From the Ambo

In a world full of competing voices, on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Jesus reveals how He is the Good Shepherd and the gate who desires real authority in our lives. It challenges us to examine what voice we choose to listen to, it invites us to quiet the noise, and to tune our hearts to the one voice that leads to true freedom and lasting life. Are we listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd?

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples are overwhelmed, confused, and trying to process everything that has happened in the days leading up to Easter. And right in the middle of it, Jesus is there, yet they don’t recognize Him. The same thing often happens in our own lives. We carry stress, disappointment, and unanswered questions, and those things can cloud our ability to see that the Lord is already walking with us.What changes everything for the disciples is not a dramatic moment, but a gradual encounter that leads them to recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. In the Eucharist, their eyes are opened. In the Eucharist, ours can be too.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we reflect on the mercy of Christ revealed through His Resurrection, the witness of Saint Faustina Kowalska, and the Church’s call to live what we receive. Mercy is not only celebrated at the altar, it is encountered in Christ and entrusted to us for the life of the world.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, we are taken into the Upper Room where the disciples are afraid, confused, and behind locked doors. And yet, the Risen Lord comes bursting through those locked doors with the gift of peace. It's a reminder to us that Christ meets us in our own fears and failures. His wounds reveal the depth of His love, and how Divine Mercy is a living encounter with the risen Lord.

On Easter Sunday, we proclaim a message at the heart of our faith: the tomb is empty and Jesus is risen. But do we live the Resurrection? Does it change the way we live as Christians?So often, we get stuck living like “Good Friday people,” unable to break free from fear, discouragement, or old patterns of sin. Easter breaks into that mindset with a different truth. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.”The Resurrection of Jesus should shape how we live, how we hope, and how we begin again. The risen Christ meets us in the very places of our lives that feel most closed off. Easter is supposed to challenge us to live as people who believe that nothing is beyond the reach of Christ, and that even now, He is still bringing life out of what looks like death.

The Season of Lent invites us to go deeper with the Lord, asking Him to reveal the chains we’ve grown used to carrying, the sins that have become part of our routine. Reflecting on the raising of Lazarus, this 5th Sunday of Lent reminds us how Jesus calls each of us by name out of the tomb of sin and into new life. Even when our souls feel burdened, stuck, or beyond repair, the Lord steps in to free us in ways we cannot accomplish on our own. As we approach Easter, we are being challenged to surrender control, embrace true conversion, and allow Christ to unbind us so we can walk in the freedom of grace.

The story of the man born blind isn’t just about a miracle, it’s about a journey. We are called to reflect on how his understanding of Jesus unfolds step by step, moving from curiosity to conviction to worship. His physical sight is restored, but even more importantly, his spiritual vision grows. That same gradual transformation is how faith often works in our own lives. While we may hope for dramatic moments, God more often opens our eyes slowly through prayer, struggle, and everyday encounters. This begs the question for us: are we truly open to that growth or, like the Pharisees, have we become too rigid to recognize God at work. As Lent invites us into deeper conversion, are we willing to let the Lord lead us into clearer vision and deeper faith?

On this First Sunday of the Lenten Season, we witness the temptations of Christ within the desert. But the temptations begin with a subtle attack on identity, where the Enemy says to the Lord: "If you are the Son of God..." When we are faced with temptation, a similar attack occurs in our hearts, where we begin to doubt who we are. But the example of Jesus in the Gospel invites us to stay rooted in our true identity, remembering our baptism and the truth that we are God’s beloved children. If we do, we can face temptation with confidence and overcome by standing in the love of God.

Being light and salt in the world isn’t just a metaphor, it’s who we are called to be as disciples of the Lord. Every baptized person is invited to bring Christ’s love into everyday life, from caring for others to living faithfully in ordinary moments. We should strive to deepen our relationship with Jesus, let His light shine through us, and step boldly into our mission as one of His followers.

