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03 Aug 2014 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Because we are programmed for survival, the more negative news we receive about the essentials for life—food, air, water, and shelter—the more possessive and pessimistic we become. As director Michael Moore concluded in his 2002 documentary exploring violence in America, Bowling for Columbine, what sets violent America apart from other countries is a steady diet of gloom and doom. The fear that the world is going to hell in handbasket is causing the U.S. citizenry to send the world to hell in a handbasket. But in reality the news isn’t all bad. Engineer and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis suggests in a 2012 TED Talk, that, thanks to the exponential growth of technology, “we have the potential in the next two decades to create a world of abundance.” Look at the last century, says Diamandis: The average human life has doubled The average per captia income has tripled Child mortality has decreased by a factor of 10 The current era is the most peaceful time in history Global literacy has increased from 25 to 80 percent We have what we need to take on the “grand challenges of this planet,” says Diamandis. “Small teams driven by their passion with a clear focus can do extraordinary things.” Just ask the disciples of Jesus who chose to follow their teacher’s vision of abundance and ended up feeding multitudes with a couple of fish and five loaves of bread.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Miracle challenges Pessimism abundance

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Homily stories

15 May 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A

JORGE looked with glee at his first big commission check from his interior design company. He decided to buy a Porsche. As he strolled around the car showroom looking at $100,000-plus sports cars, he couldn't find the color he wanted--lapis blue metallic. The salesmen said not to worry, that they could order it and directed him to the model Jorge had his eye on. "How 'bout we go for a test drive?" the salesman suggested. Jorge got in the driver's seat and spent a moment soaking up the luxury. He turned on the radio and the knob came off. "Oh," the salesman said, "it's just the test car." Jorge nodded and opened the window. It got stuck halfway down. Then, as he was pulling out into the lot, the gear shift locked. Jorge shot a fiery look at the salesman and said: "Excuse me! But I am not having a Porsche experience." Oh, what any of us would give for that elusive experience--the one where we're finally enjoying all the comforts we feel we deserve. But, the truth is, we're never going to get there in a car, not even a lapis blue metallic Porsche. The only way to reach green pastures is through Jesus. At least that's what Christians believe. If we take up our crosses and follow him, Jesus promises us a life more abundant than we could ever imagine. The Porsche experience? It will feel like time spent in a tin can by comparison.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

joy following jesus abundance

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Homily stories

29 Aug 2010 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

A friend of mine was secretly hurt when the provisions of his mother's will were announced. He'd always assumed that his mother would bequeath her wedding ring to his daughter. She was the only granddaughter and his only sibling had no children. Instead, his mother left the ring to her god-daughter, a young woman who was not married. Though he had great affection for the woman who now owned the ring, he began to feel angry and resentful toward her. He hated how it kept eating at him and finally he went to talk to his parish priest. "What hurts the most?" asked the priest, gently. "It's that I wonder if my mom loved me or loved my daughter. I know that's crazy, but that's what I begin to feel," he responded. "So why don't you make a new will listing all the gifts your mother did bestow upon you and your daughter in her lifetime? What would you start with?" "She always made us laugh," he said, a huge smile dawning on his face, erasing the worry lines. "And she always made my daughter's favorite meal whenever we'd come over to visit. And she . . ." The list went on and on. Jesus invites us to appreciate the abundance that is ours rather than worry about what anyone else is getting. It can be hard, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Authors Tom McGrath

gift jesus abundance

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The inner word

07 Feb 2010 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

In the readings this Sunday, the spiritual dynamic seems to be threefold: God draws near; sensing our own unworthiness, we protest; grace overcomes our weaknesses, failings, and fear, resulting in abundance far beyond our imagining. Do I get stuck at the second part of this dynamic, that is, hobbled by a sense of my own unworthiness? How do I move from protest to grace? Am I willing to hear God’s directive to “launch out into the deep”? Do I truly believe there is abundance awaiting me there? When in my life have I witnessed examples of great spiritual abundance such as Peter and the other fishermen discovered? To what, lately, am I being called to respond, “Here I am, Lord. Send me”? What specifically is the community I serve being called to respond to in that way?

abundance unworthiness Peter

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Who's listening?

26 Jul 2009 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Tough economic times and uncertainty in world politics have many people feeling economically insecure. In your congregation you may have people out of work or hanging on to their jobs by a thread. Those who have jobs may be expected to produce far more with less support. They may feel they have to perform the miracle of the loaves and the fishes just to get their work accomplished and their families fed. Jesus offers us the challenge of seeing abundance even when there is apparent scarcity.

