We Are the Woman at the Well

 

Deacon Dave · We Are the Woman at the Well

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 8. 2026. Gospel of St. John 4:5-42. Theme: We Are the Woman at the Well 

 Today’s Gospel presents us with the longest recorded one-on-one conversation that Christ had with another person during His public ministry. It opens with Jesus, tired and thirsty, stopping for a rest at a well in Samaria. He encounters a woman who intentionally comes to draw water at noon because she knows that her neighbors will not be there. The women of the village always carried out this laborious task in the cool of the morning or the breeze of the evening but never in the blazing noonday sun. So, why did this woman come at midday when she had good reason to believe none of her neighbors would be there? 

 Well, to find out we need to do a little bit of ancient detective work. We are told that she had gone through five husbands and we know that in her culture, women had no legal right to choose a spouse or to initiate divorce. So this meant that she was not the instigator of these multiple relationships but rather, was a victim of serial abuse, being repeatedly used and then discarded by a procession of men. Each had their way with her and then just left her behind. This chain of abusive treatment would not only corrupt her self-image, but would also give her a reputation in the village as being “damaged goods”. It surely placed upon her shoulders a burden of false shame and so it’s no wonder that she sought to evade her peers at the well. 

 But Jesus reaches out to this deeply wounded woman to bring her the good news that there is hope for a better life ahead. And in doing so it moves him to ignore three cultural taboos of Judaism. First, Jews did not have anything to do with Samaritans, who centuries before had broken rank with Israel and formed a new hybrid religion. They were considered traitors who were cursed by God. Second, Jewish men did not speak to strange women in public. Ever. And third, mingling with her was considered spiritual contamination, a kind of guilt by association. In doing these things, Christ was intentionally ignoring deeply embedded cultural prejudice and discrimination, but as we all know, that’s “vintage Jesus”. He was always reaching out to those who were social outcasts, no matter who they were, no matter where they came from, and no matter what they may have done. 

 As the story unfolds, the woman gradually opens up to Jesus and He, in turn, gradually reveals more of Himself to her. This dynamic interchange shows us that Jesus respects our freedom. He invites but He never forces. He meets us where we are and works with us there, gently encouraging us to go deeper, to have confidence in Him. Notice the various ways the woman addresses Jesus, which reveal that she is undergoing this process of deepening her understanding of who He is. Initially, she calls him “Sir’” as she would address any man. Next, she realizes that He is more than that. He is a devout teacher, perhaps a mystic, and so she calls him a “prophet”. Finally, a light clicks on inside of her as she senses something even more unique about this holy man and ponders if he might be “the Christ”' (which means “the Messiah” in Greek). 

 But the mystery about who He is deepens as Jesus offers her a ‘Gift of God’ that He calls ‘Living Water’. Now, in their desert culture, “living water” meant fresh running water as opposed to stagnant well water and so she is quite excited to hear about such a treasure! And she gets even more excited when Jesus tells us that she won’t have to labor for this Living Water day after day. She is thinking about earthly things, of course, but Jesus is elevating her thoughts towards heavenly things. He's using Living Water as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, the Bearer of God’s grace, that He wants to pour into her heart. Just as springs of running water refresh and revive her physically, so the fountain of Living Water will heal and transform her from interiorly. Jesus knows that this is really what she has been thirsting for and truly needs. 

The Gospel wants us to see ourselves reflected in this spiritually wounded woman. Like her, we have all been broken by our sins and the sins of others. Like her, many of us may think of ourselves as “damaged goods” and carry on our shoulders a burden of false shame. And so Jesus invites us through this Gospel to come to Him and have our burning thirst for love and acceptance satisfied by the Living Water that He offers us. The story then reaches its conclusion by showing us how Christ’s Living Water has kicked into action. We now see her as a changed woman who races back to her village filled with excitement over the holy man whom she had met. She now runs back to the village precisely to seek out her neighbors instead of avoiding them. And once there she draws attention to herself by exclaiming, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have done. Could this be the Christ?” What a twist in the story! What a turn of events! What a change of heart! The Living Water of God’s grace has overcome her desire for isolation and begins to heal her social relationships. The once rejected and scorned woman has cast her false shame aside and has now become a bold messenger of God’s love to her peers! 

