Homily for Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 9/28/2026)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals his desire for us to have childlike faith that is dependent completely on our Father in heaven. The disciples argued among themselves about who “was the greatest.” Jesus realized the intention of their hearts; we ask ourselves, what was their “intention”? Perhaps, Jesus realized that they were starting to think like the Pharisees and scribes who wanted to be seated in the place of honor. Christ wanted to nip it in the bud and “took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.’"

As Catholics, we understand that faith is “a gift from God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. ‘Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’” (CCC 153). Faith is our dependence on God, trusting in Christ’s promises, and obedience to the “command of the will moved by God through grace” (CCC 155). In other words, faith is saying with confidence, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

We see this childlike dependence and trust in God illustrated most vividly in today’s first reading from the Book of Job. Satan appeared to God and the Lord said this to him about Job: “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?” Satan countered, saying: “It is nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands. . .” Then Satan dared to challenge God and told Him to “put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely blaspheme you to your face.” In other words, allow Job to face adversity in life and see what happens. Test Job’s faith and see how he responds to God.

God permits this and we see calamities after calamities struck Job. When it rains, it pours for Job. His oxen and asses were carried off in a raid. Lightning struck and killed his shepherds and their sheep. The Chaldeans seized his camels and put those tending them to the sword. And, as if these calamities were not enough, Job’s sons and daughters were killed after a “great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house” of his eldest son where they were eating and drinking. What would we do if we were in Job’s shoes and faced these calamities in our lives? How would we react? Would we blaspheme God to his face? Would we lose faith and hope and turn our backs on God who loves us?

Fr. Mike Schmitz said that “faith that has not been tested is faith that cannot be trusted.” Job’s faith was certainly tested and yet he did not respond in the way that Satan had hoped he would respond. Job did not blaspheme God to his face. Rather, he responded in an upright and God-fearing way that avoided evil; he “did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.” Job responded with even deeper faith and trust in God’s will and plan, and blessed God, saying:  "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!" God permitted the evil of Satan to befall Job and, through his trust in God, his faith is purified and he remains “blameless and upright” in the eyes of God. Therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, let us pray for the gift of faith and the grace to remain faithful to God, even in times when our faith is tested. Jesus, I trust in you.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092826.cfm

Homily for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A - 9/27/2026)

In the Book of  Ecclesiastes, we hear that “[there] is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die. . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. . .  a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. . . a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace” (3:1-8). And I love this verse in particular: “[God] has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without man’s ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done” (3:11).

This “timeless” that God puts into our hearts is why “our hearts are restless till they find rest in [the Lord]” (Saint Augustine, Confessions 1,1.5) because, as Saint Paul tells us: “we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). The things of this world are transitory, while the things of God are eternal. Back in high school, I was a huge fan of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Who did not want to “be like Mike”?! During basketball season, I was glued to the T.V. I would watch basketball games all weekend. I remember one Saturday afternoon, my mom wanted to take two younger brothers and I to visit my dad at work. I told her that I wanted to stay home to watch basketball. Just when my mom was about to pull out of our driveway, I rushed out of the house and hopped into the car. I realized that there was time to watch basketball and time to spend with my family. At that moment, I chose to spend time with my family. Sure, I would have enjoyed staying home to watch the basketball games but my heart would have felt restless and empty.

In a way, I suppose you can say that I was like the first son from Jesus’ parable who initially said to his father, “I will not,” but “afterwards changed his mind” and went “out and [worked] in the vineyard.” Unlike the second son, who did not keep the promise that he made to his father, the first son repented. The first son turned away from things that are not of his father and surrendered to his father’s will. The Prophet Ezekiel put it so beautifully when he wrote that “if [man] turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” We must learn from the first son because this movement away from the things not of God and to the things of God is so important when it comes to our spiritual and prayer life and our relationship with Jesus. After all, Jesus came and preached repentance, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) and “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

More importantly for us to understand is, in the parable of the two sons, Jesus proffers this advice to us: if we believe that God’s will for us is the best course of action, then let us not merely promise to fulfill God’s will but we must truly discern what is God’s will for our lives and do what we can to fulfill His will for us. In other words, let us not be like the second son, in Jesus’ parable, and pay God “lip service” but then we make no change in our lives to fulfill His will for us. We know that Jesus despises hypocrisy because we hear in the Gospels Christ say “Woe to you. . . you hypocrites” (Matthew 23), and warns us against hypocrisy when he tells us that “[not] everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Repentance and the fulfillment of God's will for our lives require obedience and surrender on our part. It takes humility for us to do both so as to become “good and faithful servant[s]” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches us about the virtue of humility and how to live it in our lives. In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches that happy or “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” (Matthew 5:5). Furthermore, Christ said that “[whoever] humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (18:4). Moreover, he said, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (23:11-12). It was humility that led the tax collectors and prostitutes to believe John the Baptist, who proclaimed to the people: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Jesus pointed out that it was their humility that “the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before” the chief priests and elders who “did not later change your minds and believe [John the Baptist]." It takes humility for us to say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

It should not come as a surprise to us then to hear Saint Paul, in his plea to the Christian community in Philippi for unity and humility, tell them (and us) to be imitators of Jesus. Our Lord is the model of humility par excellence and worthy of us imitating. Christ surrendered to the will of his Father in heaven and was obedient to God’s will to the end. In his letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul urged them (and us) to “[have] in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” And here is the hinge and how we ought to respond to God’s will for our lives with humility: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.”

