The King's Corner

Readings for Today's Homily “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” That’s kind of a harsh saying that Jesus gives us this morning.  Some commentators say that it’s a technique to show the dramatic teaching of Jesus, that it wasn’t taken literally, but to say that we need to give up everything to follow me. Maybe we could put it in terms of an English expression when we say, “yes, but.”  We always include the “yes, I will follow you, but not right now.”  Maybe it’s not having to do with burying our dead, but perhaps you and I are invited in different ways during the day to do something that would be Christian or indicative of our discipleship - and do we respond sometimes, “oh yes, but”?

Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Readings for today's Homily

Thursday June 26, 2014 at 7:00 PM ~  Father Matt Malone S.J.,  “The First Year Of Pope Francis"

Saint Francis De Sales once said: " Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourselves. Do not loose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew." In developing your own patience you could follow Saint Francis' words of encouragement or you could do what we did .... you could get a dog! A dog that walks past her water bowl to drink from the toilet bowl, a dog that turns potted flowers into potted stalks by ripping all the heads off, a dog that digs craters in the yard, chews on furniture, rips clothes from the line and barks profusely at everyone that goes by. I suspect Saint Francis would have changed his philosophy on patience if he had met our dog Maia. Patience is considered a virtue, a virtue that we are called to extend to all those we meet throughout our day. Indeed, a virtue we are called to extend to every situation and creature we encounter throughout our day. The

Recently, while watching TV, the son of one of my great heroes appeared in an advertisement promoting atheism. Ronald Reagan Junior proudly presented himself as being a "lifelong atheist" and he encouraged others to look into this form of "belief." At first I thought the "Gipper" would turn in his grave - but then again, maybe not. The freedom that allows Ron Junior to publicly air his beliefs on television is the same freedom that allows every Catholic priest throughout this country to stand before the congregation each day and say "behold the lamb of God...." What I "liked" about the commercial is that it stood as a reminder for all of us that as followers of Christ we are not conscripted into service but rather, we are offered the freedom of choice to follow Him - or not. Ron Senior once said: " Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the blood stream. It must

click to view video of the installation.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Readings for today's Homily

Some folks have asked me what is the process for naming the new Bishop of Fall River.  Periodically the Bishops of the Boston Province meet and discuss candidates for the office of Bishop.  This is called the Provincial List and it is sent to the Nuncio or papal representative in Washington.  Certain of these candidate may be vetted by making confidential inquires of laypersons and clergy asking if they thought Father has the qualities to be a bishop.  The Nuncio sometimes asks for the names of two or three others who might know the priest.  Sometimes nothing happens with those names.  Other times they are seen as potential candidates once a diocese needs a new bishop.  In our case, the bishop has reached his 75th birthday and, in accord with church law, has submitted his resignation.  It has not yet been accepted but I presume the process is underway.  Now the process gets more specific.  The question is not whether the priest would make a good bishop but rather who would make a goo

We are so blessed at Christ the King to have so many young men and women active in the parish, especially in Youth Ministry and service at the altar.  We recently hailed the promotion of twelve altar servers who will be seniors in high school next year.  Twelve!!  That is amazing.  You can see photos and a video on our website . When people complain about adolescents we can accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative by pointing out to experiences like this.  On the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 22 we will install about 10 high school students as Eucharistic Ministers.  Later in June and early July, at least six CTK students will attend the Christian Leadership Institute.  Over six days they will be given leadership skills they can take back to their schools and parishes.  That is good news indeed.  And it is so positive! Msgr. Daniel Hoye

Readings for today's Homily If we ever get to the point that we think we have this Christianity thing down, pick up Matthew's Gospel and read the fifth chapter where Jesus says we you need to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  That's a pretty hard saying! When we look at the news from Iraq these days we see the Sunnis and Shiites are killing each other mainly because they have been enemies for a thousand years.   Maybe we don't react as violently as they do, but don't we have our enemies?  Maybe that relative or that friend; the one who has hurt us so deeply.  Can we reach the level that we can say that we love that person and pray for them? The bar is raised pretty high for that Commandment.

Readings for today's Homily When I was in the seminary, I had a periodic evaluation from an advisor. I recall one time, my advisor said to me, “You know Hoye, you only do the minimum!” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, a couple of professors said that they ask for a five page report, you just give them five pages, not a page more.” So in my defense I said, “Remember Professor so and so, if you gave him six pages when he asked for five, he would deduct points from you.” The Gospel today says if they ask for five pages, give them ten! We’re not talking about pages, but we’re talking about serving another. “If they ask you for one mile, give him two; if they ask for your cloak, give him your tunic.” Maybe we can be more expansive in our service of another. When there is need, give him ten pages.