 But you know, today’s story isn’t just about this Samaritan Woman. It’s also about us. St. John was inspired by the Holy Spirit to record this event in his Gospel to remind us that we are each that woman at the well. We each need to follow her example by opening up our hearts and lives to Jesus. It’s encouraging us to be like her and not to hide anything about ourselves from Him out of fear of judgment because that’s not how He operates. Instead, when we honestly own up to Him about who we are and what we have done, He responds by giving us a greater outpouring of the Gift of God, the Holy Spirit. And then as He did for that woman, He will drench us with healing streams of Living Water, causing new life to spring up within us, from which will flow abundant faith, confident hope and life-changing love.

The Transfiguration & Christian Meditation

 

Deacon Dave · The Transfiguration & Christian Meditation

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, 2026. Gospel of St. Matthew 17:1-9. Theme: The Transfiguration & Christian Meditation 

 In our 2,000-year heritage of Christian spirituality the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus has been cherished by monks and mystics as an example of having an spiritual experience of God through prayer. It teaches us that if we seek a deeper understanding of who Christ is and what he means in our lives, then we need to spend some time with him away from the daily grind. This is what Peter, James and John did on that memorable day when they went with Jesus up Mount Tabor. They were caught up in an awesome revelation of Christ as the Beloved Son of God and through this spiritual experience their relationship with him was deepened, personalized and strengthened. 

 For centuries the Transfiguration story has been used as a guide for practicing the form of Christian prayer that is called meditation. It’s also known by other names such as prayer of the heart, contemplation, quiet prayer or sometimes just plain and simple pondering. And it’s very different, worlds apart really, from the types of meditation we often hear about today such as yoga-mindfulness or Hindu transcendentalism. These eastern forms of meditation encourage people to empty their minds, to get in touch with their so-called inner-energy and focus on themselves. But Christian meditation is the polar opposite. It’s not at all about focusing on oneself or trying to become empty inside. Rather, it’s all about focusing on God and being filled up with the Divine Presence. We can find in this Gospel story the recipe for a spiritually fruitful prayer time which depends upon three key ingredients. 

 The first of these is solitude. Jesus brought the three disciples up a mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and apart from the noisy crowds that were always around them. This teaches us that we need to intentionally find someplace where we can be alone and undisturbed for our prayertime. We need to get away from the many distractions that life throws at us, so that we can devote quality time to our relationship with God in peace and quiet. Mystics have often compared our rendezvous with God in prayer to a Divine Romance which, as for any couple, can only blossom in time spent alone together. Only in this solitude and silence can we hope to hear God’s whispering voice speaking to our hearts and minds. 

 The second ingredient is to spend time gazing upon Jesus as the disciples did on Mount Tabor. One way to do this is by turning to the Gospels. Jesus promised that he and the Father would come and dwell within those who cherish his Word (see John 14:23) and so by faith we know God is truly with us in this endeavor. We reflectively read a passage of the Gospel and use our imagination to picture Jesus doing and saying what we are reading. We ponder the story and take our time with it. In doing so we are like Peter, James and John looking at the transfigured Jesus and just taking it all in. We permit thoughts presented to us in prayer to penetrate our minds and hearts. This personal time with Jesus and his Word deepens our faith and enriches it, much like the way chili or pasta sauce increases in flavor the longer we allow it to simmer on a burner. 

 Lastly, like Peter we speak with Jesus. We ask him to show us what he wants us to learn from this experience. We obey the command of God the Father and listen to his Beloved Son as he speaks to the ears of our heart. His words might come to us as a phrase or an idea or perhaps an image that comes to mind. We respond to Jesus, sharing with Him the thoughts, feelings and insights that have come to us in our time of solitude with him. The key here is to relate with Christ in all honesty, letting go of our facades and defenses. We open up our hearts to him in vulnerability, just as he opened his heart to us when it was pierced on the cross. 

