Homily, Sunday, September 7, 2025
Focus: Following Jesus means making good decisions day by day that orient us ever more clearly toward him. His promise: life in fullness.
Often we see commercials in the media with enticing announcements of something we can have for “free.” Some of us get burnt—we do what the ad asks and find out the “free” thing actually costs quite a lot. In this way a person learns quickly to read the fine print of such offers because the fine print can become the stumbling stone.
In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks very plainly with us and hides nothing. He bluntly challenges those who are with him to take up the demands of discipleship with eyes wide open. Jesus clearly spells out the fine print in large letters, so to speak: Disciples must put Jesus ahead of their families. The word ‘hate’ is hyperbolic; we understand what Jesus means when we read Matthew’s version of this verse: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Mt 10:37). The disciples’ families and friends (in person or virtual) must not keep us from following him, nor must possessions be in the way; nor even concern for their own lives.
This gospel passage is part of a larger section in Luke that extends over ten chapters: the narrative of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem following his ministry in Galilee. Jerusalem is the city of Jesus’ destiny, where his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension are going to take place. There salvation is being accomplished and from there, guided by the Holy Spirit, the proclamation of God’s saving word is to go forth. During the course of his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus is preparing those around him for the role they will play later as his missionary disciples
Great crowds are traveling with him, we hear. Jesus wants everybody to know that following him isn’t a walk in the park. His listeners are meant to “calculate the cost” of discipleship. Jesus’ message is a pretty challenging one: “If our absolute priority isn’t Jesus and his mission, then we “cannot be [his] disciple(s).” And: Following him includes carrying one’s cross.
Material things, the respect and praise of people and power and influence over others are not bad in themselves. They are God’s good gifts and they can be used for the glory of God. The problem comes in when God’s gifts become possessions. They are mine; I hold on to them.
God gives us wisdom and sends the Holy Spirit from on high, so today’s first reading tells us. The Holy Spirit shows us how to use God’s gifts aright. Today’s gospel, therefore, is an invitation to us to practice discernment: Is a thought that we entertain, a word that we speak and an action that we take the work of the Holy Spirit in us or are we allowing other spirits that aren’t the Holy Spirit to gain influence over us?
Dear sisters and brothers in the Lord, Following Jesus means making good decisions day by day that orient us ever more clearly toward him. His promise is that we will receive a hundred times more than what we have given up and, even on this earth, life in fullness.
One good way of keeping track of our everyday decision making is the Examination of Consciousness. Many people do it at the end of the day. I do it in the evening, too. I first ask God for clarity and understanding in regard of what happened in my life and in me during this past day. Then I review my day in thanksgiving. I think about the day in terms of how it was a gift. I thank God for my existence, my work, my relationships, for the food that nourishes me … and even for difficult things
that happened. I review my feelings that surface in the replay of the past day. Our feelings, positive and negative, painful and pleasing,are the liveliest index of what is going on in our lives. Then I choose one of those feelings (positive or negative) and use it as a starting point for prayer, for praise, petition, contrition or a cry for help. Finally I look toward tomorrow. I think of the tasks, meetings and appointments of the next day. Which feelings surface? I turn them into spontaneous prayer.
I conclude with the Lord’s Prayer. This method which comes from St. Ignatius of Loyola, can help us to determine when in the course of our day we fell victim to false promises and when we responded to those of Jesus.
I wish all of us and pray that as we return back into the ordinary routine of life this fall, we may do so with attentiveness toward what’s happening around us and in us and with great trust that the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent uswil l enlighten, guide and strengthen us on all our ways. AMEN.
~Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB
Homily - Sunday, July 13th, 2025
Lk 10:25-37
Dtn 30:10-14
Col 1:15-20
focus: Today’s gospel invites us to respond to God’s love with ours – to God and to our neighbors, the close ones and the more remote ones as well!
The evangelist Luke relates to us some of Jesus’ most famous stories. Today we heard one of them, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We are very familiar with it. However, this can prevent us from fully appreciating its provocative message.
Our gospel today begins with a scholar of the law (that is, a Scripture expert) approaching Jesus in order to “test” him. He asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus throws the question back at him: “What does the Bible say?” The scholar answers by combining two texts: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole being” (Deuteron. 6:5) and “[You shall love] your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:9). Jesus wholeheartedly approves of this answer.
In fact, the heart of Jesus’ own teaching is expressed in these words. God has loved us into being and showers us with gifts. Our first love, in return belongs to God: with heart, mind, strength and our entire being. Second, love of God is closely connected with love for all God loves: all human beings
and all creation. In fact: Love for God is expressed through love of one’s neighbor as especially Luke’s Gospel makes clear.
“And who is my neighbor,” the Scribe asks. Jesus, in response, tells the Parable, challenging the scholar, and us, not to limit too narrowly our notion of “neighbor!” The road from Jerusalem to Jericho, as Jesus’ listeners knew, was very dangerous. It was filled with bandits. Using it was unsafe, especially for one who traveled alone. It was one such traveler whom Jesus describes as being beaten, robbed and left for dead.
The first two people who come across the dying man are religious professionals, a priest and a levite (an altar server of sorts). However, they, concerned about their own safety and about maintaining ritual purity, don’t take action to help the dying man. Jesus’ listeners must have been surprised at the inaction of the priest and the levite!
What follows in the story is even more shocking. There was a centuries old antipathy between Jews and Samaritans. In response to a supposedly pious Jew’s question Jesus makes a Samaritan, not an Israelite, the hero of the story! The Samaritan reacts with compassion upon seeing the beaten man,
binding his wounds and seeing to his care and recovery. The story illustrates dramatically how love for God is empty if it is not expressed in real concern for others. Jesus describes how true love is to be expressed and how we are to regard those most in need, even strangers, as our neighbors. Plus, he shatters his listeners’ prejudices that limited their ability to see goodness in people different from them.
Today’s first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy underlines this point by saying what is really important to God is not too mysterious, not difficult to understand. What is necessary for us is to know God’s commandment, having it on our minds and in our hearts and to carry it out, to put it into practice!
In today’s second reading St. Paul points us to Jesus in whom the fullness of God “was pleased to dwell.” He combined perfectly and to the full in himself the two dimensions of love for God and love for neighbor. He lived in union with God. And he himself as it were became the Good Samaritan, making God’s care for all, especially for those most in need, visible even to the end, when he shed his blood on the cross.
Sisters and brothers, Today’s gospel invites us to respond to God’s love with ours – with love to God and to our neighbors, the close ones and the more remote ones as well! Loving God first means making regular contact with God in prayer a priority: Personal prayer, reading Holy Scripture prayerfully, attending communal worship, Adoration. God loves us the way we are, we can bring to God in prayer everything that is going on in our life. God’s compassion can reach us even where we are wounded – like the Samaritan’s love reached the man on the road!
On the other hand, our love and concern for other people must grow in its quality and in its reach, toward wherever we find someone who resembles the victimized traveler in the story.
We also must think globally. The U.S. Administration has issued a rescissions package to cancel funds Congress already approved for programs that respond to major emergencies around the world and that help children, families and communities. Countless human lives are at risk. Adjustments are still being made in the US senate till July 18, and we can express to our senators that this is important to us! We are called to such action, too, because, as Pope Francis expressed it in the title of his last encyclical, we, people everywhere around the world, are Fratelli Tutti, Brothers and Sisters All.
AMEN.
~Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB