Homilies from Holy Cross Kernersville, NC: Recent Episodes
Fr. Noah Carter
Racism, immigration, and Critical Race Theory (CRT) are terms that are thrown around daily on the news, in our workplaces, and at our schools. As Catholic Christians, we may be tempted to think, “I need to rise above the politics.” However, these are important topics that are shaping the way individuals process the world around them. In fact, the Church has quite a bit to say from its perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. She roots us in the reality of what these things are and how we can rationally approach discussions regarding the shaping of our nation.
Racism and Slavery: we will cover how the Church defines racism an see her tens and tens of condemnations of racism over the past six hundred years.
Immigration: let’s take a step back and discuss 1) what is a nation, 2) what is a migrant, and 3) what are their rights and duties towards each other. With the foundational principles laid out, we can much better talk sensibly about the direction we want to see our country’s policies move.
Critical Race Theory: we cover the three principle tenants of CRT and the ways its proponents allege it manifests itself. Then we will look at how CRT is a simple repackaging of Marxism and Postmodernism. And yes, the Church has lots to say about Marxism and Postmodernism.
Prayer for a Happy Death
(John Henry Cardinal Newman)
Oh, my Lord and Savior,
support me in that hour in the strong arms of Your Sacraments,
and by the fresh fragrance of Your consolations.
Let the absolving words be said over me,
and the holy oil sign and seal me,
and Your own Body be my food,
and Your Blood my sprinkling;
and let my sweet Mother, Mary, breathe on me,
and my Angel whisper peace to me,
and my glorious Saints smile upon me;
that in them all,
and through them all,
I may receive the gift of perseverance,
and die, as I desire to live,
in Your faith,
in Your Church,
in Your service,
and in Your love. Amen.
Fr. Carter talks about the concept of time, the Jewish origins of feasting, what makes a feast, and how we can live the festive cycle of the Church's year within our homes and communities.
What does it mean when we say that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic? Join us for our September Coffee and Catechesis where we learn about these four characteristics of Christ's Church. Presenter: Fr. Jacob Mlakar
- What We Hope To Accomplish
- Methods of Exegesis
- Covenantal Story Arch
- The Concept of Covenant
- Expansive Covenants
- Matthew's Kingdom-Church Underpinnings
- Luke's Banquet-Eucharist Underpinnings
- The New Testament is the Eucharist
Our July Coffee and Catechesis is on the theme of how reason and faith work together in order to discover truth. When we look at the history of the sciences, we discover Catholic monks, priests, and the Vatican itself at the cusp of innovation and discovery.
Fr. Jacob Mlakar delivers this month's Coffee and Catechesis, speaking about what God reveals to us about Himself and how the Church over time came to reject erroneous preaching and falsehoods. It is imperative that we come to right belief in who God is, because we are created to know, love, and serve Him.
Coffee and Catechesis
The Month of May and the Glories of Mary
Opening Prayer: Memorare
Attempt with Coffee and Catechesis to recall the fundamentals of our faith.
Since it is May, it’s the perfect opportunity to do a review of Mary’s role in salvation history.
Mary’s humble role as dependent upon Christ.
Walkthrough of Mary’s role in our salvation.
Mary’s Involvement in Salvation History: Genesis 3:15
Prophecy of a “new Eve” and proto-evangelion
Birth of Christ: Matthew’s Gospel quotes Isaiah’s prophecy – a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be Emmanuel.
Immaculate Conception and Perpetual Virginity
While conceived in a natural way by Joachim and Ann, Mary was at the moment of her conception freed from the stain (macula) of original sin on her soul.
“The blessed ever-virginal and immaculate Mary conceived, without seed, by the Holy Spirit, and without loss of integrity brought him forth, and after his birth preserved her virginity inviolate.”
These work together as logical counterparts based on the effects of original sin.
In the early Church, there were two errors that were spreading: Pelagianism and Nestorianism.
Pelagius: Jesus was a really super guy, but not God.
