaritan" would have evoked among many Jewish people in the 1st century a similar reaction of deep disdain. Both words play prominent roles in today's gospel story and give this event in Jesus' life many levels of meaning. All of it touches our own consciences deeply.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed: 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), October 5, 2025

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Perhaps we read Jesus' words to his apostles responding to a request to "increase our faith" in a scolding tone, when, in fact, he may be speaking to them with a bit of comic exaggeration...and even more with affection and delight.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community, Cuenca, Ecuador

Even if One Should Rise from the Dead: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), September 28, 2025

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Yet another parable to consider! This time, Jesus is speaking directly to a group of religious big-shots and this parable of the unnamed rich man and the poor, hungry Lazarus is for them. As we get deeper into the story, Jesus pulls the old gospel switcheroo of the " the first shall be last and the last shall be first" type. By the end of the parable, it is clear that this is a story about himself and them. His final words: "even if one should rise from the dead, they still would not believe," are some of the most potent in all of Jesus' parables.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A Perplexing Parable: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time-C, September 21, 2025

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Today's parable is a most head-scratching one! And the commentaries by Jesus that follow the story itself don't help any. What to make of this strange story in which at first sight Jesus seems to approve of a sketchy steward who plays fast and easy with his boss's money? Maybe this is one of those stories that needs some "creative color" added to it so it makes sense to us in our times. That "creative color" may come to us from its twin reading from the Prophet Amos in which the prophet decries the rich and mighty who have gained their privileged status by trampling upon the poor and defenseless. Let's see if we can make this story less head-scratching!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A Gibbet of Shame: The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 2025-09-14

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Today's feast of the Holy Cross preempts the ordinary Sunday, giving us an opportunity to take a good look at this "gibbet of shame" that has become the preeminent symbol of Christianity. Though we now love our crosses, in the time of Jesus, they were anything but lovely; they were the great sign of Roman cruelty towards those who threatened their empire. It is only in understanding this that we can today exalt the Cross as the sign of our salvation in Jesus.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

Philemon and Onesimus, 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), September 7, 2025

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Paul has a problem! His lead pastor among the Colossians, Philemon, has a slave, Onesimus. Onesimus does something to offend his master and flees. Where does he flee to? Well, to Paul who is presently imprisoned in Rome. This is Paul's problem: does he keep Onesimus with him, who he now loves greatly and who has become a Christian...or does he send him back to Philemon, as the rules of Rome dictate? Paul wisely sends Onesimus back, but with a deeply personal letter (written in his own hand!), and requests that Philemon take Onesimus back, no longer as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. In this letter, Paul begins the extremely slow process of kicking the spiritual foundations out from under the practice of slavery. He also issues a call to all of us to consider how we might "use" people as so much chattle in our lives.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Old Greedy Guts, 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C), August 3, 2024

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 10:00:00 -0700

"Old Greedy Guts" was one of the worst things someone could say about us when we were kids. When, indeed, we were greedy, the epithet stung because it was true. Most of us learned to be generous most of the time, but some never did and really did grow up to become very much "greedy guts." The opposite of being a greedy person is not just simple "niceness" or even just generosity; for a Christian, the oppositite is to be a Eucharistic Person: humble, self-sacrificial, and an agent of communion.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The God To Whom We Pray: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), July 27, 2025

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The ancient story of Sodom and Gomorrah, particulalry Abraham's role as intrcessor on behalf of these depraved cities, is our starting point today. The story teaches us two foundational things about God as revealed in the Hebrew scriptures: God feels and God listens. Those two characteristics of God clearly find their way into Jesus' own teaching to his disciples on how to pray.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Desde Abraham a Martha: la hospitalidad biblica, 16o domingo ordinario (C), 20 de julio, 2025

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 16:00:00 -0700

Las figuras bíblicas de Abraham en el libro de Genesis y la de Marta en el evangelio de San Lucas son muy distintas en su manera de vivir la virtud de hospitalidad. Una comparación de los dos nos ensena mucho sobre el valor de hospitalidad en nuestras propias vidas.

Homilia compartido a los feligreses de la Iglesia de San Francisco en Cuenca, Ecuador.

