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HOMILIES

THE DEVIL LEAVES NO STONE UNTURNED

This homily, based on Matthew 4:1-11, was delivered at the EAPI chapel.

In the desert our Lord Jesus undergoes three temptations. One of them seems out of place. One doesn’t seem to belong with the other two. Can you tell which one?

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Let’s review the three temptations. In the first temptation, our Lord is invited to turn stone into bread in order to sate his hunger–a hunger that must have grown really intense given his 40 days of fasting. In the second temptation, the devil entices our Lord to deceive people by putting up a show–tossing himself from the top of the temple to compel the angels to launch a rescue mission. In his third attempt, the devil blatantly bribes our Lord with all the kingdoms in the world–if only he fall on his knees to worship the devil.

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HOMILIES

DO YOU CATASTROPHIZE?

This homily is on Matthew 6:24-34.

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus repeats what is probably God’s favorite message in the Bible: “Do not be afraid!”

Think of the times when God showed up for the first time before his prophets–or when He sent His angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation, or to Joseph in his dream, or even to that flock of shepherds on the very first Christmas night.

There are claims that this phrase–or its equivalent–occurs 365 times in the Bible–one for each day of the year!

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HOMILIES

WHO IS MY ENEMY?

This homily is based on Matthew 5:38-48.

Did you flinch when you just heard the Lord say, “Love your enemies”? My theory is that, if you didn’t, it’s probably because you didn’t hear what he’s trying to tell us today. Or, you didn’t really think of your enemies.

“Who is my enemy?” you might ask.

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HOMILIES

SLIPPERY SLOPE

This homily is based on Matthew 5:17-37.

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord raises the bar beyond our usual moral comfort zones. It’s not enough that we don’t commit murder, he tells his listeners. Treating others with anger is sin enough. It’s great that we’re not committing adultery, he continues. But the bad news is, just nursing lust in our heart already makes us virtual adulterers.

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HOMILIES

ARE YOU GOING BLAND OR DIM?

This homily, based on Matthew 5:13-16, was delivered at the EAPI Chapel.

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord offers us two familiar images of how His disciple should make a difference in the world: salt and light. Like salt to water, we are called to change the world by giving it flavor. Like light to night, the good deeds we do are expected to serve as a shining example to inspire others to do the same.

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