HOMILY
Palm Sunday – March 29, 2026
Perhaps as a consequence of age, having recently celebrated my seventieth birthday, I have been reflecting a great of late upon my own journey of faith – a journey that eventually brought me to ordained ministry within the Church, first as a deacon, then as priest and eventually as bishop. These reflections inevitably take me back to a very consequential time during my days in college and specifically in campus ministry. There was a scripture passage that I had never much considered up to that time in my life. It seemed to be referenced everywhere – or at least wherever God wanted me to look as I discerned his will for my life. The passage: John 3:16.
Most of you know that passage well. For me, it became life changing as I confronted its message. “For 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.”
Brothers and sisters, it is that very love of God, so selflessly revealed in the cross of Christ, which lies at the heart of the Word of God proclaimed this day.
As we stand on the threshold of Holy Week and prepare to celebrate the great mysteries of our redemption through Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, the Church invites us to peel away the facades behind which we live our lives and to present ourselves to the Lord as we truly are – all of us – struggling souls in need of God’s love and mercy. To bring such honesty to this moment is hardly a sign of weakness but, rather, a grace-filled awareness of the brokenness of our world and wounds that we carry in life.
Brothers and sisters, how very much we need this Holy Week! Our world and our lives can’t seem to catch a break. Once again, we come to these sacred days with our world engulfed by war and suffering – pain that is real, even if it is far removed from our shores. Right here in our own land, so many of our brothers and sisters are faced with uncertainty about their future as they seek to simply care for their families. And we too have our own stories to tell of the crosses that we carry – crosses made from grief and loss, illness, addiction, loneliness and sin.
No doubt, our spirits resonate with Jesus in today’s gospel. As he prayed in the Garden, we too have cried to God, “Let this cup pass from me,” haven’t we? And when the cup of our suffering hasn’t passed us by, the best of best of us have wondered where God is in the midst of it all.
Father Ron Rolheiser, a contemporary spiritual writer, puts the crosses that invade our lives into a perspective that we often fail to appreciate. Listen to his words, “Jesus never promised us rescue, exemptions, immunity from cancer or escape from death. Rather, he promised that in the end, there will be redemption, vindication, immunity from suffering and eternal life. But that’s in the end; in the early and intermediate chapters of our lives, there will be the same kind of humiliation, pain and death that everyone else suffers.”
God didn’t spare Jesus, as we learn from today’s gospel, yet in the end, through his suffering, death and resurrection, we are reminded that nothing is impossible for God. That belief in the power of God is where resurrection begins to enter our lives, and peace takes hold of our wounded spirits! God doesn’t promise us a perfect world free from suffering, no matter how faithful we are. But he does promise forgiveness, redemption and life because of Jesus’ cross.
In his letter to the Philippians proclaimed a few moments ago, Saint Paul asserts that although he was God, Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a slave – a servant. He sought, according to his Father’s plan, to embrace the brokenness and suffering of our world to save us from ourselves and all that can well up from within us to destroy our peace. In so doing, Jesus gave us the true and only way forward in life.
For all that we bring to this celebration of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, may we not forget to enter these sacred days praying for the same spirit of humility that characterized Jesus’ life and his embrace of the cross that gives us hope as we carry our own. For when we are finally humble enough to admit that we cannot save ourselves but need to trust in a power beyond us, it is then that a space will opened in our hearts to be filled by the love of Jesus – a love that alone has the power to carry us to a place of life and peace.
Therein, brothers and sisters, is the true blessing and gift of Holy Week.
HOMILY
2026 Lenten Deanery Holy Hour
“Finding Peace in Challenging Times”
Luke 24:13-35
What a blessing, friends, to join in prayer during this holy season of Lent – to reflect upon the Word of God and its power to speak to our lives a message of forgiveness, reconciliation and hope – and to do so before the Most Blessed Sacrament, the living presence of God among us. I thank our host pastor (N), (N), the Dean of the (N) Deanery, my brother priests and deacons and so many of you from parishes throughout this region of our diocese for the opportunity to pray with you this evening.