Nestorius: there was no union between the human and divine natures, and Mary bore only the human nature.
Council of Nicaea: Christ was fully God and fully human
Council of Ephesus: hypostatic union – “consubstantial with the Father”
Therefore: Mary was the Mother of God Incarnate (Theotokos)
Assumption of Mary
Based on Revelation 12:1-2, “enmity,” and Psalm 132 & the ark being restored to Jerusalem
“Having completed the course of her earthly life…” – did she die?
What we know: God brought Mary body and soul into heaven.
Other teachings not solemnly defined
Queen of Heaven
Mediatrix of all graces
Mother of the Church
[Co-redemptrix]
Marian Devotion
- Catacombs in the 250’s, Mother of God in Jerusalem in 350
- Churches erected after Ephesus in 431 to defend her title
- Carmel – 12th Century hermits in the Holy Land
- European bent: Bernard of Clairvaux (13th Century)
- Protestant Reformation and Our Lady of Guadalupe in 16th Century
- 16th Century official endorsement of the Rosary (Our Lady of Victory, Oct. 7)
Three Levels of Marian Devotion (Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange)
- Occasional Prayers (Hail Mary, Salve Regina, Memorare)
- Daily devotion (devout recitation of the Rosary)
- Total Consecration (gained popularity in 18th Century through de Montfort’s book)
The Secret of the Rosary
The Spirituality of Mary
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 164
Reading 1 EX 34:4B-6, 8-9
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.
Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, "LORD."
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own."
Responsorial Psalm DN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Reading 2 2 COR 13:11-13
Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Alleluia CF. RV 1:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 3:16-18
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Christ is asked about paying taxes. He confounds those present with his response. But the subtext teaches us what we are to render to God.
What's a precept and how is it different than a commandment? As we get used to a "normal" schedule at Holy Cross, many parishioners still have questions about whether they are obligated to go to Mass on Sundays.
Deacon Tim reflects on Jesus' meaning that pain, sorrow, and grief pass because God always reveals his great providence in drawing closer to Him.
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
Jesus promises to send another Advocate. After Philip's preaching and baptisms in Samaria, Peter and John travel their to confer the sacrament of Confirmation.
To follow in the footsteps of Christ also means to know rejection by those in the world. Carry the peace of Christ within you anyway.
Let's talk getting back to church and these new "spikes" in COVID-19 cases in our area/county.
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.
Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.
John 14:27-31a
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
I am the way, the truth, and the life — the Gospel and Homily cut from today's Mass for the 5th Sunday of Easter.
A second interview with Tyler Kramer, a mental health counselor, about certain mental health issues facing individuals, families, and young people in these days and weeks of health crisis. We cover combatting purposelessness (0:00-3:36), providing for the family (3:36-7:48), improving self-image (7:48-10:15), social media use (10:15-14:45), video games and affimring our children (14:45-19:10), and lastly Tyler's recommendation to go outside and get some Vitamin D (19:10-21:57).
Jesus says that he has come not to judge but to save. Does this mean that all will be saved? Exposing the heresy of universalism.
Many Protestant Bibles differ in the number of books in the New and Old Testament. Fr. Carter explains why the differences arise and why Catholics have "more books" in the Bible than other communities and churches.
John 10:1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
Fr. Carter interviews Tyler Kramer, a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who practices in Mecklenburg County. Tyler gives some great insights on how we all can cope with stress and anxiety. He speaks about married couples facing tensions and conflict. He speaks about what different things children need in these times, as well as concrete advice for teenagers.
Nicodemus questions Jesus. Jesus corrects Nicodemus' failure to believe in a spiritual rebirth. Jesus uses the image of Moses raising up a serpent in the desert.
Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)
Lectionary: 43
Reading 1 ACTS 2:42-47
They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Responsorial Psalm PS 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 1 PT 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Alleluia JN 20:29
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Mark 16:9-15
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he was alive
and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After this he appeared in another form
to two of them walking along on their way to the country.