From Abraham to Martha: Biblical Hospitality, 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), July 20, 2025

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0700

On the one hand, the figure of Abraham as he joyfully receives and cares for his three guests at the Terebinth of Mamre and on the other, Jesus' dear friend, Martha, as she slaves in the kitchen while her sister, Mary does nothing, could not be further from one another. Yet they are bound together in today's Liturgy of the Word, and dealing with them both offers us a deeply personal challenge as we strive to serve the Lord and his people.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

And Who Is My Neighbor? 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), July 13, 2025

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0700

A doctor of the Law approaches Jesus with a question. How do I gain everlasting life? Jesus bats the question back to him...he's the doctor of the Law after all. The doctor of the law responds with the fundamental commandment to love God...and our neighbor, but presses the issue by asking Jesus then, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus offers him a very challenging parable: "A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and along the way he was attacked by robbers..." Who is the true neighbor to this poor fellow, as Jesus tells the story, is a moral and spiritual revolution. Our "neighbor" is not defined by class, color, nationality, religion, or...dare we say it: by those with papers or those without. Few parables of Jesus are as pointed as this one to the contemporary concerns of many about dividing God's sons and daughters into "us" and "thems."

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

¿Quien es mi projimo? 15o domingo ordinario (C), 13 de julio de 2025

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0700

Un maestro de la ley se acerca a Jesús con una pregunta importante: ¿Como puedo alcanzar la vida eterna? Jesús le dirige contestarla por su propia cuenta porque el es el maestro de la ley. El responde bien por citar la ley fundamental de Moisés: que ame a Dios con todo su corazón…y ame también a su prójimo. El maestro de la ley sigue con otra pregunta de inmensa importancia: ¿Quién es mi prójimo? Y con eso, Jesús relata una parábola que explota la idea que nuestro prójimo es uno de nuestra familia, religión o tribu.

Homilía compartida a los fieles de la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca Ecuador.

Luke By The Numbers, 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), July 6, 20o25

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The writiers of the sacred scriptures often used particular numbers to signify important and holy things: 12,7, even little 3! Today's passage from Luke's Gospel continues the tradition with three very important numbers marking his account of Jesus sending forth his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Each number gives us an insight into our own mission to proclaim and live the Gospel.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. (Full Disclosure: this homily is a retooling of previous reflection given on the same Sunday in Sacred Heart Church in Spokane in 2016).

Peter and Paul: The Odd Couple, Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2025

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Though tied together by today's liturgy, Peter and Paul were rather an odd couple. The differences between them were substantial in almost every way, and especially their approach to spreading the new faith in the Risen Jesus. One principally a pastor, the other a missionary. The church binds them together in today's feast as a way of saying we need both!

Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

God's Delight, Trinity Sunday (Year C), June 15, 2025

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The magnificent passage from today's liturgy celebrating the profound mystery of the Holy Trinity, (Proverbs 8: 22-31), is worth paying close attention to. It reveals a God who creates our universe, our earth, and we ourselves as human beings filled with delight in doing so. The Wisdom tradition in the Jewish religion in the centuries before Christ, provide us with an alternate view of God the mighty and powerful judge, as well as what may be a sort of advance look into the Christian understanding both of the Word in John's Gospel and the Holy Spirit.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Ruach! Pentecost-C, June 8, 2025

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0700

"In the beginning..." Genesis tells us that when God created the first human being, he breathed life and spirit into him as an act of pure love. "Ruach" is the word in Hebrew for "breath", but also for "wind", and "spirit". It is this same "Ruach" that we hear about in the great Pentecost story of Acts and in John's Gospel as well. The Pentecost story is that of God doing again what he once did: creating us anew in love.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Pope Francis: We Will Miss You, 2nd Sunday of Easter (C), April 27, 2025

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Though our Easter liturgies carry on, the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday has made the past week a time of grief and hope. We remember Francis for so many lovely gestures of mercy, compassion, and love. We pray that his successor will be a shepherd who brings all his sheep to the Church's Table.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador

Peace! Easter Morning, April 20, 2025

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0700

"Happy Easter" is a fine greeting, but the word "happy" doesn't really communicate the depth of what we experience on this Easter morning. The risen Jesus offers his own "word" for his disciples and for us: "Peace."