abundance jobs Challenge jesus

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Homily stories

26 Jul 2009 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

In Hong Kong citizens began hoarding food as the fear of the deadly SARS disease spread. American Airlines senior-level managers hoarded benefits when the company teetered on the verge of bankruptcy, and every day millions of people hoard their time and generosity, worried that if they say yes to one act of kindness, they’ll be roped in to 10 more. A primal fear of famine and starvation drives even the most giving individuals to commit incredibly selfish acts. But as we see in today’s gospel, Jesus doesn’t live by Darwinian laws. Rather than scarity, he sees abundance wherever he sees life. If a crowd gathers in his name, they will be fed. If a soul cries out for mercy, it will receive solace. If a traveler desires rest, he will find a place to safely lay down his burdens. Whatever we need, we will find it in God—by trusting in God. That is Jesus’ simple message, the truth of which is proven over and over. Christ is an enthusiast, a glass-full kind of guy. He sees potential where most others see failure. He’s a salesman who believes in his product. He’s got a tough sell, but he knows people will love his way if they try it. At the end of the day, he’ll up with more sales than any glass-empty, gloom-and-doomster, and his buyers will be completely satisfied.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

trust in god abundance jesus

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Homily stories

26 Jul 2009 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

A guy I know grew up believing his grandma was with Jesus when he fed the 5,000. He came to that belief because whenever that particular gospel would be read, everyone in the family whispered, “Grandma musta’ been there!” And they would laugh. They all knew that no matter how many people arrived for dinner—even unexpectedly—everyone ate and there was always plenty left over. “My family was never rich,” my acquaintance said, “especially when my mom was growing up, but they never felt poor, either.” Some people have a sense of abundance, that there’s plenty in life to go around and they love to share what they have. Others are Scrooges who hoard everything, worrying that there can never be enough to satisfy. The apostles were skinflints when Jesus asked them to start offering what little they could muster. But then food starting showing up, and everyone had plenty. Some people in the church have those same attitudes about God’s grace. They believe that grace is so rare that we have to hoard it and dole it out piecemeal only to the most deserving. But others take their cue from Jesus, who fed the 5,000-plus on a moment’s notice. They realize that in God there is no skimping. The God who created the countless stars in the sky and who pours out his life into all Creation is no miser. Open your heart; there’s plenty for all.

Authors Tom McGrath

abundance share god's grace food

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Homily stories

16 Nov 2008 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

A lot of people have been paying attention to the financial markets lately. It’s become clear that, in the world of finance, there’s always a risk in any investment. But Jesus’ story about the three servants and the talents they were entrusted with by their master makes the point that in the spiritual realm, it’s more risky not to invest. This is a strong message for parents who feel they are ill-equipped to nurture their children’s faith. They may say, “I’m not well-versed in my religion,” or “The people up at church are in a better position to handle that.” And so they hide the talent they do have (their own experience of faith), and don’t try to make more of it. They play it safe—or so they might think. In Jesus’ view, it is putting what we have to good use that reaps rewards. So share the faith you do have with your children and those around you. The good news is that we don’t have to start with a lot. Jesus says, “To all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance.” It’s time to invest.

Authors Tom McGrath

financial markets invest Faith talent good use abundance

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Homily stories

01 Jul 2018 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

I see him, cup in hand, every time I drive past that corner. He works it well every day, rain or shine, getting to know the regulars like me who are willing to roll down our windows and give him a dollar or two. I learned his name and he sometimes got close to pronouncing mine correctly. He became my “give to” guy and our encounters probably make me feel better than him. One busy morning the traffic light turned red and stopped me. I was running late. He smiled as I rolled down the window. Feeling especially generous, I reached into my pocket and placed a $5 bill in his cup. Or so I thought. He looked at what I gave him and kissed me on my hand just as the light changed. I drove off wondering what that was all about only to later find out I had goofed. He received a $50 bill from me instead of the five I thought I had given him. It was a great day for him. Me? My initial instinct was to drive back and tell him what had happened and work out an exchange. But I couldn’t do that to him (or to myself, on reflection). Saint Paul tells us that our abundance should supply the needs of others. Jesus walked the extra mile to pray over a child who everyone said was dead. We have so much to share.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

abundance Generosity sharing

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Homily stories

01 Jul 2018 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Generosity, Saint Paul tells the Corinthians, has a lot to do with equality. Because you have more, and others are in need, it makes sense to balance things out—to take from your surplus to make up for another’s deficit. Scott Neeson was living the abundant life. Born in Scotland, he came to Los Angeles in 1993 and became a successful Sony Pictures movie executive. Then, in 2003, while on an backpacking trip to Asia, he stopped in Phnom Penh. There he encountered a common sight in many poor cities: crowds of children begging and picking through garbage dumps. Lots of these children were orphans, or had been abandoned by their parents, or suffered abuse. Quitting his Hollywood job, he established the Cambodian Children’s Fund. At first the organization provided shelter and food for the street children. Now it has developed health care and educational programs, as well. “The one thing it’s really taught me,” Neeson told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, “. . . is the resilience of the human spirit. What these kids have been through is remarkable . . . with 170, 180 children who are going through the process of changing their lives, how can you just walk away from that?” Though many of us worry about money and having enough, most of the time we have so much more than we need. What can you share with others?

Authors Joel Schorn

Generosity sharing abundance

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