They returned and told the others;
but they did not believe them either.
But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart
because they had not believed those
who saw him after he had been raised.
He said to them, “Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
John 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
Easter Sunday Mass homily recorded during the live broadcast of Mass. The Gospel comes from St. John 20:1-9.
Let's talk plague! The models don't lie? The help of sheltering in place cannot be measured. When will we get "back to normal"? The "longest week" versus "Holy Week." Who's to blame for us being stuck at home?
For Monday in Holy Week, the Gospel comes from St. John 12:1-11. Jesus attends a banquet in Bethany. Mary Magdalene anoints Christ's feet with oil. Judas becomes indignant because he wanted to seen the oil and skim some of the profits for himself. There are times in the history of the Church where we have seen Judases who profit from the Church and cheat others. But we should be like Mary and seek intimate union with God, not lust after wealth.
Fr. Carter offers a reflection on why Christ enters as he does into Jerusalem with the people waving branches. St. Matthew — the only one of four Gospel writers — records Judas' suicide as he recounts the Passion narrative. The Blessed Virgin is a silent, steadfast, ever present mother to Christ in his suffering and death; she continues to accompany us in all sufferings, anxieties, persecutions, and tribulations.
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.
Father Carter announces that parishioners can drive-thru the parish parking lot to receive blessed palms and pamphlets that can be used to lead your household in a Palm Sunday procession in your homes! Visit holycrossnc.org for a map and a PDF of the prayers.
John 8:21-30:
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
So the Jews said,
“He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
He said to them, “You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins.”
So they said to him, “Who are you?”
Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.”
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-1
Ps 130:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8
R./ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Second Reading: Rom 8:8-11
Gospel: Jn 11:1-45
Las lecturas del día:
Primera lectura: Ez 37, 12-14
Salmo Responsorial: Salmo 129, 1-2. 3-4ab. 4c-6. 7-8
Segunda lectura: Rm 8, 8-11
Evangelio: Jn 11, 1-45
John 5:31-47. Jesus explains how, more than John the Baptist, there are miracles, his own Father, and even the Scriptures (Moses) that testify to his Messianic mission. He also calls of the rabbis for stroking each others' egos. It's always a good Gospel when Jesus tells someone off! Let's dive in together!
Gospel and homily from Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. We are surrounded by announcements in our lives. But the annunciation was a history changer of an announcement. Our lives, though, can be history-changing announcements.
When Christ draws close to this paralyzed man and heals him, he offers a stern command: "Do not sin any more, lest something worse may happen to you." Was this a threat? What is worse than physical paralysis?
Gospel (John 4:43-54); Healing of the Nobleman's Feverish Son; Jews vs. Galileans vs, Samaritans; Jesus reproves our faith at times so that we might sharpen it. God is a God of order and structure; let us order our lives in these days ahead.
An extract from the Sunday Mass, hear the proclamation of the Gospel of the man born blind. Christ gives him sight and we see the man's faith in the Lord increase. He even faces down the persecution of unbelieving neighbors and Pharisees, but he gives his testimony all the same.
El Evangelio de hoy trata sobre el hombre nacido ciego y cómo Cristo lo hace ver. Cristo es la luz del mundo que ilumina nuestros corazones. El hombre nacido ciego luego progresa en su conocimiento y creencia en Cristo a pesar de la persecución de los fariseos.
The Gospel today tells us of Christ's answer to the question, "Which commandment is the greatest?" In Christ's answer and the scribe's response, we are shown how important it is to please God by offering our very selves to Him.
Fr. Carter reads the Gospel during Mass on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary. Afterwards, he offers a homily based upon the readings and life of St. Joseph. During these days of uncertainty, we can look to St. Joseph who remained faithful to God even amidst the uncertainties of his own time.
FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Lauda, Ierusalem, Dominum.
Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL:Verba tua, Domine, Spiritus et vita sunt; verba vitae aeternae habes.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. - See Jn 6:63c, 68c
GOSPEL: Matthew 5:17-19