26 juillet 2026 --- 17^ème dimanche ordinaire "A"

1 Rois 3,5.7-12; Rom 8,28-30; Matt 13, 44-52

                                                                          Homélie

          J’ai eu l’occasion un jour de causer avec un grand penseur, qui n’avait pas la foi chrétienne, et qui se définissait très humblement non pas comme un athée, mais comme un « agnostique en recherche ».  Et, dans une autre circonstance, un de mes amis qui n’avait pas – ou en tout cas pensait ne pas avoir – la foi, et qui se trouvait soudain confronté avec une maladie grave, probablement en phase terminale, qu’il vivait d’ailleurs avec un grand courage et une grande dignité, m’écrivait: « cela m’aiderait d’avoir ta foi ». Ces deux exemples – et je suis sûr que chacun de vous pourriez en citer plus d’un, nous permettent de voir comment le cheminement vers le Règne de Dieu et vers le bonheur est différent d’une personne à l’autre.  Les trois paraboles que nous venons d’entendre soulignent aussi ce même mystère du cheminement absolument unique de chaque personne. 

25 juillet 2026 – Fête de saint Jacques

2 Cor 4, 7-15; Mt 20, 20-28

                                                                         Homélie

          Il y a plusieurs Jacques dans le Nouveau Testament.  Celui que nous célébrons aujourd'hui, c'est le frère de Jean et fils de Zébédée.  Ce Jacques fut l'un des premiers martyrs.  Hérode le fit mettre à mort lors de la première grande persécution contre l'Église, avant même l'arrestation de Pierre.  Avec son frère Jean, comme lui compagnon de Pierre, il tient une place toute particulière durant la vie publique de Jésus.  Avec Jean, il est l'un des premiers disciples à aller demander à Jésus "Maître, où demeures-tu?".  Il est l'un de ceux que Jésus amène avec lui sur la montagne de la Transfiguration, dans la chambre où il ressuscite la fille de Jaïre et, finalement, au Jardin des Oliviers.

29 juillet 2026 – Mémoire des ss. Marthe, Marie et Lazare

Sir 24, 1-2.5-7.12-16 26-30 ; ou 1Jo 4, 7-16

Jo 11, 19-27 ou Jo12,1-11

 

                                         Homélie

          On pourrait considérer cette mémoire liturgique de Marthe, Marie et Lazare, comme la fête de l'amitié.  En effet, nous constatons dans les Évangiles que Jésus a une gamme très large de relations avec les diverses personnes qu'il rencontre.  Il y a tout d'abord les foules, auxquelles il adresse son message et pour lesquelles il est souvent mû de compassion.  Dans ces foules il y a, bien sûr ceux qu'il dérange et qui le combattent, en particulier les Docteurs de la Loi, les Scribes et les Pharisiens; mais il y a aussi un grand nombre de disciples, hommes et femmes qui le suivent dans ses tournées apostoliques.  Parmi eux il en choisira à un moment donné soixante-douze, qu'il enverra en mission.  Et puis il y avait le groupe des douze apôtres qu'il avait appelés individuellement et de façon spéciale et qui partageaient toute sa vie publique.  Parmi eux, il y en avait de plus intimes qu'il amena avec lui dans des moments particuliers, comme au moment de la Transfiguration et à Gethsemani.

25 July 2026 - Feast of Saint James

2 Cor 4, 7-15; Mt 20, 20-28

                                                             Homily

          There are several James in the New Testament.  The one we are celebrating today is the brother of John and son of Zebedee.  This James was one of the first martyrs.  Herod had him put to death during the first great persecution against the Church, even before Peter's arrest.  Along with his brother John, who was also a companion of Peter, he held a very special place in the public life of Jesus.  Along with John, he was one of the first disciples to ask Jesus "Master, where are you staying?  He was one of those whom Jesus took with him to the Mount of Transfiguration, to the room where he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead and, finally, to the Garden of Olives.

July 29, 2026 - Memory of ss. Martha, Mary and Lazarus

Sir 24, 1-2.5-7.12-16 26-30; or 1Jo 4, 7-16

Jo 11, 19-27 or Jo12,1-11

                                       Homily

This liturgical memory of Martha, Mary and Lazarus could be seen as the feast of friendship. Indeed, we see in the Gospels that Jesus has a very wide range of relationships with the various people he meets. First, there are the crowds, to whom he addresses his message and for whom he is often moved by compassion. Among these crowds there were, of course, those whom he disturbed and who fought him, in particular the Doctors of the Law, the Scribes and the Pharisees; but there were also a large number of disciples, men and women who followed him on his apostolic tours. At one point, he chose seventy-two of them to send on mission. And then there was the group of twelve apostles whom he had called individually and in a special way, and who shared his entire public life. Among them were some more intimate ones whom he brought with him at special moments, such as at the Transfiguration and in Gethsemane.

