Homilies about community

A Priest's Urgent Plea: Saving Lives in the Congo Amidst Ebola and Poverty

Father Geston

The homily begins by explaining the mystery of the Holy Trinity, using analogies like 1+1+1=1 in faith and the sacrament of matrimony where two become one. It then transitions into a deeply personal and urgent plea for support for the priest's orphanage in the Congo, detailing a harrowing medical emergency involving one of the children and the extreme challenges of providing care amidst poverty and disease like Ebola.

The Trinity and Our Call to Serve the Poor: Stories from Africa and Brazil

Father Akisu Jerat Kamina

The homily begins by explaining the Trinity not as an incomprehensible mystery, but as a truth that human language struggles to fully articulate, emphasizing God's communal nature. It then transitions into a powerful appeal for Cross Catholic Outreach, sharing two vivid personal stories from Africa and Brazil about the desperate need for clean water and food, highlighting how these basic necessities prevent immense suffering and exploitation, especially of children.

The Spiritual Breath: Why We Need Community to Live Fully

Padre Federico Catón

The homily emphasizes the importance of spiritual 'breathing' and community support, drawing parallels between physical and spiritual well-being. The priest shares personal anecdotes about his sleep apnea and a Cuban nurse who, despite not knowing God, embodies Christian charity through her care for the lonely and sick. He urges the community to extend compassion and combat loneliness, highlighting the unique family-oriented virtues of Hispanic culture and connecting these actions to the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Mystery of the Trinity and the Power of Mission: A Dominican's Story

Father John Baptist Semugabi

The homily explores the mystery of the Holy Trinity, emphasizing God's nature as merciful, kind, and seeking communion, as revealed through Moses, St. Paul, and Jesus. It highlights the Trinity as a model for human relationships, encouraging acceptance and unity despite individual differences, and stresses that while God is a mystery, the little we know is sufficient for salvation. The second part of the homily is a personal appeal for mission support, sharing the speaker's own story as a product of such generosity and detailing the impact of Dominican friars in East Africa and beyond.

El Amor Incondicional de Dios y Cómo Vivirlo en Familia

Padre Fernando Maldonado

The homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity emphasizes that God's love for humanity is boundless and unconditional, even when people are unfaithful. It stresses the importance of living out this Trinitarian love in daily life through harmony, peace, and humility within families and communities, highlighting that true love is conscious and transformative. The priest shares a personal anecdote about a former inmate seeking redemption, illustrating the Church's call to extend God's mercy to all, regardless of past sins.

A Farewell Reflection: How Parishioners Taught Me to Be a Good Priest

Father Christopher

This homily is a farewell message from a priest on his last weekend at the parish, reflecting on how the community taught him to be a 'good priest' beyond seminary teachings. He shares a personal story about baptizing a dying baby and emphasizes that God reveals himself through the lives of people, making theology real. The homily connects these experiences to Trinity Sunday, explaining the Trinity as a mystery of self-giving love revealed through human connection and service.

The Trinity: A Model for Community, Love, and Peace

The homily for Trinity Sunday emphasizes that the Trinity is a community of distinct persons united in one God, reflecting how the Church, though diverse, is one community of faith. The priest explains how each person of the Trinity expresses God's love: the Father as creator, the Son as one who entered human experience to teach and suffer, and the Holy Spirit as God present within each person, urging us to live in peace and harmony, supporting one another.

The Mystery of the Trinity and a Deacon's Farewell

Deacon Chuck

The homily on the Feast of the Holy Trinity emphasizes that the Trinity is a central mystery of faith, not something to be fully understood by reason alone. It encourages active participation in faith, teaching others, and living out Catholic traditions, highlighting the communal aspect of the Trinity as a model for human relationships. The homilist also shares personal reflections on his 20 years of diaconal service and announces his retirement, expressing gratitude for his time serving the community.

The Moral Responsibility of the Eucharist: Sacrifice and Community

Father Henry

The homily emphasizes the moral responsibility of receiving the Eucharist, drawing parallels to Mary's visitation after the Annunciation and the Holy Trinity's nature of love. It highlights two key attributes from St. Paul: the Eucharist as a sacrament of sacrifice, requiring us to be flexible and inconvenienced for others, and as an instrument for building communion by addressing not only material but also spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs in society.