In the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus looks out at a crowd we know almost nothing about and begins to speak words that still unsettle us today. Matthew’s lack of detail matters because it reveals that the Beatitudes are spoken to every human heart. Jesus redefines what it means to be blessed, shifting it away from success, control, and outward circumstances, and rooting it instead in relationship with God. The Beatitudes invite us to see where God meets us in weakness, uncertainty, and vulnerability, and to ask an honest question of ourselves: will we allow Him to define what a truly blessed life looks like?

Darkness has a way of disorienting us. It doesn't always happen dramatically, but quietly, through fatigue, distraction, and a slow drifting from what matters most. Drawing from Isaiah and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, this homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time reflects on how God steps into the darkness we carry, He brings light into that darkness. Jesus calls ordinary people without giving them a plan, only an invitation to follow Him. In the Eucharist, that same Light draws close to us today, not to overwhelm us, but to guide us. We are invited to let Christ illumine one tired or dim place in our lives and to carry His light with us into the world.

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we look at a deeper truth: the inherent dignity of every human person. Drawing on Scripture, the witness of the saints, and the Church’s unwavering teaching on the sanctity of life, today we consider why the unborn deserve legal protection and why a society’s moral health is revealed in how it treats its most vulnerable members. It also offers a call to prayer, hope, and concrete action. All of us are called to defend life with charity and courage while trusting in God’s mercy and healing power.

What does it really mean to be holy and is it actually possible in ordinary life? We are invited to reflect on the universal call to holiness that begins at Baptism and how that is lived out through daily discipleship. Drawing from the witness of John the Baptist, the lives of the saints, and the reality of prayer that is not always easy, consider how holiness grows through relationship, faithfulness, and showing up even when we do not feel like it. A reminder that holiness is not reserved for the few, but is lived each day through prayer, the sacraments, and small, courageous choices that draw us closer to Christ.

On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we see the connection between Isaiah’s vision of the Servant and Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, revealing how identity comes before mission. Drawing from Scripture and the Church’s baptismal theology, the focus turns to what it means to be claimed by the Father as beloved sons and daughters and how that identity shapes the call to daily discipleship. With attention to the sprinkling rite and the grace of Baptism, this reflection invites listeners to consider how their baptismal identity is meant to be lived out in the ordinary moments of everyday life.

On the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, we begin a new year by standing beside Mary and rediscovering who she is for us. Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, but our Mother, one who stays close, listens deeply, and gently leads us to her Son. We are reminded that through Christ we are beloved sons and daughters of God, never walking alone. As the year unfolds with its joys and challenges, Mary walks with us, teaching us how to trust, remain faithful, and receive Christ more fully in our lives.

On the Feast of the Holy Family, we reflect on the home of Nazareth as a real and relatable model for our own families. Drawing from St. Paul’s words in Colossians, this homily explores how love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and humility shape Christian family life, especially within marriage. The Holy Family reminds us that holiness is formed in ordinary moments, when Christ is kept at the center and love is chosen daily.

The story of Christmas is not just something that happened over 2000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem. It is a living invitation for us today. God does not remain distant to us or untouched by the struggles we face. By His birth, He steps into our brokenness, chooses vulnerability, and comes looking for a place to dwell within us. Just as there was no room at the inn, we are invited to ask whether we have made room for Christ in our own hearts.Jesus continues to come to us in the Eucharist, in the quiet moments of daily life, and especially in seasons of grief, anxiety, uncertainty, and hope. Wherever you find yourself this Christmas, the Lord is knocking. The invitation is simple but powerful: open the door, make space, and allow Christ to be born anew in your life.

As Christmas draws near, the Church invites us to consider a deeper question: are our hearts actually ready? The Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Advent reflects on St. Joseph, a man who never speaks in Scripture, yet plays an essential role in the coming of Jesus. Joseph’s example reveals what true preparation for Christmas looks like. Not more activity, but deeper surrender. Not control, but trust.In the remaining time until Christmas, we are asked to slow down, embrace silence, and consider what God may be wanting us to release so that Christ can be born anew in us.

