Father Kevin A. Codd

John the Evangelist begins his Gospel account of Jesus with a mystical hymn to the Creator and the Word, echoing the opening words of Genesis: "In the beginning...." But then he interrupts it twice with the story of John the Baptist. What is he up to here? Is this just a case of bad editing or does the Fourth Evangelist see something essential in weaving together this cosmic hymn and the prosaic story of the Baptist?

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

Our usual image of John the Baptist, at least in Western art, is often a soft and tender one. In Byzantine iconography, he is depicted as wild and fearsome, which is closer to how we find him the Gospels. Yet, he is profoundly attractive to the people of Judea and Jerusalem and they come to him in great numbers. His humility and self-abnegation before God is a powerful Advent image even today. 

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

As this "new year" begins the characteristics of Advent are highlighted in this day's scripture readings: humility, peacefulness, and attentiveness to what is doing among us. 

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

Jesus' image of sheep, goats, and the great king who separates them for distinct destinies seems simple enough up front, but once he adds the troublesome criteria of how they are to be "judged", things get much more complicate...and worrisome. His emphasis on the corporal works of mercy rather than typical piety challenges us to examine our consciences with some justified trembling. That trembling may be calmed by the fact that before he was a "king" this Jesus was a shepherd. 

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

The Thanksgiving tradition of recounting particular blessings at the dinner table is a wonderful one. Each gift or grace that is mentioned comes with a string attached: the responsibility to use that gift for the benefit of others. The image of the servant who buries his one talent, not allowing it to grow or bless others, is a powerful one that encourages us to not follow his example. Gifts shared are not expended, they are expanded! 

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

Wisdom, as understood in the Hebrew Scriptures in the centuries before Jesus, was imagined as a living and gracious feminine presence, seeking out souls open to its blessings. It was seen as an expression of God's presence among his people. This kind of Wisdom was alive and present especially in Jesus, his words and works. It is close to, if not the same reality, his disciples later came to understand as the Holy Spirit. This Holy Wisdom, "Hagia Sophia" in Greek, is what the world needs now...

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

Jesus blasts the hypocrites who are his constant opponents in ministry with a series of accusations about their moral character. One among those accusations is particularly poignant for the cruelty it points to: those who lay heavy burdens upon others' shoulders, yet do not lift a finger to lighten the load. (A cheery apology for the interruption at the beginning of the homily when a small child wandered into the sanctuary, attracted by the beautiful statuary in the retablo of the church!).

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

Jesus yet again responds with great wisdom to the trick questions posed by those who are threatened by his public ministry. The two great commandments, including "the golden rule", to love our neighbor as ourselves, form the foundation of our moral lives and the way of the Gospel.

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

In Jesus' encounter yet again with the Pharisees, he is confronted with a trap at base of which is a moral dilemma presented by the image of Caesar on a Roman coin, then common in use in the first century. Is it idolatrous to use such a coin given Caesar's pretensions to divinity or is it just a practical necessity allowed by God and for the good of his people? The trap is sprung, but Jesus turns the question on its head by making clear our concern as people of faith is not Caesar or his coins; it is our hearts and how we give them back to God. 

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

La hermosa imagen del "Cielo de Dios" como una grande fiesta encima de una montaña alta provee a Jesús el base de la parábola que nos ofrece hoy en el evangelio de San Mateo. Jesús nos invita a la fiesta de vida eterna aun aquí en esta tierra. 

Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca EC