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador, (and wrapping up a long Holy Week, the homilist is a bit weary which seems manifest in his delivery!)

Barabbas and Caesar! Good Friday Comemoration of the Passion, April 18, 2025

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:00:00 -0700

John's narrative of Jesus' passion, death, and burial includes the mention of many names. There is Jesus and Simon Peter, of course, but also Malchus, Annas and Caiphas, Pilate, and at the end, the noble Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. But there is also the name of Barabbas, the brigand, and that of Caesar; what significance might these two names hold in this deeply sad story?

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Three Prayers and a Fourth: Palm/Passion Sunday (C), April 13, 2025

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. All of it...eighteen minutes of it, here told again as so many times before. A simple reflection follows: Jesus prays three times in this long story and each prayer is worthy of its own homily; each one shows us something deeply important about Jesus, his relationship to his Father, and his relationship to us. There is a fourth prayer here, too: that of the criminal crucified next to him. It is one that we keep in our own heart all the days of our lives, sin besmirched as they may be: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

The Passion proclaimed to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Go And Sin No More: Be Free! 5th Sunday of Lent (C), April 6, 2025

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The horrific story given to us on this fifth Sunday of the Lenten season is so much more than a story about a woman "caught in the very act of adultery"; it is a story about that woman, of course, but also about the men carrying the stones in their hands ready to kill her in the name of Moses, and it is a story about Jesus...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

This Remarkable Father, 4th Sunday of Lent (C), March 30, 2025

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The magnificent parable that Jesus tells in Luke 15 proves he is one of the great story-tellers of all time. It also is a spiritual revolution because it turns upside down the way most people have imagined God. Jesus pulls no punches in this story, which as it happens, is squarely directed at the religious leaders of his day. What is God like? For Jesus, God is this father who loves his sons so much that he will do anything to save them from themselves.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Just How Close Can We Come? The Burning Bush of Moses, 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C), March 23, 2025

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0700

The magnificent story of Moses and the Burning Bush reveals to Moses (and to us!) a God who has the ears to hear the cries of a people enslaved, humiliated, and impoverished. That God would care with a burning passion for the sufferings of a small tribe of Hebrews trapped in Egypt teaches both Moses and us so much about the God at the heart of our faith. But there is more to this story worthy of our consideration. The voice of God emanating from that burning bush also demands that Moses draw no closer. "Stop right where you are!" This spiritual sense that we human beings can only get so close to God travels through the centuries. Distance from God is essential for he is God and we are not! And it is precisely this that Jesus turns upside down with his coming to us in flesh and blood. In him, we are invited into the burning bush that is God's presence.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

La Zarza de Moises, 3o Domingo de la Cuaremsa (C), 23 de marzo de 2025

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0700

En la primera lectura de este domingo cuaresmal, encontramos con Moisés algo maravilloso: una zarza ardiendo sin consumirse. Es mas que cualquier zarza y mas que cualquier zara ardiendo sin consumirse: es un encuentro con Dios. Este Dios revela que es un Dios con oídos para escuchar los gritos del pueblo de Moisés esclavizado en Egipcio y un Dios con un corazón para los oprimidos. Ha hecho la decisión a actuar a liberarlo. Es muy importante esa revelación porque la compasión para los pobres, los desechados, los vulnerables, los esclavizados llega a ser la norma fundamental de la moralidad de los judíos y luego los cristianos. Pero hay algo más en esta historia: la distancia que Moisés tiene que guardar ante de la presencia divina también es muy importante, especialmente para entender el significado de Jesús y su encarnación.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Like the Stars of the Night: Our Destiny, Second Sunday of Lent (Year C), March 16, 2025

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Abraham looks up into the night sky resplendent with stars and sees his destiny: "Your children will be more than even the starts of the night!" James, John, and Peter look into the divine face of Jesus and are given a pre-vision of Easter glory. And more than that, they, and we with them, also see our own destiny: what we see in Jesus Glorified is what we too shall be when all is said and done.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Desert Temptations: 1st Sunday of Lent (C), March 9, 2025

