July 6, 2025, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘C’

Is 66:10-14; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-20

Homily

          In the Gospel, we have two versions of Jesus sending his disciples on mission: the first, common to the three synoptic Gospels, is addressed to the twelve Apostles; the other, longer version, which we have just read, and which is unique to Luke, is addressed to the seventy-two disciples.

5 juillet 2025 – Samedi de la 13ème semaine ordinaire

Gn 27, 1-5.15-29; Matthieu 9:14-17 

H o m é l i e 

Les premiers chapitres de l’Évangile de Matthieu décrivent les débuts de l'activité missionnaire de Jésus. Très tôt le jeune rabbin et ses disciples commencent à étonner tout le monde. Bien sûr, on a commencé à s'apercevoir que Jésus est venu apporter quelque chose de nouveau. Ses miracles, son enseignement, le pouvoir qu'il affirme avoir de remettre les péchés, tout cela fait grand bruit dans toute la Galilée. Tout le monde cherche à le voir et à l'entendre.

5 July 2025 – Saturday of the 13th week in Ordinary Time

Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29; Matthew 9:14-17

H o m i l y

The first chapters of Matthew's Gospel describe the beginnings of Jesus' missionary activity. Very early on, the young rabbi and his disciples began to astonish everyone. Of course, people began to realize that Jesus had come to bring something new. His miracles, his teaching, the power he claimed to have to forgive sins, all this caused a great stir throughout Galilee. Everyone wanted to see and hear him.

4 juillet 2025 – vendredi de la 13ème semaine du Temps Ordinaire

Gn 23, 1-4.19 ; 24, 1-8.62-67; Mt 9, 9-13

Homélie

          Dans sa réponse aux Pharisiens qui se scandalisent de ce qu’il mange avec des publicains et des pécheurs, Jésus cite explicitement et littéralement une parole que le prophète Osée avait mise dans la bouche de Dieu : « C’est l’amour que je veux et non les sacrifices, la connaissance de Dieu, plutôt que les holocaustes. » (Osée 6,6).

4 July 2025 – Friday of the 13th week of Ordinary Time

Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; Matthew 9:9-13

Homily

          In his response to the Pharisees who are scandalized by his eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus explicitly and literally quotes a saying that the prophet Hosea put into God's mouth: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings’ (Hosea 6:6).

          Reducing the Covenant with God to a moralizing bilateral contract had been one of the strongest temptations of the people of Israel. The relationship with God was easily reduced to a series of ritual gestures by which one bought God's favour, and religion had little to do with the practice of justice and even less with love and mercy. Although the prophets, and Hosea in particular, had spoken out against this attitude, it was exactly that of the Pharisees who watched Jesus eating with Matthew and the other tax collectors.

          The Christian community has always been subject to the same temptation. Perhaps it is a particular temptation for those who consider themselves and call themselves ‘religious.’ We easily assume that once we have been faithful to all the ceremonies and observances prescribed by the law of the Church or our own rules, we have acquired a certain right to salvation. Once again, Jesus reminds us that all these practices have no other purpose than to express our love for God—a love that cannot exist unless it is embodied in love for our neighbor; and that if this love does not exist, all our observances and rites are vain and meaningless. The Lord does not want them.

          The discovery of God's gratuitous love is always a call to conversion. The description of Matthew's call and conversion in the brief account we have just read is magnificently simple. Matthew is sitting down. He is, in fact, a man who is well established. He has a profession that brings him wealth, material well-being and power, even if it makes him considered a sinner by the Pharisees. Jesus does not give him a long speech or lengthy explanations. He simply says to him in passing, ‘Follow me.’ And the extraordinary thing is that this man, who is “sitting” and well established, ‘gets up’ and follows him, certainly without knowing where he is going or where it will lead him.

          A little later, ‘as Jesus was at table in the house,’ many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. In the Gospel of Matthew (e.g., 9:28; 13:1, 36; 17:25), the expression ‘in the house’ generally means the house of Jesus and his disciples. (In a parallel account in Luke, where the tax collector is called Levi, it is Levi who gives a feast; but it is not certain that Levi and Matthew are the same person). Furthermore, it is not stated or even implied that all these tax collectors and sinners were converted, like Matthew, and became disciples of Jesus. No, they are simply there, and Jesus has no problem sharing a meal with them. Jesus thus shows that he breaks down all the barriers that men have erected between themselves. And to emphasise the fact that all these barriers are man-made and not God-made, he sends the Pharisees back to school: ‘Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”.’

   We still need to hear this lesson from Jesus, both individually and collectively. For we are always tempted to establish a safety cordon around ourselves to separate us from all those we consider inferior or ‘less good’ because of their ideas, their religion, their culture or simply their profession.  

Let us be careful not to dissociate ourselves from those whom Jesus came to call.

Armand VEILLEUX

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3 juillet 2025 – Fête de saint Thomas

Ep 2, 19-22 ; Jn 20, 24-29

Homélie

          Chacun des Évangélistes nous a rapporté à sa façon les événements qui ont suivi la Résurrection du Christ. Il ne faut surtout pas essayer de réconcilier leur chronologie des événements. En réalité ils ne sont pas intéressés par la chronologie et n'essayent pas de nous donner une description exacte des faits. Ils veulent plutôt nous transmettre une vision théologique. Luc, qui organise son Évangile autour de Jérusalem et du Temple, répartit les événements d'après la résurrection sur une période de cinquante jours, correspondant à la liturgie juive. Jean, le théologien mystique au regard perçant, ramasse presque tous ces événements en un seul jour, le jour même de la résurrection.