The Prophet Isaiah speaks of a stump, something cut down and assumed to be finished, yet chosen by God as the place where new life begins. This week's homily explores the stumps we carry in our own lives, the places that feel lifeless, unresolved, or beyond hope, and the surprising way God chooses to work there. It traces the irony of a Savior promised from a stump whose life ends on a tree that becomes the source of new life for the world. Advent hope grows where we least expect it, often in the very places we thought were finished.

In this week's homily, Fr. Tom reflects on the First Sunday of Advent that invites listeners to wake up spiritually as the new liturgical year begins. Centered on the theme of attentiveness to God’s presence in ordinary life, it explores how small habits, quiet awareness, and a renewed openness to grace can prepare the heart to welcome Christ well before Christmas arrives.

A reflection on the surprising meaning of Christ’s kingship, revealed not in glory but on the Cross. This homily explores the courage of the good thief, the mercy of a King who reigns with self-giving love, and the invitation to open the most guarded places of our hearts to Christ. A message about surrender, healing, and the freedom that comes when we allow Jesus to reign within us.

In this week's homily, we explore one of the more unsettling but necessary questions of the spiritual life: what happens when the routines, plans, and structures we rely on begin to crumble? The readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to reflect on how Jesus invites us to find real stability, not in the things that look unshakable, but in the God who never wavers. We are called to honestly look at the fragility of life and see how perseverance, trust, and faithfulness can anchor us even when everything familiar starts to shift.

In this All Souls Day homily titled Death Doesn't Destroy Love, Fr. Tom reflects on the deep hope we hold onto as Christians when we face the pain of loss. While death leaves an empty space in our hearts, it does not have the final word. At every Mass, Heaven and earth come together as the angels, saints, and our loved ones gather around the altar with us. Love, rooted in Christ, endures beyond the grave and continues to unite us with those who have gone before us.

In this episode, Fr. Tom reflects on one of Jesus’ most revealing parables—the Pharisee and the tax collector. The homily explores the subtle temptation to make our prayer about ourselves and our performance rather than focusing on relationship with God. The challenge for us is to move beyond self-congratulation toward authentic humility, to embrace the kind of prayer that opens us to mercy. Because when we stop talking to the mirror and start talking to God, grace finally has room to work in our hearts.

Ten lepers cried out to Jesus—and all ten were healed. But only one turned back. In this week’s homily, Fr. Tom challenges us to look honestly at our own response to God’s healing and mercy. Have we settled for being healed without being transformed? Are we among those who show up to Mass but never truly return to Jesus? The Lord is constantly inviting us to go deeper with Him, to move from routine faith to a living relationship of gratitude and adoration. In the end, ten were healed, but only one was saved. Which one are we?

Fear can hold us back from the very life God is calling us to live. In this homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, on Respect Life Sunday, Fr. Tom reflects on how real faith doesn’t eliminate fear, but gives us the courage to walk through it. When we choose to trust God more than our fears, especially in defending and cherishing human life, even the smallest seed of faith can grow into something powerful.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the only named character in all His parables: Lazarus. The world passed him by, but God knew his name. Fr. Tom reflects on how this parable challenges us to see the people we so often overlook: the poor, the immigrant, the widow, the young person struggling with mental health, even the family member who pushes our buttons. Who is the Lazarus at your gate? And do you know their name? Because when we see Lazarus, we see Christ.

In this week's homily, Fr. Tom unpacks one of the more puzzling parables in the Gospels: the Parable of the Dishonest Steward. What seems like praise for dishonesty is really a call to urgency and decisiveness in our relationship with God. The Lord is challenging us us to examine who we are really serving. Are we choosing to follow the ways of the world or are we choosing Christ? We should strive to act decisively in faith, to pray with sincerity, and to live in the freedom that comes from serving the only Master who never fails.

