Homilies – Page 15 – Faith Seeking Understanding

Passing through the Eye of a Needle

Posted on October 10, 2021 by hlesbrown

Scripture Reading Jesus drives a hard bargain. In today’s gospel, we find a man who apparently had it all: he was young, he was enthusiastic, he was spiritual, he was wealthy, and he was good. He avoided all those things that were forbidden by the Ten Commandments of the Law. He was looking for only one thing: to live forever. The man’s qualifications were not enough for Jesus. First, he dampened his enthusiasm, taking the praise the young man had given him by calling him “good,” and deflecting the praise to God. Then, Jesus challenged him to perfection: to give Continue Reading →

When’s a Marriage Not a Marriage?

Posted on October 3, 2021 by hlesbrown

In his private talk with his disciples, Jesus is quoted as being more forthright. He calls divorce and remarriage adultery. At the same time, this stance contradicts our nearly universal human experience. Can we resolve this contradiction? Obviously, Jesus is appealing to an ideal of marriage. We have to ask, is every committed union of two people—even a solemnized commitment—a real marriage? What is a marriage, anyway? Continue Reading →

Getting Your Own Way

Posted on September 19, 2021 by hlesbrown

What are you willing to give to get your own way? How much effort are you willing to expend? What are you willing to pay? to sacrifice? What’s it worth to you? Continue Reading →

Jesus Was a Failure

Posted on September 12, 2021 by hlesbrown

“Who do people say that I am?” Listen to the news. Listen to the talking heads. Listen to the preachers. Watch the Jesus documentaries on the Discovery Channel.
Fine. “But who do you say that I am?”
“You are the Christ.” The Messiah. The anointed king who’ll save us. You’ll make everything better. You’ll supply us with money, power, and prestige. You’ll lighten our burdens, cure our diseases, and bring our dead back to life. Continue Reading →

Can you hear me now?

Posted on September 5, 2021 by hlesbrown

Which do you think would be more difficult, to be born sight-impaired or to be born hearing-impaired? I’ve always thought that blindness would be worse: not being able to see the beauty of the world or the faces of my loved ones, and not being able to get around easily without some sort of assistance. That’s what I thought until I started meditating on today’s gospel. “And the people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment.” That’s when I began to understand things somewhat differently. Continue Reading →