Search

Results

Homily stories

09 Oct 2011 - Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

"I CAN'T GET enough people to become lectors and eucharistic ministers," a director of religious ed and ministry recently lamented. "I put notices in the bulletin; the pastor invites people from the pulpit; I ask people directly; and the answer is always the same: 'Gee, I'd love to but I'm just too busy.'" Hmm . . . sounds similar to the responses the king received to his wedding invitations in Jesus' parable. Yes, we are all busy--too busy. The sad thing about our busyness is that it prevents us from engaging in the things that will actually help us curb our busyness and enrich our lives, such as spending time in prayer, playing with our kids, serving others in our church and community. Do yourself a favor: Take a deep breath, spend a moment drawing your thoughts toward God, consider God's invitation to the banquet, and say yes--if only to make a short appearance. You see, once you enter into God's abundance, you will soon find that very few things matter more to you than service to God and others. God has graciously offered you the cup of life. Don't let busyness prevent you from drinking deeply.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

busyness banquet

Restricted
Homily stories

14 Jan 2018 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

It is fashionable for some people to complain about all of the messages that they receive and how busy they are. Usually they bring it on themselves. They have their home phones and work phones and cell phones. Then there are voicemails and emails and texts and social media messages. All of them need to be checked regularly for messages that just might need a quick response. Movie theaters, restaurants, hospitals, and churches ask people to please turn off their electronic devices, but they can still be heard ringing and beeping at inappropriate times. There is no arguing how useful these machines have become. So it seems that we are forced to take the interruptions, the lack of privacy, the inability to get away from things along with the good and valuable capacity to respond when necessary. In the same way, despite the challenge and commitment involved we are all called to respond to God. God invites us to follow the faith and not necessarily our own direction in life. In so many ways—through others, alone in prayer, or caught in the flow of life—we can listen and hear God inviting us to come and see what we need to do. And our response, like Eli, over and over again needs to be: “Here I am. I am listening.”

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

busyness listening

Restricted
Homily stories

15 Oct 2023 - Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

"I can't get enough people to become lectors and eucharistic ministers," a director of religious ed and ministry recently lamented. "I put notices in the bulletin; the pastor invites people from the pulpit; I ask people directly; and the answer is always the same: 'Gee, I'd love to but I'm just too busy.'" Hmm . . . sounds similar to the responses the king received to his wedding invitations in Jesus' parable. Yes, we are all busy—too busy. The sad thing about our busyness is that it prevents us from engaging in the things that will actually help us curb our busyness and enrich our lives, such as spending time in prayer, playing with our kids, serving others in our church and community. Do yourself a favor: Take a deep breath, spend a moment drawing your thoughts toward God, consider God's invitation to the banquet, and say yes—if only to make a short appearance. Once you enter into God's abundance, chances are you’ll find that few things matter more to you than service to God and others.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

busyness enter god's abundance

Restricted
Homily stories

20 Jul 2025 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

One of my favorite stories about Dorothy Day was the time she was being interviewed by a young reporter at a Catholic Worker House. It seemed that every few minutes into the interview the doorbell would ring. Dorothy would politely excuse herself and give a sandwich or a pair of gloves or a token to the street person at the door. After a number of such interruptions, the reporter became frustrated and wondered out loud why it didn't seem to bother Dorothy. She was as calm and serene as ever. She smiled at him and told him that every time the doorbell rang it was an opportunity for her to serve Jesus, and what could be more important than that? Dorothy Day had her priorities straight. And we can all learn a lesson from that. Abraham and Sarah take the time to show genuine generosity to God's messengers. And so they reward the couple with the gift of a child. Mary chooses to sit with Jesus, and Martha who complains is told that her sister has made the better choice. Paul's suffering helps put his ministry to the Colossians in proper perspective. It's easy to lose that focus in our busy lives. Too many things become important that shouldn't be. We need to look at who we are and what we are doing and ask ourselves if we are using our time and energy as God would want us to. Then we may need to adjust accordingly.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

time energy busyness

Restricted