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Homily stories

07 Nov 2010 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

In my first year of priesthood, I was privileged to bring Holy Communion monthly to a 95-year-old woman who was being cared for by her only surviving child, a 75-year-old man. There were some months when her health was better than his, and she found herself taking care of him. She was a remarkable person. One day the three of us started talking about heaven. To my surprise, she was excited about the prospect of dying, of shedding her aged body like a cocoon, and then with God's mercy, as she put it, going to heaven. With great assurance in her voice she stated that when she got to heaven she planned on being the young girl she was at 18. This upset her son greatly. He was afraid he wouldn't recognize her, because he hadn't known her at 18. And what if he was older than she was in heaven? How would that look with her being his mother and all? I listened to this remarkable discussion about the afterlife. Eventually they must have noticed the smile on my face, because they both stopped abruptly. He turned to me and said they discussed these kind of things all the time, but usually when no one else was around. And then they grew quiet. They didn't ask for my advice, so I didn't say anything. Scripture today reminds us that the same issues have been discussed forever. Those with incredible faith accept death. Some martyrs even embrace it. Whatever follows it, our loving God will reveal to us when the time comes.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

afterlife priesthood

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Homily stories

10 Nov 2019 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

In my first year of priesthood I was privileged to bring Holy Communion monthly to a 95-year-old woman who was being cared for by her only surviving child, a 75-year-old man. There were some months when her health was better than his, and she found herself taking care of him. She was a remarkable person. One day the three of us started talking about heaven. To my surprise, she was excited about the prospect of dying, of shedding her aged body like a cocoon, and then with God’s mercy, as she put it, going to heaven. With great assurance in her voice she stated that when she got to heaven she planned on being the young girl she was at 18. This upset her son greatly. He was afraid he wouldn’t recognize her, because he hadn’t known her at 18. And what if he was older than she was in heaven? How would that look with her being his mother and all? I listened to this remarkable discussion about the afterlife. Eventually they must have noticed the smile on my face, because they both stopped abruptly. He turned to me and said they discussed these kinds of things all the time, but usually when no one else was around. And then they grew quiet. They didn’t ask for my advice, so I didn’t say anything. Scripture today reminds us that the same issues have been discussed forever. Whatever follows death, our loving God will reveal to us when the time comes, and we can trust that it will indeed be good.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

Heaven afterlife

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Take Five for Faith Daily

Wednesday
February 05

Don’t get stuck in a rut

In the gospel, we often see Jesus amazed by the faith of others, crediting their belief as the key to their healing. But there are also moments when Jesus is "amazed"—perhaps dismayed would be the better word—by the lack of faith in those around Him. Narrow thinking, rigid routines, stereotypes, and negative assumptions can all block the miracles of God’s love. To experience the fullness of God’s power, keep your faith alive and open a path for the Lord to perform mighty deeds.

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