A Word of Hope

On this Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, we hear Jesus tell a reluctant disciple, "Let the dead bury the dead, you come follow me," reminding us that we do not celebrate the martyrs' deaths but the fact that life and the faith endure no matter what. Christians are called to go out and preach that Good News. In parallel, the first reading recounts Abraham bargaining with God to not destroy Sodom because of the sins of the society for the sake of the just people who also live there. We are not to look only at the sins of a society without also seeing the good in it as well, and rather than simply condemning the sin, we can call forth and nurture the good.

On this Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, as we remember the 100th anniversary of St. Dominic Church in Denver, Fr. Luke ponders the enduring mission of the church to reach out to the world to bring God's gift of love and inclusion to all. To be church today, we must still go out to bring Christ to the world for the Glory of God.

When God showed up at Abraham's door as three angels posing as travelers, Abraham offered them hospitality in the form of a feast. God, in return, promised that in a year Sarah would have a son. Sarah, being old, secretly laughed at the prospect, but God made it happen. Do we offer hospitality to the poor who show up at our door? Do we trust God's promises to us?

On this Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to receive his heart into our own hearts, not in abject obedience, but in a loving following of him who gave his life for us—serving him out of love who served us out of love.

God promised Abram and Sarai a child, but when that promise was slow in coming, they decided to have Abram sleep with Sarai's maidservant Hagar instead. This was a bad decision, but God still kept his promise to Abram and Sarai, and God made the descendents of Ishmael, Hagar's child, more numerous than one could count. God is not limited by our bad decisions, and whether or not we are faithful, God's plans will come to pass.

God placed his hope in Abram, and so Abram placed his trust in God. Even when we head down the wrong path, God still hopes in us with unshakable confidence. Find that hope in yourself today so that you can place your own trust more firmly in God, no matter the challenges.

John the Baptist was created by God blessed with a particular mission and wonderfully made to be able to carry out that mission. You and I are also called to great things and greatly gifted by God to be able to carry them out. Ponder that today.

God called Abram and Sarai and gave them new names and a new land, so that they could become a blessing for all the communities on earth. This is our call as well. Do we have a blessing to offer others? Perhaps forgiveness?

When Paul related Jesus' words instituting the Eucharist, it was to remind a fractious community that this Sacrament calls us to come together as one Body in Christ. Do we still feel united by the Body and Blood of Christ? Do we care for one another, both physically and spiritually? May Jesus draw us into a closer unity.

Paul asked God three times to have a "thorn taken from his flesh", but his prayer was denied. It was an opportunity for him to learn to trust God more. Whether we feel close to God in prayer or far away, it is an opportunity to grown in our relationship with God.

Jesus tells us to store up treasure in heaven where thieves cannot steal it. We know this, and yet we often prefer treasure on earth because we can touch it. Can we learn to trust God, and take up our cross, and follow Jesus?

When giving us the "Our Father," Jesus exhorted his disciples not to use so many words, as the pagans do. Here is a simple prayer of no words at all, simply taking a moment to be aware of the presence of God. Perhaps it might invigorate your prayer life.

Paul tells us that those who sow sparingly, reap sparingly, while those who sow abundantly reap abundantly. We can find delight in sowing abundantly when we realize how abundantly God has given to us, so that we no longer fear the world, but trust God. Do what it takes to foster that trust in yourself today.

Jesus says that we are to love our enemies. To do this, we need to bring the Good News to those in our lives or those we meet whom actually anger us. Can we be such witnesses to the Gospel?

In the Jewish world of Jesus' day, there were many interpretations of laws and their meaning. Jesus moved away from a minimal understanding of what God required of us and pushed his disciples to put their entire soul into the divine work of reconciliation, and thus help bring about the Kingdom of God.

Christians believe in the Trinity, One God in three persons, united by an eternal dialog of love. This Trinitarian love should lead us to live out our faith in a synodal church, listening to one another, respecting the input of each, and thus building up our unity that respects diversity.

Jesus tells us not to swear by God, but to let our "yes" mean "yes" and our "no" mean "no." Perhaps this is not an injunction against oath-taking, which is an integral part of our modern world, but an injunction to be completely sincere in our words, so that our words and our life make a sincere and total "yes" to God.

St Paul tells us the death is in work in us, and we can all feel that in our lives: in trials, anxiety, and sleepless nights. But these deaths are part of growth, as we transition from our old life of hopelessness to a new life of hope in Christ. So today, look within and ask God to put these anxieties to death and open the door to the new life Jesus promises.

When Moses met God on the mountain in the burning bush, he was so transformed by the experience that his face shown with a radiant light. Our encounter with Jesus Christ transforms us even more thoroughly so that we might shine in every way for others. Today, let us look within to experience the presence of God and the transformation that this has brought so that we might make the Gospel more present in our world.

On this Memorial of the Apostle Barnabas, we remember how he said "yes" when the Church elected him to accompany Paul on his missionary journeys. When God calls, will you say yes, ready or not?

Jesus tells us that we are meant to be the salt of the earth and a light for the world. For whom are we light? Who is light to us? Today, let us look at our relationships in this light.

In proclaiming Mary as the Mother of the Church, we acknowledge that the Church is her son, Jesus, and all of us who are part of the church, are part of the Body of Christ and have God dwelling in us.
So we do not have to go looking for God, we can find God dwelling within ourselves.

In building the Tower of Babel, people were trying to wall themselves off from others and impose unity through force. That kind of unity never works and in the end always falls apart. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit united people by dwelling inside them, thus uniting each to God. This unity lasts unto eternity, and it also sends us out right now to encounter others rather than walling us off from them.

Rooted in scripture and animated by Catholic social teaching, this homily challenges us to live boldly in the Spirit—compelled, called, and inspired to be a voice of faith in the face of injustice and despair.