 Then after our meditation we come down off the mountain of our prayer. Like Peter, James and John we return to our daily duties, treasuring our prayerful experience of Jesus. St. Teresa of Avila, whom the Church holds up as a great teacher of meditation, declared that a person who devotes even just 15 minutes a day to meditation will surely be saved and reach Heaven. Now, she was confident and bold in saying this because she knew by experience the personal spiritual transformation that comes from meditation. She knew that if we practice this form of prayer regularly, we will become more aware of the presence of God dwelling within us and see the finger of God touching everything around us. She knew that through this prayerful pondering Christ would become more real. more meaningful and more personal in our everyday lives. St. Teresa was confident that God, who is never outdone in generosity, would see to it that this relationship with him that we took time to nurture here on planet Earth would reach its most beautiful and ultimate expression in the divine intimacy and ecstasy of Heaven.

The Problem & the Solution

 

Deacon Dave · 260222_002

Homily for the First Sunday in Lent, February 22, 2026. Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Gospel of St. Matthew 4:1-11. Theme: The Problem & the Solution 

 The great scientist, Albert Einstein, was once asked what he would do if he had just one hour to solve a perplexing problem. He replied: “I’d spend 55 minutes getting to know the problem, and then I would only need 5 minutes to come up with the solution.” In other words, we can’t arrive at a successful solution if we don’t first really understand the problem. And this is exactly what our readings are hoping to do for us today on this First Sunday in Lent. The first one from Genesis investigates the root cause of a universal human Problem that resides within each one of us. And then the second reading from St. Paul shows us where we can find the Solution. 

 So, first we start with the Problem. Everyone knows by experience that there is something off-whack deep within us. It’s a kind of inner-force that moves us to say or do things that we know we shouldn’t but which makes them seem so darn appealing. At other times, this Problem manifests itself as a kind of emptiness within us that we try to fill up by doing more or by buying more or by becoming more. So, why do we have this inner disturbance? Where did it come from? How did it start? Well, to answer these questions the first reading brings us back to the beginning of the human race. It tells us the story in symbolic language that passes on some very important truths. It tells us about the creation of Adam and Eve, and how God gave them an ideal garden as their home. Its lushness represents the perfect life they lived in blissful harmony and intimacy with one another and with their Creator. But then something went terribly wrong that gave rise to what we now identify as the Problem. But to understand what happened, we have to take a closer look at the two special trees mentioned in the reading. 

 The Tree of Life symbolized the ideal existence humans enjoyed with one another and with God. This state of holiness and happiness was intended to last forever and be passed on to all of us who are their descendants. God very much desired this for them (and for us) and this is why the story says that the couple were welcome to eat freely of that fruit! But the other tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, was forbidden to them. It symbolized the choice to sin which would allow evil to make its debut in the world. You see, up to this point the couple had no experience of sin because they had not yet eaten this forbidden fruit. 

 But their ideal life drastically changed when Satan came into the story. It pictures him as a serpent because to the Hebrews, such a creature represented danger, sickness, suffering and death. He slithered into the garden and sowed the poison of doubt about God’s goodness in Eve’s mind. She passed this temptation onto Adam and together they fell victim to the devil’s lies. They committed what we now call “original sin” because it took place near the origin or beginning of our creation. As a result, human beings lost access to the sweet fruit of the Tree of Life and now could only eat the bitter fruit of struggle and conflict, of angst and confusion. The subsequent chapters of the Book of Genesis show us that this original sin spread its infection to all mankind. 

 So, that’s how the Problem of Adam and Eve became our Problem. And the thing is that no matter how hard we try, we can’t overcome it on our own. We can’t fix ourselves. And it’s not that we don’t try! For goodness sakes, we collectively spend billions of dollars a year on self-improvement! We think that if we look better, if we dress better, if we have a better job, or move to a better place, or find a better spouse, or whatever, then we will finally be happy, peaceful and whole deep inside! But these things don’t do the trick because the Problem is something within us and not outside of us. It's a spiritual disease but we keep trying to medicate it with material remedies. 

