Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church: Catholic Sunday Homilies

As Salt Transforms a Dish We Are to Transform the World (Mt 5:13-16)

The kingdom of God spreads by our witness. Like salt, makes the ingredients of a dish taste better, so too, we go out into the world to help transform it by helping others become the best versions of themselves by building them up and showing them God’s love. We do this by his power in us, and therefore, in so doing give glory to God. 

The Beatitudes: A Comfort and a Challenge (Mt 5:1-12)

Jesus shows himself to be starting a new exodus, and fulfill the prophecies of God’s intervention to bring about the Kingdom. However, His plan for how this happens was different than expected. It is not a top down order imposed by Him that we passively receive, but a bottom up transformation of the world that with His strengthen in us we help bring about. This is hard work, and it is a long task, and when we recognize suffering because of this we are blessed to know that we are part of God’s future which He promises will come. This can be a great comfort, but it’s also a challenge for if we’ve become too comfortable in this world, than perhaps we’re not sharing in the transformation of the world that God is asking us to participate in.

God Uses Business to Promote the Gospel (Mt 4:12-23)

The headquarters of Jesus’s ministry was in Capernaum, a business town, and a town through which ran an international trade route. God used all these things to proclaim the kingdom, he still wants to.  All the work of humanity are meant to share in the ministry of Christ.

How to Be Holy: Following God’s Will by the Power of the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:29-34)

Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, and the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, we have forgiveness of our sins and by his life, death and resurrection, and sending of the Holy Spirit he reconciles us to God, bringing us everlasting life by the Holy Spirit. But that Holy Spirit does more than simply justifies (saves) us, its purpose is to also to sanctify us, as we mature, and grow in holiness. But what exactly is holiness and how do we pursue it? This homily gives some practical advice.  

Steps on the Journey to Christ: We Are Guided by both Natural and Supernatural Light (Mt 2:1-12)

All of us are called to make the same journey the Magi made: we ponder all creation, and wonder if there is a God, or not, but regardless of our answer, we are called to travel further, because God has revealed himself, and so we look at the scripture, and the prophecies of God fulfilled in Christ Jesus. But even that is not enough because faith is a God given gift. Because God respects our free will, and will not force himself on us, we must first embark upon this journey, then God intervenes and by a miracle helps us to come to a deep knowledge, love, adoration and service of our Lord and Savior.  

The Three Blessings (Lk 2:16-21)

In the first reading, God gives us a blessing that is fulfilled in Christ Jesus God may keep us, shine His face upon us, and be gracious to us, and give us peace.  Our response if we’ve truly received that blessing is to bless God In return. We bless God by our praise and making of our life a living sacrifice to God. In so doing we become a blessing for others. These then are the three blessings;  God blesses us, we bless God, and we become a blessing to others by bringing to them the blessing of God.  

Christmas 2022: The Good and the Bad and the Good (Lk 2:1-14)

Three stories that sum up Christmas; it is God’s love made visible for us, it is meant to reunite us with God, and one another, but regretfully we still crucify him, yet he is still God with us. 

To Do God’s Will Is Hard! Let’s Do it a Little at a Time. (Mt 1:18-24)

Our call is to do God’s will, like the our father says I will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, but don’t let anyone pretend this is not difficult. It is very difficult Joseph and Mary found it difficult but because of their following God’s will great things happened. King Ahaz in the first reading, finds it difficult and because of his not doing it great suffering, an evil came upon his people. God gives us free will, and it’s hard to use that to do his will, but he knows that and he wants to help let us ask for that help, if even to do it a little bit better in one area of our life. 

A Call to Go Back to Your Beginning and Start Again: Discover or Re-Discover Christ (Mt 3:1-12)

John, the Baptist is calling the people of his day to make a new exodus. Today God calls us to renew our commitment to God. Listen to a testimony of one who found Christ and it changed their life, this is not a one time event, Christ continually enters our life more deeply to change us more and more. 

Just as in the Days of Noah: Jesus is inviting us to Get Onboard (Mt 24:37-44)

The world with all its distractions has a way of sweeping us along so that we don’t stop and pay attention to what’s important. Just as in the days of Noah, when the people were too busy to listen to Noah’s invitation to get on the ark, today Jesus is the one Noah prefigured, inviting us into the church, which the ark prefigured. Advent is the time when we clean our house, that is get rid of the clutter in our lives, and focus on what is really important, our salvation, and sharing in Jesus’s mission.