22 May 2026 - homily for Friday of the 7th week of Easter - St Rita - Acts 25:13b-21

Born in 1381 to a poor family in Umbria in Italy, St Rita entered an arranged marriage at the age of 12. Her marriage was not a happy one, with her husband being violent and abusive. He died in the midst of a feud with another family. Rita’s sons sought the revenge of his death, but ended up dying of dysentery. Rita was always seeking their conversion and replied with humility, patience, courage, and kindness to the difficult circumstance of her life.  Rita was not allowed to become a nun after the death of her husband and her sons until she was able to forge peace and reconciliation between the feuding families. She entered the monastery as a nun following the Augustinian rule at the age of 36. She died of tuberculosis in 1457 at the age of 76.  She was not canonized until the year 1900, more than 500 years after her death. St Rita, along with St Jude, is know as the patron saint of impossible causes. She is also the patron saint of family honor and those suffering from spousal abuse. Her body has remained incorruptible over the centuries.  

Today we continue to hear about charges brought against Paul in our reading from the Acts as we continue to hear about the development and struggles of the Early Church. Specifically, we hear the charges against Paul being explained to Herod Agrippa, the head of that region of the Roman empire.  It is explained to Herod that Paul is not accused by the chief priests and the elders of the Jewish people of criminal charges related to laws of the Roman empire, but rather of violating Jewish religious laws, specifically related to Jesus, who Paul claims is alive.

We might ask ourselves how Christ is alive in our own hearts, how we see Christ in our present reality. We need to be able to relate our faith to the way we live out our lives each day. We unite our prayers with the prayers of St Rita and the prayers of the entire community of saints. May their intercessions help us in any prayers we consider to be impossible causes. 

16 May 2026 - homily for Saturday of the 6th week of Easter - Acts 18:23-28

This is the last weekday mass of the Easter season, as we commemorate the end of Easter tomorrow with Pentecost. Next week, we return to ordinary time. We have been hearing about the development of the early Church from Acts during the Easter season, telling us how the Church spread throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, even making its way to Rome. Today, we hear about a Jew named Apollos who converts to the way of Jesus and then becomes a missionary and evangelizer himself. We might think of our own evangelization efforts as we hear about the evangelization efforts of St Paul in the Early Church. 

Simon Stock was born in England in 1165 to a well-known Christian family. He was very religious even as a child. As a teenager, he became a hermit, living for 8 years in a hollowed out tree. He felt called to join a community after his years as a hermit, joining the Carmelite order. He finished his studies in Oxford and became the superior general of the Carmelites. He worked tirelessly to spread the Carmelite Order throughout Europe, founding many communities in university towns. He was responsible for the revision of the rules of the Carmelites, leading the community from lives as hermits to those of mendicant brothers. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother.  She appeared to him with the brown scapular, which has become a very popular devotion which has extended beyond the Carmelite order. He died in 1265 at the age of 100 after having served as Superior General of the Carmelites for many years. We honor Simon Stock on his feast day today. 

22 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 7th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are seated at the right hand of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you intercede for us. 

Lord Jesus - you are sending us the Holy Spirit

Priest - With Easter joy in our hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. That our governmental and Church leaders may seek the greater good for all whom they serve.

2. That God will lead us to a deeper reliance upon his loving kindness and help us to trust in his care for us. 

3. That God will help us face the sufferings that we encounter and bear these patiently, following the example of Jesus

4. For our children and youth who received the sacraments this Easter season. For the adults who entered the Church this year. For strength and courage on their journey. 

5. For healing in mind, body, and spirit. May the wounds of Christ restore to wholeness all who are suffering, awaiting surgery, or undergoing therapy.  

6. For peace in the world, especially in the Middle East and the Ukraine.

7. For the men and women serving in the military, for our veterans, and for our first responders. 

8. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

Priest: We present our prayers today through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

21 May 2026 - homily for Thursday of the 7th week of Easter - St Eugene de Mazenod - Acts 22:30 and 23:6-11

When I was serving as a lay missionary in Canada, I looked into become a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, as that order is very popular up there, especially in the provinces of western Canada.  I spent a year discerning a vocation with them. Today, we celebrate that founder of that order on his feast day: Eugene de Mazenod.  Born in 1782 in Aix-en-Provence in the South of France, Mazenod was a child and a youth during the French Revolution. Europe had been going through the Age of Enlightenment in this era, in which human reason, philosophy, analysis, and the individual were emphasized over religion. During this era, the traditional places of power and authority in society, the government and the Church, were being challenged.  Even though many in France turned away from the Church during those years, de Mazenod chose to enter seminary.  He eventually became the Bishop of Marseille, a larger trading port and a place where there was a lot of poverty on many levels.  He eventually founded the religious order the Oblates of Mary of Immaculate.  Pope Pius XI called the OMI the missionary specialists of difficult missions. In fact, two influential American priests in recent years have been members of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate - the popular Catholic author Father Ron Rolheiser and Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. These two men embody the missionary spirit of the order that de Mazenod founded. The priests of the OMI are a major influence in Canada, helping maintain a Catholic presence in many rural areas of that country.  Mazenod died in 1861 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate are one of the largest male religious orders in the Catholic Church today, with approximately 2,700 priests and brothers. 