Today is what is known in the Church as Trinity Sunday. The day that we recognize the mystery of the Trinity and for some preachers, a day to try to explain the existence of the Trinity. In light of such an enormous  challenge, I would digress to Saint Augustine when in one of his famous sermons he affirms that if we think we have understood the Trinity then what we have understood is not God at all. But what we do understand about the Trinity is that it contains, among others, God the Father. Our Gospel reading today, the famous John 3:16 reading, talks about the Father and how God the Father was prepared to endure the sacrifice of his only son to save mankind. And coincidently, our secular calendar describes today as being Father’s day. The difficulties, challenges and joys of being a father are relatively easy to understand when that role is directed to our own children. However for Catholic men that want to follow in the teachings of Christ there’s a call not to just be a father

A person dies and goes on trial in front of God the Father.  On one side is Satan and his witnesses.  On the other side is Jesus acting as the person's character witness and next to Him is the person's advocate, the Holy Spirit (The Divine Lawyer). The trial starts with Satan making the opening statement.  "That person belongs to me.  He belongs to me because:  He did not go to church on Sundays, his language was atrocious, he frequented palm readers, he disliked his parents because they kept reminding him to go to church.  He was always drinking and fighting in bars, he loved to gamble and stole money to cover gambling debts, and when he won, he would spend his winnings on wild parties, he would lie at every opportunity. He ate like there was no tomorrow and lastly he was envious and jealous of what his peers had that he didn't."

One of the  Beatitudes, Blessed are the peacemakers", came to life when Pope Francis met with the Presidents of Israel and Palestine in the Vatican Gardens on June 8, 2014.  It is symbolic rather than substantive but it was great to see two men who usually rail against each other, beseech God for the gift of peace.  It was not a joint prayer service per se but rather three separate prayers.  At the conclusion of the service, they all helped in the planting of an olive tree.  Let's all pray for peace in those troubled lands.  Maybe we could give our own "enemies" a new "look-see".  Maybe it is a time to reboot the relationships we have with some folks.  Start over, plant a proverbial olive tree in our hearts Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye

Homily for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Readings for today's Homily

This past week end my wife and I celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary.  I don't think either of us ever thought we would see this day.  Saturday June 7th 2014.   Here we are, in a fine restaurant having dinner; the day is gorgeous and the view from the restaurant window is beautiful, the waters of the bay are calm and the evening air is just comfortable. Right outside the window, just below us, on the pavilion a young couple is getting married.  Everyone out there seems very happy for the newly weds. The groom is wearing a Navy uniform and the bride is radiant in her white gown. My mind sailed back 56 years to when Joanne and I were married at Saint Jean Baptiste church in Lowell, Ma.  Oh yes, Joanne and I were quite young, but I have to say, even at our young age, we took our marriage vows seriously.  The Pre Cana Conference gave us a goodly amount of time to think and talk about the journey we were about to begin. We  have seen our four children get married.  We have s

Readings for today's Homily In the Boston Marathon, there’s a stretch in Newton that is called Heartbreak Hill.  It’s a tradition that lots of people will gather there, bystanders, not running the marathon, who will cheer on the runners to give them encouragement to keep going and not to give up.  That image came to my mind when thinking about the feast day we have today for St. Barnabas, where it’s noted that he encouraged believers to keep going.  In fact, in other sections of scripture, we’re told that Barnabas is a name that means “son of encouragement.” Perhaps we can be aware of those who are encouraging us in our life journey, that maybe we’re in a low period and need to hear and accept the encouragement of others.  Or on the other hand, we could be those who encourage others, not to despair but to hope, and to trust, and to believe.  It’s a marathon that we’re all running, and we need each other.

Catholic Women's Club Annual Banquet click for photo's.

At the Easter Vigil, the church is in darkness and the Deacon carries in the Paschal candle and chants three times, Christ our light. Then the entire congregation lights individual candles. The symbolism is Christ overcoming the darkness of death; that we share in the promise of the Resurrection. In today's Gospel, from Matthew, Jesus says we are the light. That means that we are the presence of Christ in our world-as Christ is the light, we are the light. Perhaps this day we can look for opportunities to shed light into the darkness, maybe in our own lives or the darkness that exists in others; where we can bring the source and power of Christ's light and love to another.

A famous theologian says that the preacher should have two things in his hands as he prepares a homily or sermon: one is scripture, and the other is a newspaper.  The challenge is to see how the two come together.  Well this morning, the front page of The Boston Globe has a huge picture of Pope Francis in the presence of the presidents of Israel and Palestine , and the scripture is “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”  While it’s not thought that the reading with each one offering prayers will result in some huge treaty or lack of violence, there is a symbolism of the common effort to reach peace.  Even the location of the ceremony was in the back of the gardens – probably the only place you can go where you can have some types of Christian symbols all around.  Maybe as we gather in prayer this morning, we can offer up prayers – prayers for peace in the land that we call Holy.