In a world marked by political violence, division, and uncertainty, where can we find hope? On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Tom reflects on how what once was a symbol of humiliation and torture has become for Christians the sign of glory and victory. The Cross speaks powerfully into our fractured times, reminding us that love — not hatred, not fear, not violence — has the final word.

In this episode, Fr. Tom reflects on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, where Jesus makes it clear: discipleship isn’t cheap. Drawing from Wisdom, Paul’s letter to Philemon, and the Gospel of Luke, we explore what it means to count the cost of following Christ. Do we truly put Him first? Do we love when it costs us something? The Cross reorders everything, and in giving everything to Jesus, we gain the only thing worth having: Himself.

We often think strength comes from power, achievement, or recognition. But Scripture teaches something radically different: true greatness begins with humility.In this episode, Fr. Tom reflects on why humility is not weakness but the capstone of discipleship. It is the virtue that keeps our zeal pure, our steps steady, and our hearts open to God.Listen as we explore how humility shapes the life of a disciple and why the lowest place at the table may be the one that brings us closest to Christ.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” But what does that mean for our daily lives? In this second homily of the Faith on Fire series, Fr. Tom reflects on the discipline of discipleship, the difference between being near religion and truly knowing Christ, and the daily choices that keep us walking the path toward heaven. Discover how courage and commitment work together to keep our faith alive.

On the Solemnity of the Assumption, we don’t just honor Our Blessed Mother, we look to her as a sign of our destiny. In this homily, Fr. Tom reflects on how Mary’s fiat carried her, body and soul, all the way into Heaven. If we stay close to Jesus as Mary did, then where our Mother has gone, we are meant to follow.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” But what kind of fire is He talking about? And, why does He say it will bring division, not peace? In this first homily of the Faith on Fire series, Fr. Tom reflects on how the fire of Christ purifies, transforms, and sometimes disrupts our comfort. Drawing from Jeremiah’s courage, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the witness of the saints, this episode challenges us to let the Holy Spirit set our hearts ablaze, even when it costs us.

Jesus’ words in Luke 12:32-48 cut through the excuses we often make for delaying holiness: “Be ready… for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” In this homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Tom challenges us to shake off the spiritual autopilot that can plague us and strive to live as faithful stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to us. Jesus calls us to live each day with purpose, courage, and readiness for the Master’s return because we never know when that might happen.

We spend so much of life chasing security, saving up, storing away, building our "bigger barns." But in this week’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that no matter how much we accumulate, none of it comes with us when we go. In this homily, Fr. Tom talks about what actually lasts, how to do a spiritual inventory, and why it’s time to stop clinging to temporary things and start living for what’s eternal.

In this episode, Fr. Tom unpacks the bold prayer of Abraham, Jesus’ invitation to trust, and St. Paul’s reminder of the power of grace. These readings reveal a God who is not distant or indifferent, but near, merciful, and ready to act. But divine mercy isn’t automatic, it requires our cooperation. With open hearts, a desire for conversion, and a willingness to be changed, we discover that prayer isn’t just about asking, it’s about becoming. If you’ve ever wrestled with how to pray or whether God hears you, this message will challenge and encourage you to go deeper.

In this episode of From the Ambo, Fr. Tom reflects on the familiar story of Martha and Mary. We are given a challenge to consider how often we let the good work of service crowd out the deeper work of prayer. It’s not a matter of choosing between being a Martha or a Mary—it’s about learning to pause in the busyness of life and sit at the feet of Jesus. In a world full of distractions, this homily is a timely reminder to give the Lord not just our efforts, but our presence.

We’ve all heard the story of the Good Samaritan—probably more times than we can count. But what if it’s not just a lesson in being kind to others? In this week’s homily, Fr. Tom reflects on a deeper dimension of this familiar parable: that before it calls us to action, it reveals to us the heart of Jesus. He is the true Good Samaritan—the One who sees us in our brokenness, comes close, and heals us. Tune in for a message that invites you not only to “go and do likewise,” but to first recognize how deeply you’ve been loved.