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0800

Following his extraordinary experience in the Jordan River, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert. Here he must confront the fundamental temptations of his life, especially now that he clearly knows his is God's Beloved Son. Each of the three desert temtations is a test of his vocation and mission.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Love Your Enemies, 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), March 2, 2025

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Jesus doesn't mince his words or his imagery; he says it clearly: "Love your enemies." We all know that this is the most difficult, if not the most impossible, thing Jesus teaches us. So how do we actually do it in real life? Jesus gives us the answer and it is both a simple one and a profound one.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Como amar a los enemigos, 7o domingo ordinario (C), 23 de febrero, 2025

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 06:40:00 -0800

Jesús nos ofrece hoy su "mandamiento" más difícil: "Amen a sus enemigos." A nosotros en nuestras vidas cotidianas, se parece casi imposible cumplirlo porque los enemigos nuestros nos han dañado mucho. Jesús entonces nos ensena como podamos vivir su mandamiento tan difícil...por orar para el bien de ellos.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Los bienaventurados no son los que piensan, 6o Domingo Ordinario (C), 16 de febrero, 2025

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0800

Entre las dos versiones de las Bienaventurados que encontramos en los evangelios de Mateo y Lucas, la de Lucas es la más difícil. Jesús se pone como revolucionario en no ofrecer bendiciones a los a la cima del orden social y religiosa del día y al contrario de toda expectativa, anuncia que los bendecidos de Dios son los más al bajo del orden social y religiosa.

Homilía compartida con la comunidad parroquial de la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador

Blessings and Woes Gone Upside Down: 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), February 16, 2025

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Everyone loves the Beatitudes, though the version they love is almost always that of Matthew. Luke's version is more difficult because Jesus is in full-prophet mode as he uses his maiden sermon to upend the social and religious order of his time. Who is "blessed" and who is "woed" are not what anyone in that crowd expected to hear.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Simeon's Defining Moment: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2025

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Sometimes a single brief moment can define the character and meaning of a whole life. So it was for Simeon; his encounter with the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem gave meaning to his long life and made him a figure of immense importance in the story of Israel's long-hoped-for salvation. As he received the Messiah on behalf of Israel, so he also stands in for us for whom this messiah is our "light to the nations."

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

A Happy Miracle: Cana, 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), January 19, 2025

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Today's impressive "miracle story" from the Gospel of John is a rarity: it is a "happy miracle!" Most of Jesus' miracles begin with a leper, a blind-man, even a dead-man (Lazarus), but this one begins with a wedding feast...the only problem is the wine for the feast has run out...not such a big deal in the face of humanity's many troubles. The changing of water to wine is a sign of the grand graciousness of God to us. Making us happy makes him happy!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Bautismo del Señor (año C), 12 de enero de 2025

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0800

“Mijo, te quiero y me complace.” Tales palabras dicho por un papá son de suma importancia en la vida de un niño. También fueron para Jesús. Al oír palabras muy parecidas de su Padre en el cielo momentos después de su bautismo en el rio Jordan, Jesús seguramente se sentía a la aprobación de su Padre para su manera de llevar la salvación a su pueblo. No por una revolución política contra los poderes políticos, ni por ser el más famoso maestro de la ley en la historia de Israel, sino por acompañar el pueblo humilde, pobre, y pecador en el desierto y en las aguas de arrepentimiento del rio Jordan.

Homilía compartida en la capilla de las Siervas de Maria en Cuenca, Ecuador.