Readings for Sunday's Homily

Hail & Farewell click for Photo's or Video  

Peter asks “Lord, what about him?” Two thousand years later we ask similar questions; what about her, how come I didn't get the job, why did my husband have to get cancer, How could this happen to my child (or grand child), why did my wife have to die so suddenly, how come he’s not an alcoholic and I am, why should she have everything and I have so little, how come they're not divorced and we are? The answer Jesus gave to Peter is the same answer he would give to us today: "what concern is it of yours? You follow me." Every path of every journey, along with all it's twists and turns, are very significant to each one of us. But every difficult situation, every moment of inexpressible joy, every devastating loss, every exhilarating gain are temporary moments of our life. We can enjoy them, we can suffer through them, we can immerse our selves in them but they're all temporary. What is truly permanent is that which can be achieved by following closely the

I went to a small men's college in Minnesota with the idea of becoming a priest, St. John's University. As many of you have heard me say, I met girls and that changed my mind (St. Ben's was an all-women's college 4 miles away where I met my wife). I did go through the first two years of pre-divinity in a dormitory setting with about 60 of us assembled in one room for study and in another room for sleeping. No worry about if you were going to get along with your roommate(s) when you got to college. You had 60 of them. We were encouraged to attend Mass each day and act as altar servers for priest who said their private Mass in small cubicles in the basement of the Church. We called them the catacombs. If no server was there, the priest celebrated his Mass by himself. Don’t think that happens anymore. I was fairly faithful in helping out at least for the first year. The second year I slacked off and pretty much only went to Mass on Sundays. In my third year I moved int

This week I went to Boston’s Museum of Science and discovered that in the Mugar Omni Theater the film “Jerusalem” was playing (until July 3).  The hook was: “Witness the beauty and majesty of this ancient and beloved city as you discover its many hidden secrets through the eyes of the young people who call it home.”  Having never been to Jerusalem but having read “Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How and Ancient City Ignited our Modern World” by James Carroll (2011) and “Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths” by Karen Armstrong (1996), I knew I had to join the throng of people (mostly teenagers with many teachers) to view the 50-minute film. The film profiled the three faiths (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) through the eyes and experiences of three young women.  The stories of these women confirmed what Karen Armstrong claimed: “In every major religion a 'holy place' has helped men and women define their own place, indeed their own importance, in the world.   Jerusalem has become that

Readings for today's Homily “May they be one as we are one.”  That’s the prayer that Jesus utters in His last discourse in the seventeenth chapter of John.  It’s often used as a prayer that Christians unite with various forms of Christianity.  But it can also be a more personal thing - that Christ is praying that I may be one with my brother or sister.  Maybe there are issues that are separating us, and the prayer that Jesus offers for us today is that we may come together and be as one, as He and the Father are one.

The following is a short story I received in an email. Normally I don't like getting all those forwarding messages from everyone, but this one caught my attention. It has to do with a preacher but it really has to do with each and every one of us. We set an example by our actions. People notice what we do and how we act. Hopefully we influence those around us in a positive way and encourage them to come closer to Christ, more loving and caring in their lives. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach always the Gospel and if necessary, use words. Deacon Greg Beckel Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas.  Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

Readings for today's Homily It’s not the practice anymore, but when I was in grammar school, one of the regular practices was for the Sister to send you to the board to diagram the sentence – but they don’t do it anymore.  I’m glad that we never had John’s Gospel to diagram because he just goes on, and on, and on, and on - paragraphs at a time! We’re reading from what is called the Farewell Discourse, but it’s not a discourse, it’s simply Jesus praying towards the end of His time here on earth.  Today, the key phrase is that Jesus says, “I pray for them,” meaning us, His disciples - “I pray for you.”  I think that should be a comforting notion for all of us; that we have in Christ one who is caring about our future, our situation, our difficulties, our pain, and our sorrow.  We need to hear that phrase over and over again, that Christ prays for us.

Enjoy the beautiful faces of St Vincent DePaul. click SVDP Appreciation Luncheon   to view the album

Readings for Today's Homily “Coraggio” is an Italian word that we translate as “courage,” but it seems to mean more to the Italians – at least in Church circles.  When you’re describing something that’s very difficult and you don’t know where the solution is, an Italian would say “coraggio” but it doesn’t help; it just basically says let’s go on – we may not know the answer, but we’ll get through it. Maybe that’s what Jesus is saying to the disciples in the Gospel today.  In the world we’ll have trouble but it takes courage.  Just look at your own life – or the life of a friend of yours, or a loved one – it seems so difficult.  Perhaps we could hear Jesus whispering to us, “coraggio.”

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth." As I sit down to write this I pray to the Holy Spirit that he enters into my being and inspires me with what to write. So where are you Holy Spirit? I need your help!!! So the Spirit is telling me, just start writing (or at least I think he is speaking to me),. Sooo, (Minnesotan for where do I start, or any of a number other meanings). So, isn't it interesting when you are asking the Holy Spirit for inspiration, he seems to be, well, a spirit in the true sense of the word. A ghost that you think is there, but you’re not sure. People have been trying to describe the Spirit for centuries, actually from the beginning of time. Most recently, Deacon David Pierce described the Spirit as a Raven. Now I've never heard that one before but he made a good case for it. But let us start at the