We just have a few days left in our Easter season, as we will celebrate the solemnity of Pentecost this weekend and the end of the Easter season. As we continue to hear about the missionary efforts of the Early Church in our readings from Act at daily mass today, we hear about Paul’s difficulties, as he is ordered to stand before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to give testimony. Rather than trying to help Paul and encourage him, the Jewish authorities are plotting to kill him and destroy him, a reminder of what Jesus went through during his journey to the cross. Paul is cunning and intelligent as he traps the Sadducees and Pharisees, getting them in an argument that he knows that will keep them preoccupied, since these two groups do not agree in the belief in the resurrection. 

The Early Church faced a lot of challenges in preaching the Gospel message. Missionary like St Eugene de Mazenod faced a lot of challenging in proclaiming the Gospel message as well. May we unite our prayers today with all the great missionary saints of the Church. May we be encouraged in our own evangelization efforts.  

21 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 7th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are seated at the right hand of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you intercede for us. 

Lord Jesus - you are sending us the Holy Spirit

Priest - With Easter joy in our hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For wisdom for our Church leaders and governmental leaders. 

2. For the sick, the afflicted, and the homebound. That God will comfort and sustain them and help us offer them encouragement. 

3. For those who do not have access to clean drinking water. We continue to pray for those who are working to improve the water system in the city of Jackson. 

4. For all medical researchers. That the Holy Spirit will guide them in finding new and morally acceptable treatment for the major diseases facing society. 

5. For all who are suffering from violence and war. For the people of Ukraine and the Middle East.

6. For the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: We present our prayers today through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

20 May 2026 - St Bernardino of Siena - homily for Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter - Acts 20:28-38

Born in 1380, San Bernardino of Siena was a Franciscan priest and missionary. He is sometimes known as the apostle of Italy for his evangelization efforts to renew the Catholic faithful of Italy in the 15th century. His great skills at oratory and communication earn him the title of patron saint of advertisers and advertising. He preached under his own banner, with the initials IHS, which stands for Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Savior of men” in Latin), associated with the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. When he was on mission to different cities in Italy, he would carried the monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus with him. He was bless the sick with this symbol, with great miracles of healing reported. At the close of his preaching, he would hold up this symbol to the faithful and asked them to prostrate themselves in adoration of the redeemer of humanity. He advocated for the Catholic faithful to have this monogram of Jesus placed over the gates of their cities and above the doors of their houses to remind them always of the blessings they have from their Lord and Savior. He died in 1444. Besides being remembered for his great preaching and this monogram of Jesus’ name, he is also remembered for the works he work on the philosophy of economics, addressing topics such as the justification of private property, the ethics of trade, the determination of value and price, and charging interest on a loan. 

In just a few days, we will mark an end to the holy season of Easter with the celebration of Pentecost. Today, in the continuing story of the Early Church from Acts, we hear a continuation of Paul’s speech to the people of Ephesus. Paul is getting ready to go back to Jerusalem where he knows he will face many challenges. Paul informs the community leaders in Ephesus that they, too, will face opposition in their ministry. Paul specifically says that he knows that after his departure, “savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.” Paul’s farewell to the community at Ephesus is very emotional for him.  As he and the members of the community weep and hug each other, they know that they won’t see each other again. 

May the saints and Mothers and Fathers of our faith continue to inspire us and encourage us. We unite our prayers today with the prayers of St Bernardino of Siena and St Paul. 

20 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Wednesday of the 7th week of Easter

Lord Jesus - you are seated at the right hand of the Father. 

Christ Jesus - you intercede for us. 

Lord Jesus - you are sending us the Holy Spirit

Priest - With Easter joy in our hearts, let us present our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. That all missionaries, catechists, and evangelizers boldly proclaim Christ’s Gospel message to the world. 

2. That we in the Church may hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out to us. 

3. That God will strengthen our Church leaders, guiding them in accompanying us into a deeper relationship with God. 

4. For all who are discerning a call to ministry in the Church. That they may listen deep within for the voice of Christ. 

5. For all who do not know God or who are seeking something more in their lives.  That the Holy Spirit will instill a hunger and thirst within them. 

6. For peace and healing in the world. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today.

Priest: We present our prayers today through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.