 But fortunately, our Liturgy doesn’t leave us stranded at this dark spot of hopelessness. It goes on to the Second Reading from St. Paul who tells that there is indeed an effective spiritual remedy to the Problem. He bases his teaching on the fact that since it was a sinless man (Adam) who first brought evil into the world, then what humanity needed was another sinless man but one who would be far superior to Adam. He would need to be a man motivated by total love and who had such perfect obedience to God that it would undo what Adam’s selfishness and disobedience had done. But the dilemma was that no human being could fill this role because all descend from sinful fallen Adam, so all would be equal to or even less than him. This left humanity in a seemingly impossible predicament! 

 However, nothing is impossible to God who came up with the Solution and it was this: He himself would come down to planet Earth and become that Perfect Man, that New Adam. In him both divinity and humanity would come together and this would make him infinitely greater than the first Adam, and yet still a real man. This meant that everything that Jesus did, God was doing because he wasn’t a split personality! And so, every aspect of being human, from conception through death, was healed and sanctified from the inside out because God himself was doing it, God himself was experiencing it. And to illustrate that Jesus is indeed the Solution, the Gospel today presents us with the story of how this Perfect Man, this New Adam, triumphed over Satan’s temptations. It’s the polar opposite of how the Problem first started in the first place in the garden when Satan was the one who had the victory! It assures us that from the very start of his mission as the Messiah, Christ pushed the Reset Button that put humanity back on our original track with God. 

 But as with any Solution, it can’t work if it’s not put into practice! So, the most important thing for us this Lent is to intentionally recommit to following Jesus so that through him, with him and in him we can push the Reset Button in our own personal lives. The very purpose of Lent is that we refocus on our personal connection with Christ and deepen our union with Him. We can do this in many ways but especially through a more mindful reception of the Eucharist and by daily prayer with meditation on his Gospel. Lent invites us to join with Jesus in overcoming the Problem by fasting which strengthens our spiritual muscles and by giving alms for the poor which helps us to share in his compassion for others. Then as the 40 days of Lent move forward, and if we keep faithfully applying this Jesus-Solution in our lives, we will see that the Problem is becoming less of an issue and we can have a more sure hope that by the time Easter comes around, we’ll start tasting the sweet fruit of the Tree of Life once again.

What’s Supernatural Cardiac Surgery?

 

Deacon Dave · What’s Supernatural Cardiac Surgery?

Homily for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feb. 15, 2026. Gospel of St. Matthew 5:17-37. Theme: What’s Supernatural Cardiac Surgery? 

 In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that he didn’t come to abolish or replace Judaism, but to fulfill it. This may sound strange to Christian ears because we know darn well that we don’t follow the Torah (Law) of Israel. We eat pork. We don’t have to be circumcised or follow umpteen rules about ritual washing. We even moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. So, isn’t the Old Testament Law abolished? No, it’s not. Rather, it has been fulfilled for us in Jesus, whose words and actions brought to full bloom the promises that God made to Israel. And when something has been fulfilled, its function is over and it passes away because it’s no longer needed. This is quite different from being abolished and done away with! 

 You see, in God’s original plan, Judaism was always meant to develop into Christianity. The coming of the Messiah was supposed to result in a smooth transition from the Old Israel into the New, Improved and Expanded Israel, with membership no longer restricted just to Hebrews but now open to all who place their trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah and Lord. And, indeed, it originally started out that way but, as we all know, it didn’t end up that way. At first, Christianity was seen as a branch of Judaism but by the end of the first century, Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah were expelled from synagogues throughout the Mediterranean world. Christianity then began to express itself as a separate and distinct religion. But we never forgot where we came from and this is why we still read from the Hebrew Scriptures in our liturgies and revere the Old Testament as part of the inspired Word of God. 

 In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is showing how the Law becomes fulfilled, that is, finds its ultimate meaning, in his teachings. You see, over the centuries, the Law became vital to the Jewish people as a way of preserving their unique identity in the midst of a pagan world that was all around them. It helped to keep them faithful to the Covenant with God and enabled parents to impress upon children a sense of their heritage as the Chosen People. This role of the Torah became so magnified that the original 10 Commandments were expanded over time to become 613 detailed regulations for proper Jewish living! And we all know, when the law becomes too burdensome or ridiculous, people begin to ignore it and conform in public only for the sake of staying out of trouble. And this was the general spirit of things when Jesus came onto the scene. 

