Fr. Greg Heille, OP

The readings for Mass today have a series of warnings against greed, which causes us to try to possess things rather than to takes care of them and put them to the best use for all. We are called to virtue, to be stewards of creation, rather than to greed.

In our reading today from the Book of Leviticus, we hear about the Jewish concern for land justice and food equity, having rules that overcome the inequities of agricultural land ownership. In the United States, 14% of the food is produced by black farmers, though they only own 4% of the agricultural land. Also, in St. Louis, MO there are food deserts in the black community and people working to fix them. Worse still, is the crushing food and land injustice in Gaza that drives the unrest. To create a world of hope, we need to work at overcoming these injustices.

St. Paul urged us to hold on to whatever was true, honorable, and just (Phil 4:8). Bartolomé de las Casas heard the preaching or Fray Antonio Montesinos OP about the evils of the Encomienda system and gave up his own encomiendo and slaves to become a Dominican friar and spent his life working to free the indigenous people of the Americas and develop and helping to develop what became the foundation of international law so that all people could be free. We owe it to God to relearn our own history to see what still needs to be done.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul assures us that we are not strangers, but citizens of the household of God. When our faith falters, we can lean on this ancient community of faith to pull us through.

The Cost of Discipleship: Like Paul facing persecution in Jerusalem, we’re called to witness "without counting the cost."

This homily challenges us to confront unjust systems while standing firm in faith, just as the martyrs did. "We too are baptized," Fr. Heille reminds us. "We too testify to the power of the cross—and the promise of resurrection."