Father Kevin A. Codd

Where Two or Three Are Gathered: 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), September 10, 2023

In a culture of super-individualism, Jesus' preference for "gatherings" is easily obscured. His great promise to "be there" wherever two or three gather in his name is a call to take seriously the importance of "gathering" in the Christian life and the life of the world. 

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

The Prophet’s Hard-Knock Life, 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), September 3, 2023

Today's passage from Jeremiah the Prophet opens a window into the complicated heart of the prophet. Beginning with the words, "You duped me, O God...!" Jeremiah lets us know both how powerful is the prophetic vocation and and how hard it is. Hard though it is, he carries on; he cannot not preach God's word to Israel! And so it was for Jesus; his own prophetic ministry had plenty of hard knocks, too. The temptation to back off and go the easy way must have been strong for him, witness his reaction to the bumbling Peter: "Get behind me, SATAN!" Yet, Jesus perseveres to the end. And so it is as well for us as his disciples...

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Peter the Rock and Us: 21st Sunday A, August 27, 2023

Jesus asks the fundamental question: "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answers, correctly for a change, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God." And for his prize, poor Peter receives way more responsibility than he ever bargained for! Rocks and keys and loosenings and bindings! As do we!

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

Una Mujer Pagana. Una Mujer de Fe, 20o. Domingo (A), 20 de agosto de 2023

La mujer Canaanita que encontramos hoy en el Evangelio de San Mateo nos inspira por su persistencia en sus esfuerzos de encontrar a Jesus y pide de él lo que quiere para su hija, poseída por un demonio. Se pone en contraste grande a los "hombres de fe" que nunca piden nada de Jesús. Es claro cual de estos personajes es para nosotros un ejemplo verdadero de fe. 

 

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

”Yet She Persisted...” 20th Sunday of the Year (A), August 20, 2023

The Canaanite woman in today's reading from Matthew's Gospel is astounding for her persistence in getting to Jesus and making her plea to him for deliverance for her daughter. This pagan woman stands in contrast to the "men of faith" who are just beyond the edges of this story, the leaders of the Jewish religion who poke, prod, test, and eventually persecute Jesus. What makes the difference between her and them? 

The Who and Why of Walking on Water, 19th Sunday (A), August 13, 2023

Storms are part and parcel of life...not just the climactic ones, but the challenges we face as human beings throughout our lives. The image of Jesus walking on water in today's Gospel oftentimes gets treated as just one more "trick" pulled out of Jesus' Son of God hat. In reality, it is a powerful lesson to us during the storms of our lives for it teaches us WHO Jesus is and WHY he does what he does for us. 

This homily was delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. 

God Whispers, Solemnity of the Transfiguration, August 6, 2023

We live in a loud world these days where most everyone feels a need to holler, bellow, and even scream. It is perhaps only natural then, that we should presume that when God is talking to us, he too bellows. Our imaginations revert to the image of his voice coming from the heavens as a rumbling thunder that shakes the earth to its core. Yet, today's Gospel story of the Transfiguration of Jesus in an intimate, tender, and mystery-laded story from beginning to end. Is it not more likely that God is whispering here? And Jesus as well? 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Wisdom and the Understanding Heart, 17th Sunday of the Year (A), July 30, 2023

Solomon's request from God for the gift of an understanding heart, wisdom, is one that invites us to consider what that same gift might mean for us. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador

Trigo y Cizañas: Una Parábola Para Nosotros: 16o Domingo Ordinario-A, 23 julio 2023

Es una parábola hermosa pero nos deja sin saber quienes sean trigo y quienes sean cizañas. Sea posible que nosotros somos cizañas?

Wheat and Weeds: A Parable for Us: 16th Sunday of the Year-A, July 23, 2023

Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds ("tares") is clear, concise, and Jesus even offers an interpretation of each element of the parable to his disciples. However, he leaves one vital question unanswered: who then are the weeds and who are the wheat in this story? The rest of the gospel gives us a pretty good idea and only poses more deeply the question of how we ourselves fit into that answer. 

This homily was shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.