 He brought a new and refreshing approach to understanding and living God’s law. He often scolded the Scribes and Pharisees in public for making the Commandments a burden too heavy for anyone to carry. He regularly called them out for abusing their roles as spiritual teachers and, as a matter of fact, they are the only people in the Gospels whom Christ condemned with harsh words! Jesus taught that spirituality and morality must come from the heart and not be concerned with just external actions. This flew in the face of the Jewish leadership’s approach which was based on going through the motions regardless of how one felt about it. If on the outside everything looked good, if everything was done according to the letter of the Law, then they considered themselves righteous or devout. Wherever their hearts might be in all of this didn’t really come into the picture. 

 But Jesus taught a much deeper and transformative way of being guided by the Law. For example, as we see in today’s Gospel, he said that we are not to be satisfied simply because we haven’t murdered anyone, but are to dig deeper to discern if we are harboring anger or resentment towards others in our hearts. We’re not supposed to pat ourselves on the back just because we haven’t committed perjury, but go beyond this and see if we are guilty of gossip and destroying a person’s reputation. Overall, he is pointing out that both good and bad, both vice and virtue, begin deep within us. They are a matter of the mind and heart before they are manifested in our external actions. 

 Christ calls us to live the Commandments with a new outlook, with a new approach, with a new mindset. Now, he knows that while our intentions may start out as good, the tug of sin easily pulls us down and can even make us feel powerless in our moral struggles. And so he comes to our aid and gives us a share in the Holy Spirit who works with us from the inside out. Jesus himself called the Spirit “the power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) and told us that it’s a power which can be ours for the asking. This empowering Gift of the Spirit was foretold by the prophet Ezekiel who said: “He will give you a new heart and place a new Spirit within you; He will exchange your heart of sin for a heart of love and put his Spirit within you to enable you to follow his decrees”. (Ez 36:26-27) 

 We can look at the Holy Spirit and the Risen Lord Jesus as a kind of divine medical intervention team who are performing supernatural cardiac surgery on us. This is the spiritual procedure in which Ezekiel’s prophecy is fulfilled within each one of us so that we come out on the other side as new and transformed persons! The Church, through the experience of the saints, has learned that we can do our part to promote a successful outcome to this procedure by our prayer, Bible reading, works of mercy, and reception of the Sacraments. Throughout this spiritual therapy and rehabilitation, God gradually replaces our weak hearts of sin with strong hearts of love that will enable us to live the Faith as it was meant to be lived, not as a burden to be carried but as a blessing to be shared.

Salt + Light

 

Deacon Dave · Salt + Light

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feb. 8, 2026. Gospel of St. Matthew 5:13-16. Theme: Salt + Light 

 In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues his famous Sermon on the Mount. He tells us that we are to give public witness to him and that by doing so his Gospel will make the world a better place. He compares us to salt and light in order to graphically illustrate what he’s talking about. 

 Like salt that enhances food, our lived Christianity is meant to bring out the best in us and inspire others to become curious about the Faith. The social teachings of Christianity can bring goodness to a culture and help preserve it from moral corruption. But Jesus warns us that if we lose our saltiness, that is, if we lose touch with our Christianity and begin to think and speak and act just like everyone else then we become useless for carrying out the mission of drawing others to Him. 

 Moving on to the example of light, we all know how vital it’s to our daily living! Among other things, it brings us clarity of vision in otherwise dark places. In the same way, the more people see our Christian behavior, the clearer it can be for them to find the pathway to happiness in this world and the next. The inner peace and strength we possess through the ups and downs of life might enlighten them to investigate a relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves. 

 But in addition to changing individual persons, the salt and light of Christianity can - and indeed has - changed the world! Western culture as we know it would not be ours to enjoy today had it not been for Christianity sprinkling the salt of the Gospel and diffusing the light of Christ throughout the world for the past 2,000 years. We should be humbly and properly proud of how our faith has helped to make the world a better place, especially today when Christianity’s moral and social influence is being ignored or even openly attacked. We need to remind others of this indisputable fact. 