The Tower of Babel vs. Nehemiah: What the Trinity Teaches Us About Community

The homily uses the biblical images of the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls to illustrate two approaches to human endeavor: one self-serving and isolated, the other communal and God-centered. It connects these images to the Holy Trinity, emphasizing that God's nature is one of relationship and self-giving love, inviting humanity into this divine communion.

Salt and Light: How Disciples Season and Preserve the World

This homily explores Jesus' metaphors of salt and light, emphasizing that disciples are called to season life with faithful and joyful living, preserving human community through unity in diversity. It connects this to the story of Elijah and the widow, highlighting how trusting God and honoring His church prevents destitution and fosters care among believers.

Called to Belong: Serving God and the Poor in Community

The homily, delivered on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, emphasizes the parish's Vincentian heritage of serving the poor through relationship-based ministry. The priest encourages parishioners to get involved in various ministries, particularly the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the RCIA program, highlighting the spiritual edification gained through service and the importance of discerning God's call to ministry.

What Does it Mean to Be Called by God's Name?

The homily explores the significance of God's name and how we are called and claimed by it, particularly through baptism and the Sign of the Cross. It emphasizes that our Christian identity means we are called to love the world as God loves it, actively participating in God's work rather than being passive observers.

Is God Holding Back? The Gift of Self and Community

Deacon Chris

The homily challenges the idea that God holds back, emphasizing that God is an eternal gift of self-love and that humanity, made in His image, is called to a sincere gift of self. The speaker uses personal anecdotes about his hometown and vocational journey to illustrate the concept of life as a gift and warns against the temptation to view others as objects for use, urging a focus on community and the sacraments as expressions of God's giving nature.

The Trinity: God's Essence is Pure Relationship and Love

The homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity emphasizes that God's essence is pure relationship and love, not a static reality. It highlights that while the Trinity is a mystery beyond full comprehension, it reveals God's intimate desire to walk with humanity, even in its sinfulness, and calls us to reflect this relational love in our own lives and communities.

La Confirmación: Un Nuevo Comienzo en la Misión de Amor de Dios

Evelio Meníbar

The homily, delivered on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and during a Confirmation Mass, emphasizes that God is a communion of love and that the confirmed are gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church. It challenges the newly confirmed, both youth and adults, to take personal responsibility for their faith journey, integrate into the community, and become witnesses of joy, communion, and hope in a divided world, rather than seeing confirmation as a graduation.

Sé la Sal y la Luz del Mundo: El Ejemplo de San Efrén

The homily emphasizes that, like Saint Ephrem, we are called to be the 'salt of the earth' and 'light of the world' by living out the Gospel and serving others with the heart of Jesus. It encourages active participation in the community, caring for the sick, and being instruments of God's grace, giving glory to God through our good works.

The Eucharist: Uniting Us Across Cultures, Time, and Space

Father Anthony

The homily emphasizes that the Eucharist unites us despite our many cultural, linguistic, and personal differences, both within a local parish and globally across time and space. The priest highlights that this unity is a supernatural miracle, as no other entity can achieve such profound connection, making us citizens of heaven sharing a meal with all people, living and dead.

The Trinity: A Call to Self-Giving Service

Father Ariel

The homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity focuses on the Trinity as a "serving community" rather than just a doctrine to understand. The priest explains how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit mutually serve each other and humanity through creation, redemption, and sanctification. He then challenges the congregation to imitate this self-giving love by serving God and the Church, especially by participating in parish ministries.

The Eucharist: The Unchanging Heart of the Church Amidst Change and Loss

Father Pollson

The homily addresses the challenge of familiarity with the Eucharist, urging parishioners to recognize its true holiness and the real presence of Jesus. It then connects this understanding to the recent news of St. Steven's Church closure, emphasizing that the true heart of the church is the Eucharist and faith, not the physical building, drawing parallels to the hidden Christians of Japan who maintained their faith without churches or priests for centuries.