Catholic TV Mass Online October 12, 2025: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Описание: Presider: Fr. Dan Volkert
Parish: St. Bruno & St. Paul
Choir: Heart of the Nation

Text From the Homily

In the first reading as well as in the gospel we hear how we are to approach God to be healed and strengthened. Now what I want to focus our attention on is that first reading. It's from the second book of kings. It's not a well-known story but, nonetheless, it's incredibly rich with lessons in the spiritual life. It begins with a man named Naaman. We find out he is a general. In fact, the general of a rival country of Israel. He's very successful and he's a powerful person but he has leprosy. In the midst of his weakness, he suffers. And so, it's interesting his power and his success does not lead him to God. But instead, his weakness will lead him to God. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul talks about his own weakness, the thorn in the flesh. Three times Paul begs God to relieve him of that. And God's response to St. Paul "My grace is sufficient for you for power reaches perfection." So, the first lesson we can take from the story, don't run away from your weakness. No. In fact it's your very weakness that will lead you to God. To be healed and to be strengthened. Now in this story we find out that Naaman is told that the prophet of Israel Elisha has the ability to cure his leprosy. So, he makes this long trip to go to Israel to meet Elisha. And he is standing in front of Elisha's house, but Elisha will not come out to greet him. Instead, Elisha sends a servant to greet him and then give him the instruction on how to cure himself of his leprosy. Naaman is insulted. He's consumed with pride. And he feels indignant that he as a powerful man making this long journey that Elisha now is insulting him by not coming out to greet him. And so, he lets his pride get the best of him and he refuses to essentially use the instruction in order to get healed. But later on, he swallows his pride, and he practices humility, and he follows the instruction of Elisha, and he's cured of his leprosy. It reminds me of the story of St. Agustine. A person once came up to him and asked him, what are the 3 most powerful virtues that we should live by? Immediately Augustine said “Humilitas, humilitas, humilitas.” One of the central problems people have in the spiritual life: pride. If you look at that a lot of sin is a subset of pride. That's why pride is one of the seven deadliest sins. So essentially, we have to practice humility. When we are in the presence of God and begging to be healed just like Naaman. We find out at the very end of the story Naaman is cured and his first response after being cured by God; offering God right praise and right worship. And then he asks, he requests to take some soil of Israel home with him. You think to yourself, well that's bizarre, even odd, but it really isn't. In the ancient world you could worship a God only on the soil in which that God was honored. Naaman knows that. That's why he wants to take the soil of Israel back home with him so he can continue to give God right praise and right worship at home. Here's the final lesson for us. In our weakness we are led to God. And in the presence of God, we practice humility. When we are healed by God our first response should always be right praise and right worship for everything that God has done for us. How does this story begin? With a person in his weakness being led to God. How does it end? The same person now cured and his first response right praise and right worship to God. See, that's why this is such a great story. Not just to learn from but to live by.

Entrance: Healing River of the Spirit
Text: Ruth Duck, © 1996, The Pilgrim Press Tune: BEACH SPRING, 8 7 8 7 D; The Sacred Harp, 1844

Psalm 98: The Lord Has Revealed To The Nations
Text © 1969, 1981, 1997, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Music © 2016, Josh Blakesley. Published by OCP. All rights reserved.

Preparation: You Are The Healing
© 1992, OCP. All rights reserved.

Communion: Ubi Caritas
Text: Refrain and vss. 1, 2 and 5 based on Ubi Cáritas, 9th c.; vss. 3, 4, Bob Hurd, b.1950; Spanish by Pedro Rubalcava, b.1958 Tune: Bob Hurd b.1950; acc. by Craig K. Kingsbury, b.1952 © 1996, 2004, Bob Hurd. Published by OCP.

Sending Forth: We Belong To You
Text © 2006, Victoria Thomson. Music © 2006, Trevor Thomson. Text and music published by Spirit & Song, a division of OCP. All rights reserved.

Mass Setting: Mass for Sister Thea Bowman
Text: © 2010 ICEL Music: Mass for Sister Thea Bowman, Aaron Mathews, © 2021 GIA Publications, Inc.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this liturgy obtained from ONE LICENSE, License No. A-718591.


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