 Christianity’s salt and light has fueled many scientists to make vital discoveries in their fields. Notable examples are Copernicus, the priest who discovered that the sun is the center of the universe; the Jesuit priest George Lemaitre who came up with the Big Bang Theory of the universe’s origin; Gregor Mendel, a monk who gave birth to modern genetics; and Louis Pasteur, a committed lay Catholic and pioneer of infectious disease control. Christianity’s salt and light also gave inspiration and encouragement to classic works of the fine arts such as Michelangelo & Leonardo DaVinci in sculpting and painting; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Johann Sebastian Bach in music; Dante Alighieri & J.R. Tolkien in literature. 

 Christianity’s mission to be salt and light motivated heroic figures who stood up on behalf of women, children, the dying and the disabled. Before Christianity arrived in various parts of the world, women were considered property along with a man’s life-stock; children were regarded as not much better than slaves; the dying were abandoned in the wilderness; and the disabled were killed for being thought of as cursed. In response to such things, Christianity spoke up loudly for the sanctity of marriage and the equal dignity of women. Christianity threw its collective arms around the vulnerable and the disadvantaged protecting their right to enjoy a truly human life. Missionaries established hospitals, schools and medical clinics in countries that were too poor and underdeveloped to provide these social services. And the Catholic Church remains today the single largest sponsor of educational, social and charitable aid in the world. 

 Christians who took up Jesus’ call to be salt and light became leaders in the civil rights, human rights and right-to-life movements. The slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a Christian minister and Harriet Tubman, mother of the famous Underground Railroad to Freedom was also a devout Christian. St. Katherine Drexel, a Philadelphia socialite, gave her whole life as well as her multi-billion dollar inheritance for the education and social promotion of Black and Native Americans. And of course, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a minister who, together with the mostly Christian communities of the Southern USA pressed forward through bloody violence until racial equality became the law. And today pro-life activists carry on this civil rights crusade for the equality and dignity of millions of unborn children. 

 So, with all this in mind and knowing what a Christian is called to be, let’s ask Jesus for the grace to never lose our saltiness; for the grace to never cease to be light in the darkness. The Christians who have gone before us, and who made such an impact on the world, show us what the Gospel can do when it is truly lived out in flesh and blood reality. Their witness gives us absolutely amazing testimony that both people and places can be transformed by coming into contact with the salt and light of Christ that flows out of ordinary Christians like you and me.

The Pursit of Happiness

 

Deacon Dave · The Pursuit of Happiness

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, February 1, 2026. The Gospel of St. Matthew 5:1-12. Theme: The Pursuit of Happiness

 ​In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his famous Sermon on the Mount by proclaiming the Beatitudes. While “blessed” is the traditional English translation for the Aramic word the Jesus uses to start off each Beatitude, in everyday use it meant “happy”. Happiness is a goal that we all seek. It’s what we are all striving to attain as we make our way through this difficult world. Even our Declaration of Independence ranks it right up there as a God-given right along with the pursuit of life and liberty! And so Jesus is telling us that real happiness, the kind that satisfies the innate desires of the human heart and endures forever, is to be found in living the values and principles of his Gospel. 

 Jesus begins by praising those who are “poor in spirit”. That “in spirit” part is very important because it’s referring to a heart that refuses to be enslaved by material things. And this applies to both the wealthy and the poor. Both are susceptible to the green-eyed monster of greed! Consumerism drives us to buy way more than what we need and slick advertising misleads us into thinking that happiness consists of possessing everything we want. But Jesus says that true and lasting happiness comes to those who are not possessed by their possessions, but who live a life of uncomplicated simplicity. The poor in spirit trust in God to help them provide for all their needs. 

 “Blessed are they who mourn” may sound a bit odd at first, because who thinks of grief as a blessing? But what is being praised here is a heart that has empathy for the pain and suffering of others. A person can only truly mourn if they have a compassionate heart and Jesus declared such people to be blessed because they have not closed themselves off from the suffering of others. He promises that God will reward and comfort them in their own sorrows and struggles. 