Alongside all this, and in addition to all this, Jesus had a very deep friendship with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, with whom he liked to stop during his apostolic walks. The details of the story of Lazarus' resurrection reveal the intensity of this relationship.

Less is known of Lazarus than of Martha and Mary; and of the latter two, it seems that it was Martha who was most familiar with Jesus. She was the one who welcomed him into her home, and the direct way she spoke to him revealed the depth of their friendship. But there's more. In the story we have just read, taken from John's Gospel, there's a lot more to it than first meets the eye. Indeed, the first declaration of faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God - which the Synoptic Gospels put in the mouth of Peter, John puts in the mouth of Martha: “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

So this feast of friendship is also a feast of faith!

26 July 2026 --- 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘A’

1 Kings 3:5, 7–12; Romans 8:28–30; Matthew 13:44–52

                                                                        Homily

          I once had the opportunity to speak with a great thinker who did not share the Christian faith and who very humbly described himself not as an atheist, but as a ‘searching agnostic’.  And, on another occasion, a friend of mine who did not have – or at least thought he did not have – the faith, and who found himself suddenly facing a serious, probably terminal, illness, which he was facing with great courage and dignity, wrote to me: ‘It would help me to have your faith’. These two examples – and I am sure each of you could cite more than one – allow us to see how the journey towards the Kingdom of God and towards happiness differs from one person to another. The three parables we have just heard also highlight this same mystery of each person’s utterly unique journey.

          The man in the first parable – the one who discovers a treasure in a field – wasn’t looking for a treasure.  He simply stumbles upon it, as if by chance.  The author of the parable doesn’t even bother to explain the circumstances in which he made this discovery.  It matters little.  What matters is that he had the wisdom to recognize the value of what he had just discovered, as if by accident.  He also realizes that it was certainly no coincidence that he made this discovery and that this treasure was, in a sense, meant for him.  So he hides it away again.  This treasure is an integral part of a field, of a reality greater than the treasure itself. He will not come to take the treasure away by night – which he could no doubt do without anyone noticing – but will instead buy the field and thus legitimately take possession of his treasure.  To do this, he will sell all his other possessions, having realized that it is worth the price. The treasure of the Gospel is, in practical terms, found in a field which we might interpret as a symbol of the Church with all its structures. The field is not the treasure; but one is within the other and they are inseparable.

          The man in the second parable is quite different.  He is a seeker, and indeed a connoisseur.  He is a dealer in fine pearls, and although he already has a fine collection, he is always on the lookout for pearls of even higher quality.  One day he finds one of quite exceptional quality.  As a true connoisseur, he judges that this single pearl is worth more than everything he already owns.  He, too, sells all his possessions and buys this rare pearl, which fulfils all his expectations.

          The man in the third parable is different again.  He is a fisherman who has cast his net into the sea and, as always, has caught a bit of everything: useful things and useless things.  He puts the good fish into his basket and has no hesitation in throwing everything else back into the sea.

          In the Gospel, Jesus often speaks to us about renunciation.  These three parables help us to understand that renunciation – of whatever it may be, even of everything we have and everything we are – only makes sense if it is the result of a wise and calm choice.  It is to buy a field containing the treasure for which the man in the first parable sells off everything else he owns; and it is to buy the pearl that fulfils all his searching that the merchant in the second parable also sells everything he has.  Finally, the fisherman in the third parable is so satisfied by the great number of fine fish that he does not hesitate to cast all the rest back into the sea.  All three, moreover, find their joy and happiness in this choice and this determination.

          However we may have discovered the treasure of the Gospel, this treasure will fulfil us and form the foundation of our joy and happiness only if we have the courage to pay the price and to let go of everything in our lives that is incompatible with the Gospel message.  Whether we are farmers, pearl merchants or fishermen, sooner or later we will need to be able to discern clearly and assess the value of what we have just discovered, found or caught in our nets, in relation to everything we already possess.

          To know how to make the necessary choices at the right time, let us follow Solomon’s example in the first reading. Let us ask God for wisdom—not an innate knowledge of what to do, but rather an attentive and discerning heart that knows how to distinguish between options and make the necessary choices at the right moments.

Armand VEILLEUX