You Are My Beloved Son: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Year C), January 12, 2025

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 06:28:00 -0800

"I love you and I'm proud of you." These are words any son or daughter loves to hear from their father. They are much the same words Jesus hears from his Father following his baptism in the Jordan River at the hands of John. They were important to Jesus not just because he needed some paternal validation, but because they let him know that his choice for just how he is going to save God's People has been the correct one. Jesus does not choose to take on the sons of Herod as a political revolutionary, nor be the greatest of rabbis on the steps of the Temple, but by going out to the desert to be with the poor, the humble, the sinners of Israel.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The Three Strangers, Solemnity of the Epiphany, January 5, 2025

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0800

We have warm and loving feelings for our Three Magi, so prominent on this final solemn feast of the Christmas season. Because of that love, we have many names for them: the Three Magi, the Three Kings, the Three Astrologers, and the Three Wisemen. Perhaps, we missed one though: "The Three Strangers", for their coming from a far-away land, their strange dress and customs, even their status as non-believers in the God of Abraham, may make such a tital far more important to the Epiphany story than the others.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Mary Remembers: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, (Year C), January 1, 2025

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Arguably one of the most poignant lines in all of Luke's Gospel is at the heart of today's feast: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." It tells us so much about the character and spirituality of our dear Mary. She was at heart, a contemplative, and remembering all that God had done for her was an integral part of her contemplative spirit.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecudador.

Jesus Grows Up: Feast of the Holy Family (C), December 29, 2024

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

The boy Jesus' extended stay in the Temple of Jerusalem marks a significant turning point in his life as Luke tells the story. As he listens to the great rabbis teach and preach, he also asks them the big questions that have been on his mind for a long time. Over the three days he spends among them, something remarkable happens: he grows up. He lets go of the hands of his father and mother and takes the hand of his Father. He comes to know who he is and what his mission is: to be God's feet, his hands, his very face to the People of God!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

God Unmighty: Christmas Morning (C), December 25, 2024

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:28:00 -0800

It seems that the more we honor God as "Almighty", the further he seems to be from us. We imagine the Almighty God as a severe judge, a king enthroned on high, or even as Michaelangelo's old man with a great beard floating on heavenly clouds. As God becomes ever more distant from us and our lives here on this earth, so too the cry from our hearts: "Where are you God; I need you HERE!" Those images of God Almighty are shattered on this day, when God becomes the Unmighty: nothing but flesh and blood like us, poor, cold, defenseless against the night. This is the great mystery we celebrate on this great morning: An Unmighty God Among Us!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Gettting to Know Elizabeth, 4th Sunday of Advent (C), December 22, 2024

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

Elizabeth is one of those dear people you just want to get to know. So today, using the gift of homiletic imagination, let's spend some time with her and listen to her tell her story...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

What Should We Do? 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 15, 2024

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

The question is repeated several times over; John is asked: What should we do? John's answer is a baseline of moral behaviour; it is nothing extraordinary. John is just trying to get his people up to the minimum of decent human and Jewish behavior. John knows that the One Who Is To Come will ask far more of them: a much deeper kind of love, a self-giving love!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador

Placing Jesus in Our History, 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 8, 2024

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

Luke opens his version of Jesus's story with a bit of historical context. It is important in telling us that the story that follows is not a fable or a fairy tale or a great work of fiction. It is history. And this very real story begins with John in the desert...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Come, Lord, Come! The First Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 1, 2024

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

The great prayer of Advent is a simple one: "Come, Lord, Come! It expresses our humility before God; we cannot save ourselves! It trusts in God's ability to save us. It places full faith and confidence that God, indeed, WILL save us! The pattern of crying out to God in our tribulations to come, then waiting for his coming, and finally experiencing his coming to save us is an old one, but it is especially present in the story of Jesus. His story of victory over the worst humanity could throw at him opens up our own story's end to be one of ultimate victory over evil and the forces of death and destruction. And so we yet pray: Come, Lord, come!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador

Two Kings: Solemnity of Christ the King (Year B), November 24, 2024

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

The Gospel passage from John this final Sunday of the Church's liturgical year presents us with two "kings" facing one another. One is typical of most human kings: power and domination are the currency of their reign. The other is far from typical: a humble carpenter, a controversial prophet, one willing to let go of all power in self-sacrificial love, destined for a cruel death. How can he be considered a "king" of anything? Let's ponder that question in this homily...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Stars Falling from the Sky, 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B), November 17, 2024

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

As the church year draws to a close, our liturgical readings are replete with apocolyptic imagery. Some of it is deeply consoling while other passages make us shiver with fear and trembling. Perhaps, the images in today's gospel can be read a different way: as images of a great love and a new life being born.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

The Widow and Her Coins: 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), November 10, 2024

