Category Archives: Weekday Homily

Forgiveness Daniel 3:25, 34–43; PSALM 25; Matthew 18:21–35  The Psalmist prays, “Remember your mercy, Lord.” Beloved, if God must remember his mercy, we too must be merciful. Today’s gospel presents us with the fate of the unforgiving servant. Like the “Lord’s Prayer,” this narrative further illustrates the importance of forgiveness. As Christians, forgiveness is our […]

Return to God  MICAH 7:14–15, 18–20; PSALM 103; LUKE 15:1-3, 11–32 Micah prays to the Lord, saying, “Have pity on us one more time” (Micah 7:19). God hears us and forgives us whenever we cry to him for mercy. He is the lovely father who never fails to welcome a repentant sinner. The gospel reading, […]

THE BAD TENANTS GENESIS 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28; PSALM 105; MATTHEW 21:33-43, 45-46 “Let us kill him; then we shall see what becomes of his dreams” (Gen. 37:20). The first reading presents us with Joseph’s dream. His brothers hated him because of his dream, and so they devised evil against him and sold him into slavery. […]

LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN (Heaven and Hell) Jeremiah 17:5–10; Psalm 1; Luke 16:19–31 Wealth should not make us indifferent to the plight and dignity of human life. The rich man in today’s gospel reading was condemned because, in his riches, he was indifferent to the situation of Lazarus—what Catechism would call sin of omission. […]

The Evil Plot JEREMIAH 18:18-20; PSALM 30; MATTHEW 20:17-28 “My enemies are digging a pit for me.” ‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah” (Jer. 18:18). The plot against Jeremiah prefigures the plot against Jesus. It also shows how the enemies plot evil against the children of God without offense. What […]

Against Hypocrisy ISAIAH 1:10, 16-20 PSALM 50; MATTHEW 23:1–12 Isaiah 1:16 says, “Cease to do evil; learn to do good.” This is an alarm not only to feel sorrowful for the sin committed but also to break away from the practice. We often regret the evil we have done, but we do not put an […]

Love your enemies. DEUTERONOMY 26:16–19; PSALM 118; MATTHEW 5:43–48 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You have learned how it was said: You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way, you will be sons of your […]

True Conversion  EZEKIEL 18:21–28; PSALM 129; Matthew 5:20–26 Today we are reminded that God does not delight in the death of a wicked man. He says in Ezekiel 18:21–22 that “If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws, and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will […]

THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER, APOSTLE  1 Peter 5:1-4; PSALM 23; Matthew 16:13–19 Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter. The “chair” symbolizes the authority of St. Peter and his successors (the Pope). Peter lived and worked in Capernaum as a fisherman […]

REPENTANCE JONAH 3:1-10; PSALM 51; LUKE 11:29-32 Jonah was sent by God to the people of Nineveh to warn them about the coming wrath if they don’t turn from their evil ways. They received Jonah’s message with so much remorse, declared fasting and penance and repented.  Nineveh’s narrative reminds us of the importance of penance […]