In preparation for this Deanery Lenten Holy Hour, which by now in its fourth year has become something of a tradition for me and our diocese, I asked a few folks what they thought might be a worthy topic for reflection. One person captured best what everyone else seemed to share, “Bishop, I would so appreciate if you could simply share how our faith can help us get through each day. We don’t need complicated theological explanations. We just need to know how to find God’s peace amid the crosses we carry in these challenging times.”
I think it’s safe to say that this is a desire that we all have. For even though we are all in different places, every one of us confronts challenges that test our faith and unsettle our lives, don’t we? Some of us are struggling with grief and loss. … Some are caring for an aging parent or a special needs child, dealing with addiction or financial struggles. … Some of us are confronted daily by the immigration crisis in our country and your presence reminds us that while there is a need to protect the common good and maintain our borders, you are not strangers, but our brothers and sisters, entitled to seek a better world and to be treated with God-given dignity. … Some of us may be in this church tonight not even sure of why we’re here – just looking for some power and presence in our lives to give us hope. … So where do we begin?
I’d suggest that a starting place is the powerful scripture passage proclaimed this evening from Saint Luke’s gospel – the road to Emmaus story that chronicles the risen Jesus’ appearance to two disciples on the first Easter Day. We often focus upon this passage for its Eucharistic themes. But, there are other elements of the story that speak to how we find peace amid the crosses that we carry. … First is the cross, not only in the life of Jesus but in the lives of the two disciples on the road and in our lives as well. … Second is the disappointment faced by the disciples and their longing for Jesus. … And third is the disciples’ discovery of the risen Lord and the peace he brings in the very midst of lives turned upside down. … Let’s look a bit more carefully at these three elements of the story.
Let’s talk first about the cross. … On the very day of the resurrection, two downcast disciples began reflecting with a stranger about Jesus, whom they described as “a prophet mighty in deed and word” and who “would be the one to redeem Israel.” That was, until a cross got in his way – and theirs.
Jesus’ cross turned their world upside down – just like the crosses that impact our lives. I’m sure they wondered – as we do – why God didn’t just spare Jesus – and us – from the cross he carried and from the ones that come our way? Yet, for whatever reason, God doesn’t work this way. While we’re fixers, wired to respond to painful things and do all that we can to make them better, God acts differently than how we imagine he should act and respond.
In fact, we’ve been wondering about God’s ways since the very beginning of salvation history, haven’t we? From Job in the Old Testament to Martha and Mary when their brother Lazarus died, to you and me this day, we believers have cried, and expressed anger, pain and sorrow in the face of the crosses that have come into our lives – all without seemingly getting a reaction from God. … And why is that you might wonder? Because God is absent? Because God doesn’t care? … Not at all. We react the way we do because we have always expected God to reflect our image and likeness – rather than accepting that we are made in his!
Look once again at the Emmaus story. As much as the two disciples felt that they were suddenly on their own, burdened with the residue from Jesus’ cross, they weren’t alone at all. Jesus was with them, wasn’t he? They just didn’t recognize him. … Nor is God absent from our lives just because we’re carrying a cross or angry that God won’t help us crawl out from underneath one.
How can I say this with such certitude? These three words: “And Jesus wept.” Jesus did the same thing that we would have done when he was confronted with the cross of his friend Lazarus’ death. … And he wept over the fate of Jerusalem. … And he wept in the Garden of Gethsemane. … Like us, he was burdened with human grief and loss. But he knew that his Father – God – walked with him as he faced his cross. … And Jesus walks with us as we carry ours.
Father Ron Rolheiser, a contemporary spiritual writer, puts the crosses that invade our lives into a perspective that we often fail to appreciate. We’re inclined to equate our efforts to live a good and faithful life with our ticket to peace, aren’t we? Yet, he states, “Jesus never promised us rescue, exemptions, immunity from cancer or escape from death. Rather, he promised that in the end, there will be redemption, vindication, immunity from suffering and eternal life. But that’s in the end; in the early and intermediate chapters of our lives, there will be the same kind of humiliation, pain and death that everyone else suffers.”