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

Jesus attends to those who donate to the Temple in Jerusalem. The rich donors do not impress him, but a poor widow clearly does touch him deeply. In her self-giving, he sees himself and what will happen to him in Jerusalem.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

The Greatest Commandment: 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), November 3, 2024

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

Let us consider the Scribe who asks Jesus which of the commandments is the most important. Jesus answer seems to astound the man: "The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, all your sould, all your mind, and all your strength...and the second: love your neighbor as yourself." The Scribe finds these to be the perfect response to his question and says so. Jesus commends his understanding of this great mystery and says to him that he is not far from the Kingdom of God. What moved the man to ask this question in the first place? We can only conjecture, but the end result is a commendation to all of us to consider the quality of our own love of God and love of neighbor.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

La ley mas grande que todas: 31o domingo ordinario (B), 3 de noviembre de 2024

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0800

El escriba en el evangelio de hoy presenta a Jesús una pregunta muy fundamental: "Cual de los mandamientos de la ley es lo más importante? La respuesta de Jesús le impresiona mucho y el escriba dice que Jesús de verdad tiene razón. Es cierto que el mandamiento más grande de todo es amar a Dios con todo su corazón y amar a su prójimo como a si mismo.

Homilía compartido en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Cuenca, Ecuador.

The Souls of the Just: Solemnity of All Souls, Novemer 2, 2024

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0700

The beautiful verse from the late Hebrew scriptures, the Book of Wisdom, "The souls of the just are in the hands of God and there no torment shall touch them", leads us to reflect on the mystery of life, the life God has gifted to us, and its fulfillment in the life of God. As we remember our beloved dead this day, we entrust their souls into God's merciful and gracious hands.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Las Almas de los Justos: Solemnidad de los Fieles Difuntos, 2 de noviembre de 2024

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 09:03:00 -0700

La hermosa y profunda lectura del Libro de Sabiduria con que comenzamos la Liturgia de la Palabra en este dia solemne, nos ayuda a reflejernos sobre la realidad de la vida como don precioso de Dios, la muerte, y las manos tiernos de Dios en que entregamos las almas de nuestros queridos difuntos.

Homilia ofrecida en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Cuenca, Ecuador.

I was blind, but now I see: 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), October 27, 2024

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 13:56:00 -0700

"I was blind, but now I see..." When Andrea Bocelli sings that beautiful line from the hymn, Amazing Grace, you know it is a prayer that comes from deep in his own experience as a blind man. He would understand why Bartimeus in today's gospel reading would ask Jesus for just one thing: "I want to see." The most important "seeing" here is a seeing of things unseeable: love, life, amazing grace.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. This homily is a revision of one delivered in Spokane some years ago.

Jimmy and Johny: Dreamers of Great Things for Themselves: 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), October 20, 2024

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0700

The brothers, James and John, make a bold request of Jesus hoping to fulfill their desire for greatness in their lives. Jesus lets them know that he can't fulfill their request, but asks them instead if they can drink the cup of which he is to drink. He then gives all his apostles a stern lesson in humility and service.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

What More Must We Do? 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), October 13, 2024

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus loves the man who asks him, "What must I do to inherit everlasting life?" He already fulfills the commandments, so what more is there to do? Jesus, in love, gives him the one thing he can't bring himself to do: sell everything, give to the poor, and follow him. Alas...

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Divorce Hurts: 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), October 6, 2024

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus responds to a trick question about divorce. Rather than fall into the trap, he points his opponents' attention to what they are not seeing: the rich image of God's love that marriage is. The ideal of married love that he poses to them is one that animates our own understanding to this day.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

What to Cut, Chop, and Pluck: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), September 29, 2024

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus' severe teaching in the 9th chapter of Mark's gospel is a good example of radical exaggeration to make an important point. Jesus isn't mandating the cutting off of feet, chopping off of hands, or the actual plucking out of eyes. He IS mandating that we take a hard look at our own fundamental sins and excise them from our lives. Arrogance, lying, and lack of forgiveness, these are the "big ones" and the most challenging to be free of.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Jesus and The Child: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), September 22, 2024

