Homilies and Other Writings

  (Text of Fr. Andrew’s Homily for July 30, 2017)   I find in today’s readings a powerful message: how much better are the things of God than even the most desirable and costly of earthly things. These readings are a reminder that our truth, our happiness and fulfilment as human beings can be found nowhere else but in God. Let me comment briefly on each of the readings.   In the first reading, in a dream, God asked King Solomon what gift he’d like to receive. King Solomon chose an understanding mind for governing the people. Solomon preferred God’s wisdom to all else in the world. He could have asked God for many other gifts. King Solomon’s request for wisdom pleased God. "Because you have asked for this—not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right— I do as you requested.” ( 1 Kg 3:7-12) The text continues with a surprising twist: “I give you also what you have no...

  “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…” There has never been a better promise for western culture. A culture of anxiety and depression, a culture of escape and superficiality, a culture that keeps getting tired of going nowhere, a culture that looks for diversion and fun to escape a deep sense of worthlessness. A culture of anxiety: a culture generating people fearful of the unknown, of failure, of being abandoned. A culture of depression: of people depressed when they come to themselves and see only nothingness, people accustomed to boredom, sliding to despair. A culture without God: a culture blind to God’s existence, deaf to His call and suspicious of His promises. And, because of that, I would even say a culture without true love, full of human hearts closed to their neighbour, an atmosphere of selfishness. A culture where a spouse is loved as long as this is beneficial to the lover, where a child is desired as long as it ...

  In several places of our diocese the number of catechumens has increased significantly. “ The harvest is plentiful .” According to St. Thomas Aquinas, [1] “it is not a harvest when the grain begins to blossom, or when the grains appear, but when it is ready to be gathered; so [the harvest is plentiful means that] men are disposed to believe as a result of preaching.” Men and women are ready to receive the Gospel: we need someone to preach it, we need many to preach it. Also, our diocese is about to be “ like sheep without a shepherd .” Bishop Miehm is moving to London. Yes, another Bishop will be appointed sometime this year; yes, we will not lack of a priest preaching to us the Gospel; and yes, the Lord is our main Shepherd and nobody will snatch us from his hand (cf. John 10:28); but in today’s Gospel, the Lord, even when He Himself is present among human beings, begs the apostles to beg Him for shepherds, for laborers, for good laborers, to be sent to His harvest. 1. “ Th...

  (Text of Fr. Andrew’s Homily for Easter Vigil, April 20, 2019) After finishing the work of Creation, God rested on the Sabbath Day. He finished Creation on the sixth day, on Friday, and rested on Saturday. But the work of Creation was ruined by human beings: original sin deformed the original beauty of Creation. God decided to reshape Creation, God decided to redeem human beings. He finished the work of Redemption on a Good Friday. He rested in a tomb on Saturday, the Sabbath day. And He began a New Creation on Sunday, at the first Easter Vigil. He remade Creation, He remade human beings, He restored them to more than their original beauty. He remade in Himself what Adam had destroyed. He rose from the dead as the first Man of the New Creation, immortal, completely holy, perfectly beautiful. All was restored again, all was new, because He had made new all things. Since then, at the Easter Vigil we celebrate the Mysteries by which we have been reborn. In the Easter Vigil, Jesu...

Easter Triduum Homilies Holy Thursday:  https://pastorsandteachers.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-most-luminous-night-on-last-supper.html Good Friday: https://pastorsandteachers.blogspot.com/2025/04/good-friday-where-you-there.html Easter Vigil https://pastorsandteachers.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-power-of-one-candle-easter-vigil.html

1. Martha: “ Lord , you have healed so many strangers all over Galilee and Judea: now, the one you love is sick ” (cf. John 11:3) Lazarus might have thought: “Jesus is my friend, I know He will come.” And a few days later: “Jesus is my friend; there must be a reason for His absence!” Jesus said: “ This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” He stayed two days longer where He was, and then said, “Let us go to Judea again… Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (cf. John 11:7,14) “For your sake,” He said, because “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” ( John 11:5) and, from a human point of view, He would have liked to help His friend to not suffer… but God’s will was different. Jesus did not take advantage of His fame or power to favour His relatives and friends. For the same reason that Jesus did not save Himself, He did not spare His mother from s...