Homily for Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 1/19/2026)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus identifies himself as the bridegroom, which makes the Church the bride. In the Sacrament of Marriage, husband and wife are called to be the outward, visible sign of the invisible reality that is Jesus’ love for the Church. When a man and a woman enter into the Sacrament of Marriage, they are entering into a covenant between each other and with God, keeping Jesus Christ at the center of their marriage and, thus, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them in their vocations as husband and wife. They are called love each other in the same way that Jesus, the bridegroom, loves the Church, his bride - freely, fully, faithfully, and fruitfully.

Unlike Saul who did not obey God, as we heard in the first reading, Jesus, of his own freewill, submits himself in obedience to his Father in heaven, obedient even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Husband and wife enter into the marital bond of their own freewill. In his Passion, Jesus gave of himself completely, or fully, even to shedding his blood on the cross. Husband and wife are called to sacrifice and give of each other to each other, their very being until death do them part. In the same way that Jesus continues to be faithful to his Church and sustains her, husband and wife are called to faithfulness and chaste living in marriage. Finally, Jesus’s love for the Church bears much fruit in the world in the same way that the bond of love between husband and wife bears fruit with biological children or fruitfulness in other ways in how they live their out their marriage as witnesses of Jesus’ love for the world.

Martin Luther King, Jr., who we celebrate today, once said that “To put this new life into the old patterns of thinking was like putting fresh flowing wine in a dry and rotten bottle. It is inevitable that the bottle will break and the wine will run out. The old will not hold the new” (October 17, 1954). And so, when we give of ourselves freely, fully, faithfully, and fruitfully to God, as husband and wife give of each other freely, fully, faithfully, and fruitfully in the bond of marriage, as Jesus gives of himself freely, fully, faithfully, and fruitfully to his Father in heaven, we open our hearts to our Lord Jesus Christ and give him permission to transform our hearts from “old wineskin” to “fresh wineskin” to receive the “new wine.” We do this by attending Mass regularly to receive the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given to us at the Last Supper and at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and by frequent reception of the sacrament of reconciliation to prepare our hearts to receive the “new wine,” the abundant blessings, that God desires for us.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011926.cfm

Homily for Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time (Year A - 1/12/2026)

With these words - “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” - our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to conversion, to turn away from sin, and gain the “Kingdom of heaven” or “the eternal happiness to which God calls his people” (Didache, p. 1264). As I mentioned in my homily last Monday, the Greek word for “repent” is “metanoia”, which is a “profound change of heart accompanied by a turning away from sin.” Moreover, repentance is not “reserved for only the beginning of the Christian life [which started with our Baptism] but must be a constant disposition throughout each day of our lives” (Didache, p. 1316).

This “profound change of heart” is essential for us to answer Jesus’ call to discipleship, to come after him. We see this in the conversions of Simon and his brother, Andrew, and John and his brother, James, who left their nets, their father, their boats, and their hired men to come and follow Jesus. Saint Basil wrote this about becoming a Christian: “A disciple is, as the Lord himself taught us, whoever draws near to the Lord to follow him - to hear his words, to believe and obey him as Lord and king and doctor and teacher of truth. . . So, whoever believes in the Lord and presents himself ready for discipleship must first learn to set aside every sin and everything that distracts from the obedience owed to the Lord.” (Healy, p. 43).

My sisters and brothers in Christ, to follow Jesus is to answer the question that Hannah’s husband asked her, in today’s first reading: “Am I not more to you than ten sons?” For us, this is the question that we must ask ourselves: “Is Jesus not more to me than everyone and everything else in my life? Is he the Lord of my life? What in my life must I leave behind to come and follow Jesus?” One of the ways that we can discern these questions is through prayer, especially the prayer that is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Mass is where we come together not only to hear God speak to our hearts in the inspired words of Scripture but also in the Eucharist in which Jesus Christ gives of himself to us - Body and Blood. And, for our part, we respond wholeheartedly, saying: “My Lord and my God,” acknowledging that Jesus is the Lord of our lives. When we acknowledge that Jesus is the King that reigns in our hearts, we find the courage to repent and come and follow Jesus as Simon (Peter), Andrew, John, and James did in today’s Gospel.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011226.cfm

Homily for Memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop (Year A - 1/5/2026)

As we heard in today’s Gospel, after John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum and “[from] that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” This is the same message that John the Baptist preached to the people during his own ministry (Matthew 3:2); however, there is something more, something greater here. While John the Baptist was the “voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths’” (3:3), Jesus is “the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. . . I am baptizing you with water, for repentance. . . He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire” (3:11).

Jesus did not waste any time growing his ministry as he called on fisher men and brothers, Andrew and Peter and John and James, to come after him. From that time on, Jesus taught in the synagogues, proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom, and cured every disease and illness among the people. Jesus’ message was simple and yet profound: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Greek word for “repent” is “metanoia”, which is a “profound change of heart accompanied by a turning away from sin.” With these words, our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to conversion, to turn away from sin, and gain the “Kingdom of heaven” or “the eternal happiness to which God calls his people” (Didache, p. 1264).

Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop, who once wrote: “For in truth we are not called once only, but many times, all through our life Christ is calling us. He called us first in Baptism; but afterwards also; whether we obey His voice or not, He graciously calls us still. If we fall from our Baptism, He calls us to repent; if we are striving to fulfill our calling, He calls us on from grace to grace and from holiness to holiness, while life is given us.”

My sisters and brothers in Christ, this is what Jesus desires for all of us: “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me” (John 12:26, 14:3). Recall this prayer of Jesus to the Father for his disciples and for us: “Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (17:24). And so, as we continue in this new year 2026, let us resolve to repent and “seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010526.cfm