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0700

One of the most popular images of Jesus is when he holds a child, embracing him/her with great love and tenderness. Today's gospel reading presents us with one of those moments, but the meaning off the story is far deeper than just "Jesus loves the little children", as the popular song from the '70's reminded us. This is a story about service, humility, and striving to be the least rather than the greatest.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Being The Christ is Tough: 24th Sunday of the Year (B), September 15, 2024

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus takes some time with his disciples to talk with them about something serious. He begins by asking them who others say that he is. The he asks them who THEY say he is. Peter's response is perfect: "You are the Christ." Jesus then explains what that will mean as they go forward: persecution, injustice, death...and the resurrection. After Peter protests, Jesus explains that this is essential to the mission of the Christ.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

"Effata": 23o domingo ordinario (B), 8 de septiembre de 2024

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 16:00:00 -0700

¿Nada más que un milagro más? ¿O sea posible que en la sanación del hombre sordo y mudo estamos experimentando un encuentro intimo entre nosotros y Jesús?

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, EC.

Gospel Spit: 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), September 8, 2024

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Jesus strangely uses spit to heal the deaf and mute man in the Gospel of Mark. Why spit? It is not so obvious to us in our times, but just maybe saliva had a primordial significance for Jesus. Coming from the mouth where both breath and word mingle, it may be that Jesus' spit carries with it his breath, his word, his spirit, his humanity and divinity both. In this intimate ritual of healing, Jesus gives his very being to the other.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness, 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), September 1, 2024

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0700

The big boys from Jerusalem come to Jesus to complain about his disciples failure to follow the ways of their forefathers, more particularly, their failure to wash their hands before meals. It sounds at first like a reasonable complaint to us, but their intervention wasn't really about proper hygiene; it had much more to do with the measures they were using to judge how faithful to God one was. These cleanliness rules were really ritual purification rules and those who followed them faithfully were faithful to God and God to them. Jesus doesn't like this one bit: the externals are not the measure of a person's holiness or closeness to God; it is what is on the inside that counts!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

To Whom Shall We Go? 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), August 25, 2024

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0700

As the 6th chapter of John's Gospel comes to an end this Sunday...as well as his lengthy teaching on the Bread of Life...there are no cheers nor gusty rounds of applause. To the contrary, most of his own disciples walk away from him, except the Twelve. It must surely have been a most discouraging moment for Jesus and a confusing one for Peter and the other eleven. At this nadir of his ministry, Jesus asks the few remaining with him, "Do you also want to leave me?" Peter's answer on behalf of the others is almost certainly deeply moving for Jesus. "Master, to whom shall we go? We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." Jesus' question is given to us as well and so each day in our prayer, we must answer.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. This day is also the 45th anniversary of Father Kevin Codd's ordination to the priesthood, which is reflected in his words today especially the final reflection.

Those Quarrelsome Galileans, 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), August 18, 2024

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Even after three Sundays worth of quarreling over Jesus' teaching on the Bread of Life, those Galileans who have followed Jesus to Capernaum are still at it. They just cant figure out what Jesus is going on about. There is a reason: they don't underestand his foundational teaching on who God is. They are stuck within an image of God as a powerful king, a severe judge, a great general. All this is far from what Jesus shares with them and others: God is first and foremost "Father" to us. Only in receiving this teaching can Jesus' further teaching about himself being the Bread of Life make any sense.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Elija and the Bread of Life, 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), August 11, 2024

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0700

The spectacular story of the prophet, Elija, helps us understand more profoundly the proclamation of Jesus in the Gospel of John that he is the Bread of Life, the Bread Come Down from Heaven. In Elijah's story, the God of Israel gives him the bread he needs to continue on in his great prophetic mission. So Jesus is the Bread of Life given to us by his Father that nourishes us and strengthens us for our own mission in this world.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. (This homily is also available in Spanish).

Elias y el Pan de Vida, 19o domingo ordinario (B), 11 de agosto de 20224

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0700

La historia del profeta Elías nos ayuda entender a Jesús cuando proclama que si mismo es el pan de vida en el evangelio de San Juan. El verdadero Dios de Israel no abandona a su profeta, sino le da el pan que necesita para seguir en su misión profética. Así es con Jesús: él es el pan que Dios, su Padre, da a nosotros para cumplir nuestras misiones en este mundo.