“Blessed are the meek” refers to the “humble” or “lowly”, to those who count for nothing in the eyes of the world. They are the “nobodies” who are without power, prestige or position in society. They will be filled with happiness in God’s kingdom while those who oppressed them will be dealt with in God’s justice. They will inherit the new world which Christ will bring about when He returns in glory. ​

 Jesus used a familiar experience when speaking about the Beatitude of righteousness, which means living a godly life. His listeners were working class people living under an oppressive tax-heavy government and in their poverty they knew what it was like to go to bed with an empty stomach. Many of them also lived by the desert wilderness where water was precious, so they knew what it was like to be extremely thirsty. Jesus says to them, in effect, “Happiness will come in abundance to those who cherish life with God even more than they desire food for their aching stomachs and drink for their burning thirst.” 

 The next Beatitude, that of mercy, calls us to treat those around us with kindness and to extend forgiveness to those who harm us. Jesus is saying that if we show compassion and forgiveness to others, then we will experience the same from God in return. It’s kind of a matter of “what goes around, comes around”. So, if we want God to be merciful and forgiving to us, we must be merciful and forgiving to others. It’s a non-negotiable. There’s no other way around it! 

 Moving on, we come to “Blessed are the pure in heart” which people often misinterpret to mean sexual purity. But being pure or clean of heart in biblical language means striving to do things with the right intention, that is, out of love for God and others. Jesus told us what order our priorities in life should be: God first, others second, and ourselves last. Happiness comes to those who have their priorities in life straight for they will be blessed here and now as well as bask in the Presence of God for eternity. 

 The famous Peace Prayer of St. Francis can help us put the next Beatitude into practice. It spells out for us the definition of a peacemaker as one who sows love where there is hatred; pardon where there is injury; faith where there is doubt; hope where there is despair; light where there is darkness; and joy where there is sadness. Peacemakers as those who promote unity and harmony among others which makes them a reflection of God their Father. 

 The last two “blessings” about those who are harassed for their faith actually form just one longer Beatitude. Jesus warns us that persecution of all kinds will indeed come our way because of our relationship with Him. He was ridiculed and slandered during His ministry and ultimately persecuted in His Passion. And we should not expect to be treated any differently. But He promises eternal happiness to those who suffer injustice because of their fidelity to him and to his Word. Their true friendship and loyalty will not go unrewarded. 

 The Beatitudes are non-negotiables for citizenship in the Kingdom of God. They are not simply passive blessings because we happened to be baptized but they are a call to actively embrace a Gospel-based lifestyle in imitation of Jesus. Do I realize that this is what I signed up for when I made a commitment to Christ? And now knowing this, do I still want to press forward with that commitment? The reward for doing so is great because it is guaranteed to bring us the ultimate happiness that we all seek. Those who embrace the Beatitudes are among God’s faithful remnant whom Zephaniah praised in our First Reading. They are living examples of the people St. Paul talks about in today's Second Reading, where he says that God’s power is at work in those who are despised by the world which counts them as nothing. But Christ disagrees with the world and counts us as “something”, that is, as his friends who are worthy of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven!

"He sat down and taught them..."

That All May Be one

 

Deacon Dave · 260125_002

Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 25, 2026. Theme: That All May Be One 

 Today is the end of the annual worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that has been taking place every Jan 18th-25th for the past 117 years. The inspiration for it came from a prayer that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper in which he made a heartfelt plea to God for the unity of his Mystical Body the Church, saying, “May they all may be one, Father, as I am in you and you are in me, may they be one in us…so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:21-23) Notice that Jesus linked Church Unity to the world’s acceptance or rejection of him as Lord and Savior. That puts a great responsibility upon us and therein lies the reason why we should all be very concerned about restoring Church Unity. 

 What those words of Jesus at the Last Supper mean is that his Message of salvation hasn’t reached as many hearts and hasn't changed as many lives as it could have by now precisely because of us. That is, because of the lack of credible witness we have given to others as the Body of Christ. What the world has seen from us throughout much of history up til today is a divided and broken Christianity. What it has heard from us as Christians is a babel of voices as various denominations preach a different and often conflicting version of the allegedly same Gospel. So in the midst of all this confusion caused by us, how in the world are those who do not yet know Christ supposed to take him and his Message seriously? 

