Homily: November 20, 2023, Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Hope).

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"But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or profane the holy covenant, and they did die.”

At the beginning of the first reading, the situation of the Israelites was disappointing. There were many ‘breakers of the law’ who ‘seduced’ their fellow Jews to discard their covenant with God. Many chose to disobey and disown God, and accepted the gods and deities of the Gentiles, believing that would protect their lives. They were quick to give up their faith in the generous God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses because of some difficulties and discomfort in life. That led to the persecution of the Jews during the time of the Maccabees.

But when we come to the end of the reading, the determination of some of the Jews ‘not to eat anything unclean’ shows that there were many who kept the covenant with God and were faithful even in the face of death. There is hope.

Looking at the church today, we see similar disappointing signs and situations. Many people are challenging and demanding the church to discard the teachings of sacred scripture and practices of traditions in favor of worldly trends and ideology. Many churches in the Western part of the world have closed because people are leaving the church because it does not stand with their selfish ideologies. History is repeating itself. Is there hope?

Last Thursday through Sunday, I attended the National Catholic Youth Conference with 23 of our youths. It was my first NCYC. There were probably 13 thousand youths at the conference, from all over the USA. I saw those teenagers praising and worshiping God together, they prostrated before the Blessed Sacrament, waited in long lines for reconciliation, and made time to be with Jesus in silent adoration. They seem to know how to combine faith and fun; they know how to find God in a world where God is almost forgotten.

Yes, there is hope.

Those young people at NCYC showed me that there is great hope for the future of our church. For even if there is only one faithful person left, there is seed for growth. At NCYC, there were thousands of young people. 

The church will never fall, because it is built by human hearts in harmony with the heart of God, by martyrs’ blood infused with the blood of Christ.

God will not leave His people abandoned; Christ will not let His Church die. Let us pray for our Church today, for our young people, that  may we follow God more closely, more fervently, more joyfully. This is our hope.

Amen.


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Homily, Wednesday,January 5, 2022, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

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Homily April 29, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

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Christmas Homily 2021,

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