Homilía compartida con los feligreses de la Iglesia de Santa Teresita, Misicata, (Cuenca), Ecuador.

The Bread of Life, 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), August 4, 2024

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Those poor folks in the desert! Having just escaped the slavery of Egypt, now they must face the reality of not having bread for their journey towards the Promised Land! Their murmuring against both Moses and God is not without effect for God provides them with their daily bread because of his love for them. Jesus does much the same in his own time; last Sunday he provided a bounty of bread to a hungry crowd; but this week, he does more: he proclaims himself as the true bread come down from heaven, the very Bread of Life!

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Pan de Vida, 18o domingo ordinario (B), 4 de agosto de 2024

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Los pobres hebreos en el desierto! Después de haber dejado atrás la esclavitud de egipcio, se encuentren sin pan y con hambre en el desierto de Sinaí. Se murmuran contra Moisés y contra Dios. Sin embargo, Dios les provee su “pan de cada día” por amor a ellos. Jesús hace lo mismo a los judíos de su tiempo; les da pan de harina de trigo (el domingo pasado) pero mas importante, les da pan que no se acaba, Pan de Vida, que es su ser.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Roque, Cuenca, Ecuador.

The World's Hungers: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), July 28, 2024

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Our world has many hungers: Hunger of the body. Hunger of the spirit. Hunger for riches and power. Which of these merits the primary attention of the Christian? A case can be made for each of them. Jesus addresses all three as one in today's magnificent gospel story of the multiplacation of the loaves and fishes.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador

El hambre de la tierra: 17o domingo ordinario (B), 28 de julio de 2024

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0700

Hay mucha hambre en esta tierra. Hambre del cuerpo. Hambre del espiritu. Hambre tambien para el poder y las riquezas. ?Cual de esas es la mas importante para los Cristianos? Para Jesus, todos a la vez. El milagro de los panes y pescados es mucho mas que una maravilla, es un momento de formar de las multitudes un Pueblo de Dios compartiendo el Pan de la Vida.

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Roque, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Ovejas sin pastores, 16o Domingo Ordinario (B), 21 de julio de 2024

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 16:00:00 -0700

"Jesus vio una numerosa multitud que lo estaba esperando y se compadeció de ellos, porque andaban como ovejas sin pastor..." En este momento tierno del Evangelio de San Marcos, la falta de pastores para las ovejas de Israel es algo notable. ¿Donde estan? Nos urge a todos nosotros examinar bien nuestras vidas como discipulos de Jesus; ¿estamos actuando como pastores a las ovejas que buscan la presencia de Dios en sus vidas diarias?

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Sheep without Shepherds, 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B), July 21, 2024

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 10:00:00 -0700

As Jesus encounters the crowds looking to him for an experience of God in their lives, he is moved deeply and describes them as "sheep without shepherds." But where were those "shepherds" who were supposed to be caring for them? The priests of the temple, the students of the Law, and others who should have been with them were occupied elsewhere. The implicit critique of these non-shepherding shepherds, together with the powerful indictment in the prophet Jeremiah (first reading of the day), calls all of us who are pastors in one way or another to examine our consciences as to how absent we might be from the sheep the Lord has given to us.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

From Disciple to Apostle, 15th Sunday of the Year (B), July 14, 2024

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 10:15:00 -0700

Life has its unexpected changes. Such was true for many of the great figures in the Scriptures, including Jesus' Twelve. In Mark 6, they experience the unexpected and challenging change from their status as "disciples" to "apostles."

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Desde discipulo a apostel, 15o Domingo Ordinario (B), 14 de julio de 2024

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:15:00 -0700

En la vida, siempre hay cambios Asi era para los grandes figuras de las Escrituras y en particular para los Doce. En el sexto capitulo de San Marcos, la vida de los Doce se cambia en una manera grande e inesperaba: se cambian de discipulos a apostoles.

Homilia compartida a los feligreses de la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis en Cuenca, Ecuador.