 Well, in 1908, a small group of Episcopalians in New York, called the Society of the Atonement, began a quest to heal the broken Body of Christ. They felt called to find the Church that was personally established by Jesus Christ himself and do what they could to share their discovery with others. They delved more deeply into the New Testament and were struck by the words of Jesus to Simon-Peter, declaring him to be the rock upon which the Church was to be built. They studied ancient Christian history and saw that whenever there were disagreements over what Jesus’ words meant or how Christians were to live the Gospel, they turned to the pope for the final answer. In other words, they saw quite clearly that the Holy Father was the bond that held the Church together as one Family in Christ. 

 The truth of their discovery was easy for them to see by looking at the trail of a broken Christianity all around them. They saw that they were part of this problem and so they were determined to become part of the solution. They saw that whenever the role of the pope had been ignored or was outright rejected, it brought nothing but division that bred even more division with each breakaway group defining their own interpretation of Christianity. This was why there were (and still are) thousands of different and often opposing Christian denominations each claiming to be preaching the same one Gospel of Christ! 

 That group of Epicopalians became convinced that the Holy Spirit was leading them to share their discovery with other non-Catholic Christians and thus do what they could to help bring about the fulfilment of Jesus’ Last Supper prayer for unity. Knowing that the task ahead of them was wholly dependent upon the grace of God and the conversion of hearts, they started the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and soon after this they became members of the Catholic Church. They practiced what they preached. Unbeknownst to them at the time, they had lit the fire for what would become a worldwide movement for the reunion of Christians that is called ecumenism. Their very small and humble Week of Prayer soon spread to other denominations and was officially embraced by the Catholic Church at Vatican II in the 1960s. But by the turn of the 21st century this ecumenical movement had sadly lost much of its original purpose, enthusiasm and energy. 

 At the beginning of this year’s Week of Prayer, Pope Leo has called for a revival of this quest for Church Unity. It is a stated and important goal of his papacy. He reminded us that real unity can never be built at the expense of truth and that we do not seek unity through compromise, but through conversion— beginning with ourselves. He asks first of all that we each make Jesus’ heartfelt plea for unity a special intention in our own prayers, especially when we recite the Lord’s Prayer that all Christians share in common. He reminds us that while there can be great diversity of style within Church Unity, if we are to be faithful to Jesus’ original intention, then what we ultimately seek is the corporate reunion of all Christians as one flock gathered around the pope as the earthly shepherd of the Church. 

 And so what does promoting Church Unity look like for us here and now? Well, along with prayer as Pope Leo asks of us, we each really need to know the Bible and our Catholic faith well enough to share it meaningfully with others. It doesn't mean you need a degree in theology or be ordained as a minister. It just means that you need the determination to do so because the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit are already within you and have equipped you for this task. As a parish we try to help you do this by offering Bible Study every Sunday morning and by sending out Flocknotes that teach the Faith every week. I can assure you from personal experience that studying the Bible in the light of history can be very effective for deepening your own personal faith-commitment as well as in helping others find their way into the one sheepfold of Christ. 

 As a matter of fact, it's the very reason why I am standing here before you today because, you see, I myself have traveled the road to Church Unity. When I was a young man I was drawn to Jesus but confused by the smorgasbord of various flavors in Christianity. I knew that I had to bite the bullet, change my lifestyle and commit to Christ but I just didn’ t know where to do that. I wasn't terribly attracted to Catholicism and as a matter of fact it was dead last on my list. And in Protestant circles I was so happy to hear people say, “I used to be Catholic until I started reading the Bible.” Because that made me confident that I wouldn’t end up Catholic. 

I began an intense period of Bible study, however, I arrived at a very different conclusion! And so afterwards whenever I would hear someone say they stopped being Catholic after reading the Bible, I would reply, “Well, that’s really interesting because I wanted so badly to be Protestant but then I started really reading the Bible and that’s what brought me to the Catholic Church.” And so here I am before you today…which I think shows us that God has a great sense of humor!

Two of my Saintly Heroes...

Fr. Paul Francis Wattson and Mother Lurana White

Founders of the Society of the Atonement and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. 

Both are now candidates for sainthood in the Catholic Church.