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Homily stories

10 Mar 2019 - First Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Some old-timers look back fondly at all that used to be a part of Lenten fasting and abstinence. Some felt it provided them with benefits beyond the spiritual renewal intended. They speak about a sense of camaraderie during Lent. It was easy to spot another Catholic eating a cheese sandwich at work or ordering tuna salad at a restaurant. You weren’t alone in your sacrificing. There was a shared consciousness. Others who were more pragmatic felt that Lent provided them an annual diet, a good way to shed the weight put on in the dead of winter. The readings this first Sunday of Lent remind us that indeed we are not alone in our faith. Our roots go back to Moses. Our faith is shared among believers of all backgrounds. It is for all who accept Jesus, according to Paul. While we have simplified the Lenten fast and abstinence regulations, we are still called to use self-denial as an offering of thanksgiving to God and as a way to put into perspective that all we have and that gives us comfort is not as important as our eternal salvation. To sacrifice alone as Jesus did in the desert is tough. To realize that we do it together in Lent with other believers gives us strength and makes our actions not self-serving acts of self improvement but common acts of faith and reconciliation. They are good not for the body as much as for the soul and spirit. We are in Lent together. That’s good.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

self-denial sacrifice togetherness

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14 Jul 2024 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

We in the United States are so enamored with self-reliance, affluence, and control that—left to our own devices—we’d probably draft a mission plan opposite of what Jesus gave. Take no change of clothes? No food? No money? Today, we’d overstuff our suitcases, shop Costco for a month’s supply of snacks, and make sure all ministry purchases were earning a cash-back bonus. We probably wouldn’t prioritize choosing a partner, either, for doing the Lord’s work. We can be a society of Lone Rangers, after all, drunk on Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way” idealism. But seasoned church workers know the importance of going out “two by two.” In one corner of the Midwest, a foursome of older women, who met years ago as youth ministers, still gather for Friday fish fries to check in with each other—professionally and personally. Elsewhere, a priest who used to ask “Who ministers to the minister?” has convened an informal clergy support group. Whether ordinary Catholics realize it or not, none of us belong to a “Me and Jesus” religion. We take to heart that Jesus joins us “wherever two or more are gathered”—which is why we begin our journey with godparents and are asked to choose a Confirmation sponsor. Let us go forth to build the Kingdom, and let us do it together.

Authors Mary Lynn Hendrickson

togetherness

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