Father Kevin A. Codd

”May I Have a Drink of Water?” Third Sunday of Lent (A), March 12, 2023

Jesus' encounter at the Well of Jacob with the Samaritan woman is a great story! It merits unpacking. We move from Jesus alone, tired, thirsty, to an entire village of Samaritans acclaiming him "the Savior of the World!" In between is a story filled with twists and turns, unexpected revelations, and even some light humor. And it all begins with a simple request: "May I have a drink of water?"

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, EC. (Based on a homily from 2017).

Listen to Him! Second Sunday of Lent (A), March 5, 2023

One constant in the Gospels is the command Jesus' Father in Heaven gives to his followers: "This is my beloved Son; LISTEN TO HIM!" Like Peter, we have a hard time listening to Jesus; wrapping our head and our heart around his Way of salvation is not easy, but especially in this Lenten season, "listening to Jesus" in the coming Gospel stories leading us to Holy Week, is precisely what we are called to intensely do. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador, (Iglesia de San Francisco).

From Hubris to Humility, First Sunday of Lent (A), Feb 26, 2023

Temptation, Sin, and Evil: as Lent begins, we are forced by today's scripture readings to confront the reality of human evil that has plagued us since the beginning. The stories of our first parents and their great sin of hubris to that of Jesus in the desert and the extraordinary humility he demonstrates in the face of temptation, give us our "Lenten Program". 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Iglesia de San Francisco. 

An Eye for An Eye: Really? 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time-A, February 19, 2023

To the ancient "Law of Talion", better known as the law of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", Jesus takes his gospel hatchet. He calls his disciples to a higher moral code, one that enshrines mercy into how we are to calculate justice in this world. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Assisi Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador, Iglesia de San Francisco

Commandments! Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time-A, February 12, 2023

Commandments, especially commandments written in stone by God's own hand, are not to be trifled with. But with time, some become faithful to the letter of the law and not the love that undergirds it. As Jesus continues his "Sermon on the Mount", he challenges his disciples to live not just the letter of the law, but its deeper richness founded in love of God and neighbor. 

Homily preached at the Iglesia de San Francisco in Cuenca, Ecuador. (Forgive the echo in the audio...its the best we could do today!)

Salt and Light, 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time-A, February 5, 2023

Salt and Light could not be more different one from the other. One a mineral, the other pure energy. Yet Jesus matches them together in today's gospel as he continues his "Sermon on the Mount". One a symbol of humility, the other a symbol of joy, together they let Jesus' disciples know who they are.

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

Blessed are The Who? 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time-A, (Jan 29, 2023)

Jesus climbs a mountain in Galilee and there initiates a revolution. With his opening words to the crowd of the humble and poor, he upsets the usual value system of who's favored by God and who's not. "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." 

Mary Kept All These Things in Her Heart, January 1, 2023

Luke's version of the Christmas story is made particularly touching by one line concerning Mary as she experiences the events in Nazareth and Bethlehem: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." This contemplative Mary is a profound image for us as we begin a new year; like Mary, the events of our lives, both great and small, painful and joyful, are to be savored as God events in our lives.

This homily was shared at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Spokane. 

In The Desert: Third Sunday of Advent (A)

The image of the desert held a powerful hold on the spiritual imaginations of the Jewish people. Their passage through the desert from the slavery of Egypt to the joy of the Promised Land forged their identity as a people...a people of God. It is no great surprise, then, that it is in the desert that John the Baptist prepares his people for a new chapter in this great story. From the desert, he calls God's People to prepare for God to save them anew, in a deeper, fuller way even than before. The desert shall bloom, the lame will walk,, the blind will see, and the poor shall have the good news proclaimed to them!

This homily was preached at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Spokane, Washington.

Life After Death? 32nd Sunday (C)

Some Sadducees, who did not really believe in life after death present to Jesus a story of a wife who marries seven brothers, one after the other. Its meant to make Jesus and his teaching about life after death look silly. Jesus turns the table on them and makes them the silly ones. In doing so, he answers one of the great questions of all humanity: what happens after we die? 

(Homily shared at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Spokane, WA)