So, how do we best carry our crosses in a way that both reflects Jesus’ invitation to do so and that is life-giving? Jesuit Father James Martin, in his book Jesus: A Pilgrimage, suggests six things.
First, he suggests that we accept the reality that suffering is a part of life. At some point, we must make peace with the fact that pain, misfortune, sadness and death will make their way into our lives. To believe otherwise is to yield to resentment and anger when life doesn’t go our way. … Second, taking up our cross means that we may not pass on bitterness to those around us. … Third, following Jesus requires that we accept the fact that there will be many deaths that we endure before our physical death, such as the loss of loved ones, illness and pain. … Fourth, we must wait for the resurrection. So much of discipleship is about waiting – in frustration and pain – for something better. … Fifth, carrying our cross daily means accepting that God’s gifts to us may not be what we expect. … And sixth, taking up our cross means believing that along the way and in the end, nothing is impossible for God. … That belief in the power of God, brothers and sisters, is where resurrection enters our lives and peace begins to take hold of our wounded spirits! … God doesn’t promise us a perfect world free from suffering, no matter how faithful we are. But he does promise forgiveness, redemption and life because of Jesus’ cross.
Now let’s reflect a bit on the disappointment of the disciples and their longing for Jesus. Make no mistake, the cross that we’ve just reflected upon, for all its saving grace and power, created disappointment and despair for the two disciples. Yet, for all their pain, it wasn’t enough to extinguish the love of God that had been planted within their hearts. They still longed for Jesus – as we do. They wanted more. “We were hoping he would be the one to redeem Israel.”
Despite the upheaval that Jesus’ cross created for them, they weren’t at all reluctant to still hope that God would respond to them. They didn’t worry that they had somehow offended or disappointed God with their wavering faith or their lack of trust. They had experienced Jesus’ affection for the least of God’s people – from the tax collector to the prostitute to the outcast Samaritan – and they weren’t afraid to ask, seek and implore God for more in their lives. … Nor should we.
For many years, I was blessed to have a wonderful Jesuit priest as my spiritual director. For all the wisdom that he shared, he challenged me often to believe these simple words: “There will never be a time when God will not love you!” … That’s not cheap grace. God continually calls us to conversion and to live the gospel message. But he reminds us that any hope we have is rooted in God’s love – not our righteousness. … Do you believe that? Can you repeat those words to yourself? … “There will never be a time when I will not love you.” … When you question, when you doubt, never allow such feelings to prevent you from being bold enough to approach God and ask for more of his Spirit. God’s love isn’t based on our righteousness or how perfectly we recite our prayers. It is pure gift.
Finally, the miracle of the Road to Emmaus story is that the disciples encountered the Risen Lord and found their peace. Let’s consider how that happened. With the fire of God’s love still burning within their broken hearts, the two disciples of Jesus were not only prompted to pour out their hearts to the stranger but to also offer him hospitality. For as distraught as they were, the grace of God enabled them to finally look beyond their own needs to those of another. “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, and the day is almost over.”
The stranger accepted their gesture of kindness and “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.”
Do you see the miracle of this sacred exchange? While carrying their own crosses, the two disciples were still humble enough to trust in the power of God’s love – a love that enabled them to welcome a stranger and in that very act to encounter the risen Jesus and discover their peace.
The disciples’ experience speaks a great deal to us, doesn’t it? Like them, will never escape the crosses that make their way into our lives. But we can live with them – and we can find peace in midst of them – if we allow ourselves to be loved by God, on God’s terms, not ours – if we nourish that love through the Eucharist – and if we extend that love, even to the stranger.
In his message to the Church for Lent, Pope Leo put it best, “Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. … Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.” … Therein, brothers and sisters, we find the surest means to finding God’s peace amid the crosses we carry in these challenging times. Amen!
