Father Kevin A. Codd

This Remarkable Father, 4th Sunday of Lent (C), March 30, 2025

The magnificent parable that Jesus tells in Luke 15 proves he is one of the great story-tellers of all time. It also is a spiritual revolution because it turns upside down the way most people have imagined God. Jesus pulls no punches in this story, which as it happens, is squarely directed at the religious leaders of his day. What is God like? For Jesus, God is this father who loves his sons so much that he will do anything to save them from themselves. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Just How Close Can We Come? The Burning Bush of Moses, 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C), March 23, 2025

The magnificent story of Moses and the Burning Bush reveals to Moses (and to us!) a God who has the ears to hear the cries of a people enslaved, humiliated, and impoverished. That God would care with a burning passion for the sufferings of a small tribe of Hebrews trapped in Egypt teaches both Moses and us so much about the God at the heart of our faith. But there is more to this story worthy of our consideration. The voice of God emanating from that burning bush also demands that Moses draw no closer. "Stop right where you are!" This spiritual sense that we human beings can only get so close to God travels through the centuries. Distance from God is essential for he is God and we are not! And it is precisely this that Jesus turns upside down with his coming to us in flesh and blood. In him, we are invited into the burning bush that is God's presence.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

La Zarza de Moises, 3o Domingo de la Cuaremsa (C), 23 de marzo de 2025

En la primera lectura de este domingo cuaresmal, encontramos con Moisés algo maravilloso: una zarza ardiendo sin consumirse. Es mas que cualquier zarza y mas que cualquier zara ardiendo sin consumirse: es un encuentro con Dios. Este Dios revela que es un Dios con oídos para escuchar los gritos del pueblo de Moisés esclavizado en Egipcio y un Dios con un corazón para los oprimidos. Ha hecho la decisión a actuar a liberarlo. Es muy importante esa revelación porque la compasión para los pobres, los desechados, los vulnerables, los esclavizados llega a ser la norma fundamental de la moralidad de los judíos y luego los cristianos. Pero hay algo más en esta historia: la distancia que Moisés tiene que guardar ante de la presencia divina también es muy importante, especialmente para entender el significado de Jesús y su encarnación.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador.  

Like the Stars of the Night: Our Destiny, Second Sunday of Lent (Year C), March 16, 2025

Abraham looks up into the night sky resplendent with stars and sees his destiny: "Your children will be more than even the starts of the night!" James, John, and Peter look into the divine face of Jesus and are given a pre-vision of Easter glory. And more than that, they, and we with them, also see our own destiny: what we see in Jesus Glorified is what we too shall be when all is said and done. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Desert Temptations: 1st Sunday of Lent (C), March 9, 2025

Following his extraordinary experience in the Jordan River, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert. Here he must confront the fundamental temptations of his life, especially now that he clearly knows his is God's Beloved Son. Each  of the three desert temtations is a test of his vocation and mission.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Love Your Enemies, 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), March 2, 2025

Jesus doesn't mince his words or his imagery; he says it clearly: "Love your enemies." We all know that this is the most difficult, if not the most impossible, thing Jesus teaches us. So how do we actually do it in real life? Jesus gives us the answer and it is both a simple one and a profound one. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

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Como amar a los enemigos, 7o domingo ordinario (C), 23 de febrero, 2025

Jesús nos ofrece hoy su "mandamiento" más difícil: "Amen a sus enemigos."  A nosotros en nuestras vidas cotidianas, se parece casi imposible cumplirlo porque los enemigos nuestros nos han dañado mucho. Jesús entonces nos ensena como podamos vivir su mandamiento tan difícil...por orar para el bien de ellos. 

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Los bienaventurados no son los que piensan, 6o Domingo Ordinario (C), 16 de febrero, 2025

Entre las dos versiones de las Bienaventurados que encontramos en los evangelios de Mateo y Lucas, la de Lucas es la más difícil. Jesús se pone como revolucionario en no ofrecer bendiciones a los a la cima del orden social y religiosa del día y al contrario de toda expectativa, anuncia que los bendecidos de Dios son los más al bajo del orden social y religiosa. 

Homilía compartida con la comunidad parroquial de la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador 

Blessings and Woes Gone Upside Down: 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), February 16, 2025

Everyone loves the Beatitudes, though the version they love is almost always that of Matthew. Luke's version is more difficult because Jesus is in full-prophet mode as he uses his maiden sermon to upend the social and religious order of his time. Who is "blessed" and who is "woed" are not what anyone in that crowd expected to hear. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Simeon's Defining Moment: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2025

Sometimes a single brief moment can define the character and meaning of a whole life. So it was for Simeon; his encounter with the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem gave meaning to his long life and made him a figure of immense importance in the story of Israel's long-hoped-for salvation. As he received the Messiah on behalf of Israel, so he also stands in for us for whom this messiah is our "light to the nations." 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.