Just because there is no more violence in Gaza does not mean peace has been accomplished. Peace will only be achieved when all people, not just Israel, feel safe and secure. A Palestinian State alongside Israel with all national rights and privileges is the only solution to lasting peace.

Oct 14 Scripture Paul says, "Claiming to be wise, they became fools..." (Rom 1:22). Foolishness lies in not transcending creation to know the Creator; in exchanging divine wisdom for human realities. In the gospel, it lies in cleaning the outside but ignoring it within (Lk 11;37-41). Be wise, then.

Oct 13 Scripture Repentance was an important theme of Jesus' ministry. His ministry began with, "Repent and believe!" In today's gospel, he makes reference to alien Ninevites repenting at Jonah's words but God's people not repenting at Jesus' words (Lk 11:29-32). Where might I need repentance?

Sunday Homily - "Jesus Christ Unchained" When Paul says, “but the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2: 9), he is describing the nature of God’s word. The word of God cannot be fettered! www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

Oct 11 Scripture Jesus did not come to get praise and flattery. He wanted people to "hear the word of God and observe it!" Thus, when someone showered praise on him he turned their attention to his real mission (Lk 11:27-18). It is not enough to praise God. We need to hear God's word and observe it.

Oct 10 Scripture Jesus only did good. But even the good that he did was interpreted by some as Evil (Lk 11:15). Humans have the capacity to become so prejudiced that even the good that is done is interpreted as Evil. So, if the Pope does not say what people want to hear, they judge him poorly.

Oct 9 Scripture In Malachi 3:13-15, some said, "It is useless to serve God... for evildoers not only prosper but even test God and escape.” I too feel that evil doers are prospering and escaping God. But I will not give up my faith and hope in God. God is righteous and righteousness will prevail.

Oct 8 Scripture When the Ninevites repented, Jonah was upset. He wanted them to perish (Jonah 4:1-11) because Ninevites and Jews were enemies. But Jonah's enemies were not God's enemies. There is a good lesson in Jesus, "Our Father" (Lk 11:1-4). Even our enemies are God's children and God saves all.

Oct 7 Scripture Jonah preached repentance and Nineveh repented as a nation. (Jonah 3:1-10). Today is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. Let each of us pray a rosary for a national transformation in our nation. May Evil be defeated. And may liberty, equality, justice, peace, & goodwill, prevail.

Oct 6 Scripture I"ve always read Jonah resistance as the need for obedience to God. But that he was being sent into enemy territory to preach conversion helps me to understand his resistance (Jonah 1:1-2). Just like these days many good people these days are silent against an authoritarian regime.

Oct 6 Scripture I"ve always read Jonah resistance as the need for obedience to God. But that he was being sent into enemy territory to preach conversion helps me to understand his resistance (Jonah 1:1-2). Just like these days many good people these days are silent against an authoritarian regime.

Homily Podcast - "Lord, Add Faith to Us" Jesus said, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do'" (Lk 17:10). But the question is, "What are we obliged to do?" Click ⬇️ to know. itemissaest.podbean.com/e/october-5-...

Sunday Homily - "Lord, Add Faith to Us" “Don’t live a good and holy life because you want to be saved; live a good and holy life because you ARE already saved!” www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

At the blessing of Pets on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, for the time a donkey and a pony showed up, along with a parrot, dogs and cats. St. Francis, Pray for Us.

Oct 4 Scripture St. Francis once said, "Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self". Jesus words in today's gospel are true that God reveals heavenly wisdom "to the childlike" (Lk 10:21). May we be childlike like Francis. St. Francis, Pray for us!

Oct 3 Scripture Jesus woes Chorazin, Bethesda, and Capernaum b/c messianic proclamation did not bring them to repentance (Lk 10:13-16). They did not even make a little room for change. Last two Sundays I preached a sermons for the poor and I got an e-mail calling me names. Conversion is hard!

Oct 2 Scripture It is the memorial of the Guardian Angels (Mt 18:1-5, 10) and it is also the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. One celebration lies within the Christian tradition and one outside. But that does matter? God uses beings within and outside the tradition to carry on the work of love and peace.

October 1 is the memorial of St. Thérèse or Lisieux. A couple of years back I facilitated a whole series on her. If anyone wants to enter into the depths of her spirituality, here is the link: www.icparishdayton.org/events/littl...

Oct 1 Scripture "Foxes have dens, birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head" (Lk 9:58). Heaven belongs to Jesus but on earth he had no where to lay his head. A disciple follows Christ with no guarantees except eternal life in heaven. This is faith par excellence.

Sept 30 Scripture In today's gospel, as much as the disciples wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume and consumer the Samaritan village (as if they could 😂) Jesus turned around and rebuked them (Lk 9:51-56). How often we think God is only our God! All belong to God and God belongs to all.

Sept 29 Scripture On the Feast of the Archangels, we pray that: -like St. Michael we will always defend the righteous and poor; -like St. Gabriel we will always proclaim God's word; -like St. Raphael we will always help navigate people through the complexities of life. Holy Archangels - Pray for us!

Homily Podcast - "On Lazarus and the Nameless Rich Man" The theme of poverty and riches is important enough in the scriptures for the Church to draw attention to it a second week in a row. Today, it is through the Parable of Lazarus and the Nameless Rich Man. itemissaest.podbean.com/e/september-...

Sunday Homily - "On Lazarus and the Nameless Rich Man" The parable serves as a stark warning to us against a life of self-serving greed, indifference, and insensitivity to the needs of others. The time to care for the marginalized in is now, not in the afterlife. www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

Sep 27 Scripture Jesus healed a boy with a demon (Lk 9:37-42). People were astonished at God's majesty & amazed at Jesus' every deed (43). But Jesus cautions them. It is not his glory but his suffering that will reveal the true Messiah (44). A true Christian is proven not in glory but in suffering.

