21 September 2018 - feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist - Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

    Paul writes today of how we are all united as brothers and sisters in Christ - united under one body and one Spirit; united through one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; united under one God and Father of all.  In attempts to being politically correct, a lot of people in the modern world want to just refer to God and God, saying we should not assign a gender to him and should not call him Father.   But, echoing the teachings of Jesus, Paul in his writings is very adamant about calling God “Father.”  He states that God is “the one Father who is over all and through all and in all.”  

     As we celebrate the unity of our faith today in our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, we celebrate Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist on his feast day.  What is so interesting about Matthew and many of the other apostles is that they mostly came from a cross section of society, men with flaws and weaknesses like everyone else.  They were not the strongest or the smartest or the most powerful.  Matthew was a tax collector; he was seen as a collaborator of the occupying foreign Roman regime, someone who had betrayed his own people for his own gain and his own fortunes.  But the invitation and call that Matthew received from Jesus opened his heart and his mind to the Good News, as we hear in today’s Gospel.  Matthew left his old life behind and became a disciple and close friend of our Lord. He wrote the Gospel that bears his name, intended for an audience of Jewish Christians.  We give thanks today for the witness of faith of Matthew and the other members of the Early Church whose faith has been passed down to us.  We stand in unity and solidarity in our faith with them, united as sons and daughters of the Father of all. 

10 July 18 - homily for Tuesday of the 14th week in Ordinary Time - Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13

      In our daily masses, we have been hearing from a lot of different prophets lately.  Last week we heard from Amos, a shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah whom God called to be a prophet of social justice.  This week we hear from the prophet Hosea.  Hosea lived and prophesied before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 8th century before Christ’s birth.  In our reading today, we hear how Hosea is very unhappy about the kings and princes whom the people have chosen to be their leaders.  Many of these kings and princes made idols for worship that led the people away from God.  We have been hearing about a lot of elections that have been happening in different parts of the world, particularly the presidential election that was held in Mexico recently.  We are electing congressmen and two Senators in Mississippi in the national election this November, which will be important in choosing leaders for our state and for our nation.  It is very important for us to choose wisely.  I look at what is still being played out in the United Kingdom.   Even though two years ago that country voted to exit the European Union, many in the country are not sure how that is going to happen or if that is what they really want for their country.   We need prayer and discernment and a well informed conscience in order to make wise decisions in how to vote.  We contrast the leaders that Hosea calls out to the leadership Jesus embodies in today’s Gospel – being a shepherd to the people, having compassion for the way they are troubled and burdened, teaching and preaching the Gospel message of Good News, and brining healing into the lives of the people.   Jesus’ servant leadership is a great example for us.  May we take our responsibility to vote seriously.  May we vote with the values of our faith.