Prideful vainglory and perfection are sometimes close associates, while imperfection and humility can find solace in each other’s company. For many, perfection is a major prerequisite for God’s friendship and loving regard, whereas imperfection and sin invite God’s anger and punishment. In keeping with this mindset, a particular virtue is only possessed in its perfection, […]
Feast of Saint James
More than one saint who didn’t die a martyr’s death strongly desired to do so. James and John, in today’s gospel, seem very eager to do so—even if only to secure a special place at Jesus’ right and left. And Jesus does seem to promise them both the grace of martyrdom with his assurance that […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 16th Sunday
20 July, 2025, 16th Sunday, YR C: Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42 The women in today’s Gospel have often been interpreted symbolically but let’s consider them as two sisters receiving a beloved guest. Is there an element of camaraderie and joking in this dialogue? After all, isn’t this an intimate scene of friends enjoying […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 14th Sunday
6 July, 2025, 14th Sunday, Year C: Isaiah 66:10-14c; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Isn’t what Jesus proposes in today’s Gospel contrary to our culture, even subversive? Isn’t it significant that no one is sent out alone? A partner can challenge my strategy, just as I may help keep him or her on the mark. […]
Independence Day
Enemies, and those we really don’t like, occur on a common spectrum—from the one who seeks to violently take my life, to the one whose entire being irritates and tries my patience and charity to the extreme. And whereas the former is, fortunately, rarely encountered, the latter is virtually inescapable at some juncture in our […]
Memorial of Saint Junipero Serra
Looking back is one of the preconditions for gratitude—gratitude to God and gratitude towards one another. However, looking back with a morbid regret and sense of shame that excludes forgiving oneself as well as accepting God’s forgiveness, traps us in the past and like Lot’s wife, looking back renders us powerless to move forward. Aware […]
A Word from Gertrude the Great
O God, love, you alone are my wall and rampart. Those who bear distress in this world, behold, they know what kind of shelter there is for them in your peace as a defense against heat and a canopy against rain. Ah! Look upon and see my battle; you yourself teach my hands to fight. […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Sacred Heart
27 June, 2025, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, YR C: Ezekiel 34:11-16; Romans 5:5b-11; Luke 15:3-7 It’s no surprise that today’s solemnity is about love, but how do I understand “love”? I don’t believe genuine love resembles the good feelings or effervescence of romance or infatuation. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is […]
Wednesday of the 12th Week of Ordinary Time
God’s answer to Abram’s question: How am I to know that I shall possess this land, is anything but clear or precise. Instead, he falls into a deep trance and is enveloped by a deep and terrifying darkness that calls for a surrender in loving trust to the Lord who called and brought him from […]
Memorial of Saint Boniface
Hate, malice, anger, and envy, all have the potential to bind people together in pursuit of a common cause. However, this unity is a false and fragile one that can easily fracture into violent factions which then turn on each other. Thus, the seething hate and malice that Paul aroused bound the Pharisees and Sadducees […]