Sept 25 Scripture Complacency is a slow killer. Prophet Haggai calls out the complacency of the exilic remnants who returned from Babylon (Hag 1:1-8). It was Herod's vice too. "He kept trying to see Jesus" but never did until... (Lk 9:7-9). The antidote to complacency is humble zeal for God's reign.

Sept 24 Scripture Social media was abuzz with the rapture. Didn't happen. But that does not mean that the work of the reign of God must cease. In today's gospel Jesus sends us forth once again "to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Lk 9:1). Let us be "good news"; be good, kind, holy!

Sept 23 Scripture Jesus expanded his biological family saying, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it" (Lk 19 21). In our own families, there are good people and not so good folks. Am I a good member of Jesus' family? It depends on hearing and acting on his word.

Sept 22 Scripture "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel...' (Lk 8:18). Unfortunately, these days darkness is placed on a lampstand and darkness is proposed as the light. How is true light discerned from the light of darkness? True light is always humble, kind, self-giving, peaceful.

Sunday Homily - "Praise the Lord Who Lifts Up the Poor" When today's first reading begins with, “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land" we must realize that God has something to say about how the marginalized are treated. www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

Sept 20 Scripture The parable of the sower and the seed (Lk8:4-15) explains a deep relationship b/w Jesus and the listener. Both the seed and the soil must unconditionally give into each other for the seed to grow and bear fruit. Christ plants himself totally in us if we will totally yield to Him.

Sept 19 Scripture Paul: "Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ... is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes" (1 Tim 6:3-4). Wow! Isn't that the truth? We have a living example.

Sept 18 Scripture "...but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity" (1 Tim 4:12). I am not saying this is not a tall order but this is the cost of discipleship. Our conduct must be just, compassionate, egalitarian, forgiving, gospel inspired, and Christ-like.

Sept 17 Scripture Jesus: "To what shall I compare the people of this generation?(Lk 7:31). It is a rhetorical question by Jesus but to answer the question, I say: This generation makes racism, hate, violence, and oppression virtues. It makes martyrs out of villains. So, please let us keep the faith.

Sep 16 Scripture In a society marked by cruelty, legalism, & intolerance, Jesus went about in compassion, mercy, love, & gentleness. In today's gospel he raised up the dead son of a grieving widow (Lk 7:11-17). Our society too is marked with hate & intolerance. Precisely now we must be Christ-like.

Homily Podcast - The Cross Carries Us! This feast is not just a celebration of a historical artifact. Rather, it "exalts" the Cross, recognizing it as a sacred object through which Christ conquered sin and death. itemissaest.podbean.com/e/september-...

Sunday Homily - "The Cross Carries Us" www.itemissaest.org/resources/su... On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, I give a history of the theology of the Cross, a history of the feast itself, and finally draw some practical implications for us.

Sep 13 Scripture The connection Jesus makes between a tree and its fruits in (Lk 6:43) is basic wisdom but one that is also life altering. Living good, clean, healthy lives centered around God's reign necessitates inner transformation. To produce good fruit the tree must be good from the inside.

Sep 12 Scripture How wise Jesus teaching are! In today's gospel he says, "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?" (Lk 6:39). It is being played out in our nation right now! Led by the blind, we are free-falling into a pit! Jesus' teachings can save us if we choose.

Sept 11 Scripture Put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing and forgiving one another. And, put on love" (Col 3:12-14). When political violence and racially guided political are rife, a core group of Christians should bear witness to an alternative lifestyle.

Sep 10 Scripture The Beatitudes in Luke is characterized by "Blessing" and "Woe." But why does Jesus declare woe a/g the rich, the filled, those who laugh, and the well respected. B/c in reality, to be rich when others are dying of hunger is a scandal. Faith calls us to solidarity with the weeping.

Sep 9 Scripture Paul uses three verbs to define our relationship with Christ: "WALK in Him, ROOTED in Him, BUILT upon Him" (Col 2:6). Jesus did this in is own life. In today's gospel we see him spend an entire night in prayer - walking in his Father, rooted in Him, and built upon Him (Lk 6:12).

Sep 8 - Nativity of Mary Of course no one knows the date Mary was born. But we do know the unique and singular role she played in God's receptive plan through Jesus Christ. No other human person has or will every play the role Mary played. For this we revere, honor, and celebrate her! "Hail Mary!"

Homily Podcast: "Milele: Discipleship and Beyond" My podcast version of the homily is very different than the text version. Here is the link: itemissaest.podbean.com/e/september-...

Sunday Homily - "Milele: Discipleship and Beyond" Many people were travelling with Jesus. But there is a different between those who travel with Jesus and those who follow him. www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

Homily Podcast - "Who Can Be Saved?" Jesus’ answer to the question, “Will only a few be saved?” was not a black and white answer. Jesus merely said, “Strive to enter by the narrow gate!” What did Jesus mean? itemissaest.podbean.com/e/aug-24-202...

Sunday Homily - "Who Can Be Saved?" God wishes that ALL, and not just a few, are saved. After all, we are all God’s children fashioned in God’s own image and likeness. www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

Homily Podcast - "Peace from the One Who Came to Set the Earth on Fire" itemissaest.podbean.com/e/august-17-...

Sunday Homily - "Peace From the One Who Came to Set the Earth on Fire." “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?(Lk 12:51). I am re-posting a homily from 2019. But it is still as relevant as it was then. www.itemissaest.org/resources/su...

I will be out of touch with social media for a few weeks. Will be back early Sept. Blessings upon all.

Homeless people must leave Washington DC “IMMEDIATELY!” Didn’t Jesus have something to say about “Whatever you do to the least…? (Mt 25:40).