Final Answer - 26th Sunday in OT - September 27, 2020

You may be surprised by this, but when I was in primary school, I was a terrible student.  I hated doing homework and would find any excuse not to do it.  I was struggling with reading and spelling, and because I was so bad at it, I would avoid those subjects, which only made it worse.  When I heard about the possibility of repeating a grade, I was motivated enough to do better, but still not a good student.  Around 5th grade I wanted to impress my older brother with good grades and when I was affirmed for my hard work I was motivated to be a good student from that point onward.

You might think, what does that have to do with anything in the readings?  Listen to my homily to find out!  This audio recording is from the 5:30 pm Mass and the video recording below is from the 9:15 am Mass.  

Readings:  EZ 18:25-28; PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; PHIL 2:1-11 OR 2:1-5; MT 21:28-32

Key Themes:  Our Choice, Free Will, Doing the Father’s Will, Eternal Life, Heaven, Hell, Final Answer

Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash

Video Recording Link:  Is That Your Final Answer?

Jesus told His parable to the chief priests and the elders, to help them, and us, choose to live for Heaven.  So, let us repent of our sins and go to confession.  Let us choose to do the will of God the Father by following the teachings He gives us through His Church and seeking a relationship with Him even while we are here on earth.  

Jealousy and Envy - 25th Sunday in OT - September 20th, 2020

As we go through life we often recognize differences between our lives and the lives of others.  We may notice how someone else may get what we wanted, or we may want what someone else has.  It’s possible that we may have the same thing as others but somehow, we had to work harder to get it and it seemingly was easy for them.  We might think these things are unfair.  We might be upset, bitter, or angry about it.

If you had experiences like these, then you also may know how the early workers in the parable of our Gospel passage felt... Listen to my homily to learn more!

Readings:  Is 55:6-9; Ps 145; Phil 1:20c-24, 27A and Mt 20:1-16A

Key Themes:  Jealousy, Envy, Generosity, Mercy, Love

Let us take the next moment of silence to offer any jealousy and envy, and any other sins we struggle with, to God, along with ourselves, and ask Him to grant us an increase in generosity, mercy, and love.  Let that be our daily prayer this week and let us also thank our Lord for the great gift of Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Perdonar Siempre (Always Forgive) - 24th Sunday in OT - September 12th, 2020 (Spanish Mass Homily)

En Ascension tenemos una misa en español cada segundo sábado del mes. Rotamos quién celebra esta Misa. Aunque puedo celebrar la Misa en español, es solo después de mucha práctica. Esta es la primera vez que grabo mi homilía en español. Espero seguir mejorando con el paso del tiempo. A continuación se muestra una grabación de la homilía tanto en español como en inglés.

At Ascension we have a Spanish Mass every second Saturday of the month.  We rotate who celebrates this Mass.  Although I am able to celebrate Mass in Spanish, it is only after a lot of practice.  This is the first time I recorded my Spanish homily.  I hope to continue to improve as time goes on.  Below is a recording of the homily both in Spanish and in English.

Perdonar Siempre - Homilía de la misa en español para Domingo 24 en TO - 12 de septiembre de 2020

Always Forgive - Spanish Mass Homily for 24th Sunday in OT - September 12th, 2020 

Readings:  Sir 27:30-28:7; Ps 103; Rom 14:7-9; and Mt 18:21-35