Repentance and fulfillment of God’s will for our lives, that is the purpose and meaning of our lives, which is “at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength” (CCC 7). We live out this purpose with humility by being obedient to Jesus’ commandment to  love God and love our neighbor. I participated in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Friends of the Poor Walk this morning and was inspired by the testimonials that I heard. A woman gave thanks to God for her cancer because, in her battle with cancer, she returned to Mass and deepened her relationship with God. We heard from a man, who after having received help from SVDP, wanted to pay it forward and is now volunteering to help others facing the same dire situations that he once found himself in just a few years ago. He is now Christ to others because someone was Christ to him when he needed it the most. And so, my sisters and brothers in Christ, let us be encouraged by these words of Saint Peter, who encourages us with this advice: “let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Let us repent and fulfill God’s will for our lives through humility and obedience to Jesus’ commandments.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092726.cfm

Listen to my homily here: https://phucphan.podbean.com/e/homily-for-the-twenty-sixth-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-a-9272026/ or https://saintalbert.podbean.com/e/deacon-phuc-phan-saturday-500-pm-vigil-mass-homily-english/

KC Austin Chapter Chaplain & Spiritual Director Reports (8/24/2026)

Brother Knights, here is a link to the video recording of my Spiritual Director Report during the meeting. For our reports, Fr. Charlie and I focused on the "Diocesan Conference of Our Lady of Guadalupe" (which was scheduled for Sept. 11-12, 2026) and encouraged brother Knights and families to attend the Conference if they are able. Additionally, I spoke on Cor. Please take a moment to watch the video for more details. It is a 5-minute video.

Homily for the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist (Year A - 9/21/2026)

Today is the Feast Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus called Matthew to “[follow] me.” Matthew responded with faith and “got up and followed him.” In the call of Matthew, Jesus shows that we are precious in the eyes of God even if we are not in the eyes of others or even in our own eyes. Jesus also shows us that he calls us to himself in the ordinaryness and busyness of our everyday lives. Finally, when Jesus calls us to come and follow him, we must respond, not tomorrow or at some later time but now.

Matthew was a “Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces, collecting taxes from other Jews. The Romans were not scrupulous about what the ‘tax farmers’ got for themselves. Hence the latter, known as’“publicans,’ were generally hated as traitors by their fellow Jews. The Pharisees lumped them with ‘sinners’ (see Matthew 9:11-13)” (Franciscan Media, 9/20/2026). Yet, in Jesus’ eyes, Matthew was a beloved son of the Father in heaven, deserving of love and mercy. It is the same with us. Jesus “did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Like Matthew, we are the sinners in need of God’s mercy. And, like Matthew, others may judge us and even condemn us and, perhaps, we might even judge and condemn ourselves harshly. But it is not so with Jesus, who says to us: “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11).

Moreover, in the call of Matthew, Jesus shows us that he calls us to himself in the ordinaryness and busyness of our everyday life. Matthew was sitting at his “customs post” when Jesus told him to come and follow him. For us, Jesus speaks to us each and every day of our lives. Many of the decisions that we make on a daily basis are invitations for us to respond after prayerful discernment as to what God’s will is for us. They are also opportunities to be witnesses of God’s love and mercy toward others and to the world by living “in a manner worthy of the call [we] have received [at our Baptism], with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity. . . through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13).

Finally, when Jesus calls us to come and follow him, we must respond, not tomorrow or at some later time but now. We heard that immediately after Jesus called him, Matthew “got up and followed him.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come; we must live each day as if it were our last so that when God calls us we are ready and prepared, to die with a clean heart.” And so, my sisters and brothers in Christ, let us not put off until tomorrow what we can do today, particularly when it comes to things of God and eternal life in heaven and the salvation of our souls. Let us not waste the many opportunities God gives us daily to come and follow him.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092126.cfm

Homily for Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 9/7/2026)

In today’s first reading, Saint Paul posed this question to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?” In doing so, Saint Paul is reminding us of Jesus’ teachings on how we can be the “yeast” that “leavens” or transforms the culture and society in which we live. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke of this parable, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (Matthew 13:33). This is our mission as Catholics, the mission that Jesus entrusted to us at our baptism, to be priests, prophets, and kings, to be the yeast that leavens the dough that is the world in which we live.

