Father Kevin A. Codd

The Gospel of John begins with a mystical reflection on the Word...even before time, but eventually "made flesh and dwelt among us." Woven into this magnificent poem is John's version of the encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus. The baptist's role in John's gospel is not to baptize Jesus, but to proclaim him as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Let us reflect on this image of the Lamb...

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

Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River by John raises a perplexing question; as John himself asks, "should not I be baptized by you?" Indeed, why would Jesus need to be baptized since he he needs no repentence and is the very object of John's preparing of the people for the coming messiah? Let's see if we can make sense of this from Jesus' own point of view...or more accurately, based on the character of Jesus' mission as he himself sees it. 

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

Oh, what a dizzyingly hectic year! Not 2025, but perhaps 6 AD. What a dizzyingly hectic year for young Mary! In the midst of all that had happened around her and within her in the previous months, Luke tells us, "She kept all these things and reflected upon them in her heart." Her contemplative heart is a model for us as we begin a new year. 

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

Being deeply ensconced in the heart of the Christmas season, today's feast of the Holy Family almost always leads us to focus on the images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Bethlehem. We highlight, in paraticular, their docility before God's will and their great love for one another. But the place in the gospels where Jesus himself actually teaches us something about "family life" is found elsewhere, in magnificent story that begins: "A man had two sons..." (Luke 15). Perhaps in the images of this story, we can find important lessons about what makes a family holy, as God sees it. 

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

Our God is one of great surprises! With the creation of the Univserse, we stand surprised. With his choice of an enslaved and impoverished people as his beloved, we stand surprised. And most of all, in his choice to come to us in flesh and blood, touch us with hands like our own and speak to us in words we understand, he surprises us in the most stunning way possible! This is the God we celebrate on this Christmas morning! 

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

This Fourth Sunday of Advent gives us an opportunity to reflect on the quiet presence of Joseph in Matthew's Nativity story. It is easy to let him fall into the background of the story with little thought...and indeed, his very silence throughout the narrative makes that too easy. Yet, his very silence speaks deeply about the spirit of this man. 

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

Our usual image of the prophets of old is as purveyors of doom and gloom, so what then do we make of old Isaiah in today's first reading as he positively exudes joy in proclaiming the coming of Israel's salvation? What kind of "joy" is that of Isaiah, not to mention that of the Baptist and Jesus himself (in today's Gospel reading)? It is certainly distinct from pleasure, contentment, and even self-fulfillment. Scriptural joy has its roots in something beyond anything we can create for ourselves; it is founded in faith, hope, and love. And so this day, we celebrate that joy with the simple call to Rejoice!

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

Martin Luther King's famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial repeated over and over the refrain: "I have a dream..." In  a very real, he and the prophet Isaiah shared the vision of a better future rooted in justice and human fraternity so eloquently expressed in the words, "I have a dream..." In Isaiah's case, the dream was founded in the hope that the living God would come to save his people from their own arrogance, idolotry, and lack of trust in God's guidance of his own beloved people. John the Baptist also has a dream, but it is one that is unfolding even as he spoke and baptized in the desert: the messiah is close, he is near, he is already bringing his Kingdom to us! 

This homily was prepared for delivery to the Saint Francis Catholic Community for the Second Sunday of Advent, but unfortunately, yours truly, was afflicted with a fairly bad cold and could not make it to church. So this is a recording at home of what that homily might have been. Preaching only to oneself rather than a community loses a lot, but at least the hard work that went into preparing the homily is not completely lost. 

Our usual experience of the passing of time is like a straight line moving from creation to the present moment. The biblical experience of time is formed by an understanding that with God, there is no past, present or future: all of it remains present. Time is not a straight line so much as a revolving series of ovals! On this First Sunday of Advent, the notion of "time" comes up often in the readings of the Liturgy of the Word and understanding these references in the biblical manner is revelatory. 

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

La imagen de Jesús crucificado y la de los reyes de este mundo con sus riquezas, ejércitos, y poder absoluto no se combinan bien. ¿Entonces, porque celebramos hoy un rey humillado, sin poder ni riquezas, muriendo en desgracia? ¿En que sentido es este Jesús un rey? Vamos a ver…

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