This reflection is based on the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Amos 6:1a, 4–7 and Luke 16:19–31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. --- At the center of today’s Gospel is a gate.On one side is a rich man, clothed in purple, feasting every day.On the other side is Lazarus, poor, hungry, covered with sores.

Homily based on the readings: Mercy is not passive.  It moves toward the person in danger, speaks when others remain silent, and shelters the one the crowd has cast out. Today we remember St. Maximilian Kolbe, a man who offered his life so another could live, and whose courage still speaks to us in our own time. I shared how his witness in World War II meets real acts of mercy happening right here in Texas and throughout the USA.

I shared a story from 2018 when an emergency alert warned of an incoming missile in Hawai‘i. I was with a group of teenagers on retreat. There were no answers. No plans. Just a chapel, a deep breath, and a prayer we all knew by heart. The Our Father isn’t just something we recite; it’s something we also rehearse!

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary TimeJuly 20, 2025 Abraham welcomed three strangers. Martha opened her home. Both were interrupted and both were surprised by God. In this homily, I reflect on what happens when we stop seeing hospitality as niceness and start seeing it as sacred risk. It’s not always comfortable. It might disturb our plans. But if the Gospel means anything today, it must mean we welcome Christ where he still shows up, such as in people we might not expect.

Versión en #español a continuación 📖 Readings for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1: Genesis 2:18-25 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 Gospel: Mark 7:24-30 The Gospel is…