Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The temptation to fall back into measuring greatness according to the standards of the world is powerful. And when we see the good that others have and have accomplished, it can be easy to fall into comparison, jealousy, and envy. We can be afraid that we are not enough because another has more. But Jesus reveals that His greatest moment is the moment He held on to the least.

Mass Readings from September 30, 2018:
Numbers 11:25-29
Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Great leaders are not those who make their authority over others felt. Great leaders (and great people) are those who, like Christ, place themselves and their gifts at the service of others. They have no fear of losing their status, because they have no status to lose.

Mass Readings from September 23, 2018:
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6, 8
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37

Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The desire to be seen and to be known is written deep in the human heart. But is a person great simply because a large number of people acknowledge them? Jesus reveals that true greatness is when a person gives themselves away to something or someone greater; it is to lay down one’s life for Him and for the Gospel. It does not consist in self-protection or self-expression, but in self-donation.

Mass Readings from September 16, 2018:
Isaiah 50:5-9
Psalm 116:1-9
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35

Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We often want to measure greatness by a person’s ability, or by what they have accomplished. But God reveals that, while what we do matters, who we are and who we become matters more.

Mass Readings from September 9, 2018:
Isaiah 35:4-7
Psalm 146:6-10
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37