At the same time, Jesus also warns us to “[look] out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). We see this in today’s Gospel. Jesus came to preach and teach mercy, forgiveness, and healing, yet the “scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.” They did not want to accept Jesus’ message to become the yeast that leaven those they serve. Are there “scribes and Pharisees” that are obstacles to us in our lives that need to “be expelled from your midst”? Or have we become like the “scribes and Pharisees” that are “inflated with pride”? Are we our own obstacle to being the yeast that leavens the dough that is the world in which we live?

Saint Paul, reiterates Jesus’ preaching and teaching on this, warns us not to be like the scribes and Pharisees, and gives us this advice, saying: “Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” This, in essence, is the universal call to holiness to which we are all called. From the Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium: “Finally all Christ's faithful, whatever be the conditions, duties and circumstances of their lives—and indeed through all these, will daily increase in holiness, if they receive all things with faith from the hand of their heavenly Father and if they cooperate with the divine will. In this temporal service, they will manifest to all men the love with which God loved the world” (41). Therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, if we strive for holiness in our lives, then we can be the “little yeast” that “leavens all the dough” that is our world.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090726.cfm

Homily for Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 8/31/2026)

Scripture tells us that Jesus is the “Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1-14). Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. There is “spirit and power” in the name of Jesus, the Word of God. For this reason, in today’s first reading, Saint Paul tells us that he “did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.” He “resolved to know nothing. . . except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” And that, his message and proclamation “were not with persuasive words of wisdom” attributable to him, but of “spirit and power” that come from the Word of God. Thus, our faith does not “rest on human wisdom but on the power of God” that comes from the Word of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis encouraged us to ask ourselves this important and essential question: “How do I receive the Word of God?” In other words, “how do I receive Jesus Christ?” He is the Incarnate Word of God who continues to dwell among us in our hearts. In today’s Gospel, we hear that the people in the synagogue received Jesus, the Word of God, with amazement at the “gracious words that came from his mouth.” Then, as Jesus challenged them saying, “no prophet is accepted in his own native place”; and, also, that Elijah was not sent to Israel “but only to a widow in Zarephath”; and, finally, that none of the lepers in Israel were cleansed in the time of Elisha “but only Naaman the Syrian.” How quickly did the people in the synagogue become “filled with fury” and “drove him out of town, and led him to the brow of the hill. . . to hurl him headlong.” But the Word of God “passed through the midst of them and went away.”

So, once again, back to Pope Francis’ question for us to ask ourselves: “How do I receive the Word of God?” How do I receive Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God? Do we receive Jesus with affection and humility? Do we allow his preaching, teachings, and actions to challenge us so that the Word of God can help us become the best version of ourselves? Or do we reject Jesus, like the people in the synagogue in today’s Gospel did, and turn away from the Word of God when it becomes too challenging for us to accept or live by in our lives? The Word of God can cause us “fear and much trembling,” no doubt about it. However, what other options do we have on our journey to heaven? Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He tells us to “[enter] through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Therefore, in our spiritual and prayer life, let us ask ourselves, “How do I receive the Word of God?” And, let us pray for the grace to receive the Incarnate Word of God with awe and wonder at the “gracious words that [come] from this mouth” and be transformed so that we can be the people God created us to be.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083126.cfm

Homily for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle (Year A - 8/24/2026)

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, who is also known as Nathanael. In today’s Gospel, we hear that Philip invited Nathanael to “come and see” Jesus. Then, following a short exchange during his encounter with Jesus, Nathanael confessed to Jesus and Philip, saying that Jesus is "the Son of God. . . the King of Israel." Jesus responded to him with a promise that he “will see greater things than this” and that he “will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Nathanael indeed saw something greater on the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ Resurrection. Christ appeared to the apostles on the shore while they were fishing at sea (John 21:1-14). It was the third time that Jesus “was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead” (id).

As we see in today’s Gospel, what started as a friend extending an invitation to another friend to “come and see” Jesus truly transformed the life of Nathanael forever. I personally experienced something similar to this many years ago when my then girlfriend (who is now my wife) extended an invitation to me to attend Mass with her. For me, who was a non-practicing Buddhist at the time and did not know anything about the Mass much less Catholicism, that simple invitation to “come and see” Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass transformed my life forever. We got married in the Catholic Church. I received my Sacraments at the Easter Vigil the following year. And now, I have the blessed opportunity to serve God and his people as a Catholic deacon in the Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, today’s Gospel should inspire and move us to be Philip to the Nathanaels in our lives. Philip shows us that leading others to an encounter with Jesus can be as simple as an invitation to “come and see” Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass, in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, or through the various parish ministries or events at our parishes. It only takes but an invitation to lead someone back to Mass, back to Catholicism and the Church, back to our Lord and our God. God can take this simple yet genuine gesture of ours toward another and transform the lives of the other person in the same way that He did for Nathanael, in the same way that Jesus did for me. He can do the same when we become Philip to the Nathanels in our lives and extend that invitation to “come and see” Jesus.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/feast-saint-bartholomew-apostle