Fr. Andrew’s 25th Sunday of the Year Homily Podcast
All of us face moments of difficult, trial, and temptation. In these moments we are tested, and as we face our challenges we discover meaning and purpose for our lives as we call upon the help of heaven and earth for the help we need.
Study: Recall a time when you were overwhelmed by difficulty. What got you through it?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the courage and strength to face your challenges.
Serve: Is there someone you know who is struggling? How can you offer your support?
25th Sunday of the Year Readings
Don’t you wish life would always be easy? Wouldn’t it be great if challenges and obstacles disappeared with a simple thought? What’s more, how about if evil, darkness, fear, and violence would vanish from the face of the earth?
I know: I will now wake up from my pleasant dream. Since the dawn of creation evil and sin have been part of our world, and for this very reason Jesus Christ died and rose. The death and resurrection of the Lord confronts the darkness and shines with the light of faith.
As Christians we can thus recognize two fundamental principles:
Simply put, this means that we have hope in the face of difficulty. God continues to give grace and strength, empowering us to face our fears and engage life with the faith to continue in the presence of adversity. We know that life is hard; we know that with the Lord’s help we can carry on.
Where do you find darkness and evil in your life right now? Where do the difficulties and obstacles present themselves? Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge these pitfalls and recognize how they tempt and distract us.
For the minute we understand our struggles, we are equipped with the knowledge to petition the Lord for the help we need. What’s more, as we understand the struggles of those around us, we can reach out with love of Christ to support one another with sincerity and genuine assistance.
May we honestly confront the challenges of life, trusting in the Lord for the grace we need.
Study: Reflect on a time when you struggled with something in the privacy of your heart. What helped you?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace and healing you need to fight the challenges within you.
Serve: Perhaps you know someone who is facing a difficult time alone. How might you reach out?
22nd Sunday of the Year Readings
Listen to the Lord’s words to the people in this Sunday’s Gospel:
He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.” Mark 7: 14-15,21-23
We see the effects of sin on the outside in the words and actions that are evident through observation and experience. Yet the Lord reminds us that the origin of our sin begins within the human heart, and it is there that the battle rages.
We can cloak our lives, guarding our speech and hiding our actions, yet eventually the pattern of our soul emerges through our interactions with one another. Only God clearly sees our hearts, and it is to the Lord that we turn to:
Because our hearts are hidden from view, it is crucial that we take time for reflection and prayer to review the state of our souls. Some powerful tools to help us:
May we pause to look honestly at our hearts, and call upon Jesus Christ for the grace we need to fight the battle within!
Study: What needs to be cleaned up in your life? What “messes” require care and attention?
Pray: Invite the Lord into your heart and ask him for the grace and strength to cast out what does not belong.
Serve: How can you help someone clean up a part of their life?
Pastoral Note: The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent provide an option for using the “Year A” readings at Mass for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process. At the Cathedral this year, we will be using Year A during these weeks for this very reason – but for those who follow the usual cycle (this year it is “Year B”) the reflection is offered below.
3rd Sunday of Lent Readings – Year B
Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Year B
About this time of year I start getting the itch to dig and clean out old items around the house. I start in those areas where things usually pile up, namely – CLOSETS! (You know, those places where we throw things that we are not sure if we need…)
I pull them out and ask a simple question, “Have I touched this in the last two years? Have I needed it, used it, thought about it? Or can I get rid of it?”
Sometimes we hold on to items (clothes for example) that we simply do not need. We do not use them, and they occupy and clutter space that takes away from other things. Since I am not generally a pack rat, I find this time of year refreshing; it is a way that I can simplify my life and focus on what I think is important.
In John’s Gospel we see Jesus doing his sort of house cleaning. Entering into the temple with a whip of cords, he systematically drives out those who are treating the temple like a marketplace. It is a rare glimpse of the Lord’s anger, and it reminds us of his passion and zeal for the House of God.
Yet we are reminded that buildings are not the only temples where God resides. St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” If the Lord was willing to drive out inappropriate behavior from the temple in Jerusalem, what will he drive out when he enters the temple of our hearts?
To help us, God provided the Commandments – that we might avoid the very things that harm us. The first reading today proclaims these commandments, reminding us that God has provided a path to help us on our journey through life. What’s more, these commandments reveal with swift clarity what is does not belong; they point out the very sins that can keep us from the Lord and one another.
In our moments of honesty we know that there are elements that need to be cast out. Sin is a part of our human condition, and all of us have fallen short of God’s grace in our thoughts, words, and deeds. We know that if the Lord were to come into our hearts he would discover secrets and fears that keep us from God and one another.
The point, however, is that God has come! The Lord Jesus, through his death and resurrection, comes through the Holy Spirit into our world. His victory over sin and death give us hope that we may have eternal life. We need not fear the darkness in our hearts; we can offer it to the light of Christ.
The Scriptures tell us that we are a temple. Experience tells us that within this temple there is sin. Yet faith tells us that not only will Jesus come driving out evil, but he will make a place to dwell there within our hearts. You see, it’s his house, too.
Study: Reflect on a moment when sin has touched your life. Where did you find God’s grace at work?
Pray: Take some time for personal reflection. Make this an Examination of Conscience to recall how God continues to touch your heart and bless your life.
Serve: Consider a simple and practical way that you can care for another this Lent. Something personal…something real.
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
These are the words we hear today as we come forward to begin a new Lent. We physically mark our foreheads – smudge them with grimy ashes – to recall the simple fact that we are all sinners and stand in need of God’s mercy.
And what great mercy it is! Perhaps that’s why we pause. We need mercy. We crave forgiveness. We hunger to be loved simply and gently, no strings attached, no conditions required.
These ashes remind us that we need….God.
Pause today. We reflect on what is broken or wounded in our lives – to discover where we are hurting.
Then look outward. This is our opportunity to consider how we have broken or wounded others – recognizing that perhaps another has suffered through our thoughts, words, or deeds.
Ashes.
Repentance.
God’s Grace.
Have a blessed and holy Lent.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
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