Homily: September 13, 2026, Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary time (St. Ambrose parish Picnic)

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 “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.”

We sang these beautiful words in our Responsorial Psalm today. Each word tells us something about the God we believe in.

And today, as we gather once again here at the Hmong-Lao Community Farm, we are not simply having a picnic. We are celebrating what God has done among us.

This is our fourth parish picnic. Every year, we look forward to coming together—to celebrate Mass, share food, laugh, visit with one another, and simply enjoy being together as one parish family.

One of the greatest blessings of St. Ambrose is the beautiful diversity of our parish. We did not all come from the same place. We do not all speak the same language. We do not have the same culture or the same story.

Some were born here in Iowa. Others came from different parts of the United States. Many came from countries thousands of miles away after experiencing war, persecution, poverty, or separation from family.

I have heard some of you describe coming to this country as receiving a second life.

Behind every person here, there is a story—a story of sacrifice, courage, hard work, struggle, and faith.

Not everyone who began those journeys with you was able to make it here. Some family members and friends are still far away. Some have already gone home to God.

And yet, somehow, from different countries, languages, cultures, and journeys, God brought us together here.

And today we gather around one altar.

That is the beauty of the Church.

The Church is not a group of people who are all the same. The Church is God's children, different in so many ways, discovering that in Christ we are one family.

St. Paul tells us today: “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Before I am American or Indian, Hmong or Lao, Hispanic or African, Asian or European—I belong to Christ.

That is our deepest identity.

Before all the labels we give ourselves, we belong to Christ.

And if I belong to Christ and you belong to Christ, then we belong to one another.

But belonging to a family is not always easy.

Families disagree. We misunderstand one another. We say things we should not say. We hurt one another. Sometimes we carry those hurts for years.

That is why Peter asks Jesus in today's Gospel, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?”

Peter thinks seven times is generous.

Jesus tells him, essentially: Stop counting.

Forgive again and again.

Why?

Because that is how God has treated us.

Every one of us stands before God as someone who has been forgiven much. We come to this altar not because we are perfect, but because God is merciful.

And God asks us to give to others the mercy we ourselves have received.

Our first reading gives us a powerful reminder: “Remember your last days, set enmity aside.”

One day, every one of us will die.

One day, many of the things that seem so important today will not matter anymore. The arguments, the grudges, the anger we held onto—what will they matter when we stand before God?

Our destination is heaven.

We have traveled different roads, but we are walking toward the same destination:

Heaven.

So today, let us thank God for St. Ambrose.

Let us thank God for our children and young people, who are the future of our parish.

Let us thank God for the farmers and for this beautiful land where we gather today.

Let us thank God for the immigrants and refugees who have enriched our parish with their faith, courage, cultures, and traditions.

And let us thank God for every person who has found at St. Ambrose a spiritual home.

May we always be a family where everyone has a place; where mercy is stronger than anger; where forgiveness is stronger than resentment; and where our differences do not divide us, but show the beautiful richness of God's family.

Because the Lord has been kind and merciful to us, let us be kind and merciful to one another.

Then St. Ambrose will not simply be the parish where we attend Mass.

It will truly be our family.

And together, as one family, may we help one another reach our final home. 

Amen. 


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