Homilies and Other Writings

  (Fr. Andrew’s homily for Sunday, January 28 th 2024) “ Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes ” ( Mark 1:21-22). What is teaching with authority? 1.   Authority comes from author. To speak with authority is to speak as if you were the author of what you say. It is speaking with originality and freshness. It’s never boring. Teaching with authority does not mean that you cannot use other people’s ideas: it means that those ideas are so much your own, by study and reflection, that they are like “at home” with you. Other people’s ideas become so accustomed to being with you, within your heart, that those ideas come out from your mouth as from their own home. 2.   Jesus speaks with authority because, as the Son of God, he is the Author of all truth. He is the source from which all of the prophets and evangelists drew their message, He is even the rule and mo...

The Church celebrates this year the 750 th anniversary of St. Thomas Aquinas’ heavenly birthday. He died March 7 th , 1274 but the Church celebrates his memorial today, January 28 th . St. Thomas Aquinas is considered by the Catholic Church the most authorized theologian and doctor, to the point of making Aquinas’ theology the Church’s own theology. This means that, by Church law, every student of theology must have Aquinas as his or her teacher. [1] St. Thomas Aquinas was a wonderful man, one of the most powerful minds in human history. For this reason what surprises me the most is how humble he was. St. Thomas was humble. He could have been a rich man, but he preferred to join the Dominicans and live a life of poverty. He could have been an important abbot or a bishop, but he always refused those positions when he was asked to take them. Why, what was his secret? Jesus appeared to St. Thomas on December 6 th 1273 and said to him: “Thomas, you have written well about me. What ...

(Fr. Andrew’s homily for Sunday January 21 st , 2024) The apostles are called to be fishers of people... Peter was casting the net with his brother Andrew. John was mending the nets with his brother James. They were doing two different things. Jesus makes two calls. Always to two brothers. There is a great deal of meaning here. 1.  Fishers take away fish from their comfort zone to a completely new world, where fish necessarily die. A fish ends on the plate of a fortunate man who enjoys it and, in this way, the fish becomes part of that man’s body. In a similar way, Jesus did not come to earth to leave us in our comfort zone, swimming in our sins, but to take us away from iniquity into God’s light of justice. When we are caught by the net of God’s word we die to our sins but, unlike the fish, we are reborn to a new life. Unlike the fish, we eat in Holy Communion the one who has caught us in the nets of His love but, like the fish, we are the ones who become part of His Body, the...

(Fr. Andrew’s Homily for Epiphany, 2024) The Magi acknowledged the authority of Herod. This is why they went to him and ask about the Messiah. But the Magi did not follow Herod’s request against the will of God. This is why they “departed for their country by another way” ( Matthew 2:12). Herod tried to deceive the Magi regarding his intentions. “When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage” ( Matthew 2:8). The text continues, “After their audience with the king they set out” (2:9) It doesn’t say that the Magi accepted Herod’s request to come back and to let him know where the child was. The Magi were probably suspicious of Herod’s intentions. In any case, an angel warned them not to go back to Herod (cf. 2:12). The Magi were wise, and they knew one thing: the fact that someone has legitimate authority does not mean that their authority will always be used in the right way. Authority can be misused even in the Church. Someone may use their tea...