HOMILY
Solemnity of Saint Joseph – March 19, 2026
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24
Every year on this day – March 19th – we pause to celebrate Saint Joseph. We set aside time to worship and pray, as we do at this hour. We sing hymns dedicated to his life and example. We feast on special foods as our Lenten fast is suspended in his honor. And we proclaim his name along with that of the Blessed Mother of God in the very heart of the Eucharistic Prayers that we offer at Mass. … In so many ways, the Christian world stops today to reflect and give thanks for this saintly man – this great gift of God to our Church.
And yet, while we celebrate his unique and vital role in salvation history, what is it about Joseph that sets him apart so singularly? We never hear a word from him in the Scriptures – not one recorded sentence! He was not at all powerful by the world’s standards. He was a carpenter in a small outback town called Nazareth. For the most part, his life is hidden from us. Still, heaven entrusted him with its greatest treasure – Jesus, the Son of God. … What is it that sets him apart?
While the world in which we live celebrates noise and visibility, Joseph – a simple, quiet, humble, faithful man – was set apart because of his willingness to listen carefully to the voice of God – to trust in the power of God to save – and to cooperate with the plan God entrusted to him, despite of all the upheaval, uncertainty and struggle that enveloped his life.
Saint Matthew, in the opening chapter of his gospel, lays groundwork for the birth of Jesus. He reminds us that when Mary was engaged to Joseph – but before they lived together – she was found with child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was rightly confused about this and wanted to divorce her quietly, when suddenly an angel appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife.”
These are key words in the life of Joseph. “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife.” With these words, God entrusts to Joseph – the carpenter of Nazareth – the mystery of salvation. … That mystery was given first to Mary, when she was chosen to be the mother of the savior. But Joseph too, became a unique participant in the same mystery of God. God’s plan for his creation was revealed to a virgin … and then to a carpenter.
Just before this past Christmas, Pope Leo reflected upon this passage from Saint Matthew’s gospel. “When Joseph is faced with a situation that is difficult to understand and accept with regard to his future bride,” the Holy Father began, “he does not choose the path of scandal and public condemnation, but the discreet and benevolent path of secret repudiation. In this way, he shows that he understands the deepest meaning of his own religious observance: the meaning of mercy.”
Pope Leo noted further, “The purity and nobility of Joseph’s sentiments, however, become even more evident when the Lord, in a dream, reveals his plan of salvation to him, indicating the unexpected role that he must take up as the spouse of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah. Here, indeed, with a great act of faith, Joseph leaves even the last resort of his security and sets sail toward a future that is now totally in God’s hands.”
And what was the result of Joseph’s willingness to place his life totally in God’s hands? First, the stage was set for Joseph to grow in faith. He trusted in God more than in himself. Second, Joseph’s openness to God enabled him to embrace his unique vocation as a husband and father fully, risking everything to be faithful to that God’s plan. And finally, Joseph’s relationship with God provided him with the assurances that he needed to submit himself to God’s plan and to work tirelessly to achieve it, even in a harsh and brutal land during a difficult time in history. Joseph not only cooperated with God, but he served God selflessly through the people God placed in his care.
Saint Joseph teaches us so very much about our lives in relationship to God – doesn’t he? He speaks eloquently through the example of his life – his faith in God – his generous embrace of his vocation as husband and father – and his care for the lives entrusted to him by God. … And he reminds us of all that is possible when we seek to walk by faith as disciples of the Lord.
As we celebrate Saint Joseph and his unique yet quiet presence in the story of salvation history, may we simply give thanks: thanks for the witness of his life – his faith – his trust in God’s plan – and his intercession with God on our behalf. Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Previous Homilies 2026
Saint Patrick’s Parade Day Mass March 14, 2026
Rite of Election February 22, 2026
Ash Wednesday February 18, 2026
Disabilities Mass –5th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 8, 2026