This past weekend I served mass with Fr. Ryan at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Panhandle, Texas. This was my homily.
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 16, 2026
Is 56:1, 6-7; Ps 67; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Matt 15: 21-28
“...for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” (Is 56:7)
In St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical On the Eucharist and Its Relationship to the Church, he says,
“I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths, on lakeshores and seacoasts; I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares... This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 8)
When St. John Paul II talks about celebrating mass “on the humble altar of a country church” I imagine country churches like Cristo Redentor in Gruver, Sacred Heart in Spearman, and St. Teresa’s in Panhandle.
Wherever the Eucharist is celebrated, “it unites heaven and earth.” Indeed this is a “house of prayer for all people.”
“For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11) I remember this verse from today’s second reading from a Deacon retreat I attended about 11 years ago It convicted me I cannot give back the gifts I have received from God. I can either share them or leave them idle Are you sharing your gifts?
In today’s Gospel, we see the Canaanite woman calling out to Jesus Begging Jesus to heal her daughter She is relentless She is persistent She continues to ask Jesus Even when she is ignored
I used to work at Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma One day a colleague came to my office, she looked distraught, confused, frightened She was a scientist And I would classify her and her husband as Atheist/Agnostic
She shared with me that she had cancer And she was in for a fight She explained that she was assembling a team to help her fight And she wanted me to be on her team
My role she said would involve the spiritual… and also humor I met with her Listened to her Prayed with her Laughed with her And cried with her
She had many spiritual experiences She had a miraculous healing The cancer was gone We both gloried in the goodness of God Her and her husband became believers in Jesus
She still texts me every so often When she goes back for her yearly checkup She asks for my prayers
One day we got together for lunch I noticed how much different she looked Her hair was back, but different Her skin color was healthy There was joy and excitement for life with her family in her voice
At the end of our conversation, she explained that she was going back for her yearly check up And she asked again for my prayers I told her that I would pray for her But I also told her that she didn’t need to ask, because she was in my prayers
She paused and then explained to me that one thing that she had learned during this journey was how important it was to ask…
As I drove down the road, I thought about what she said… It is important to ask It is important to ask our friends for help, for prayer It is important for us to ask and petition the Lord He wants us to ask He wants to talk to us He wants to be with us in our struggles and our blessings
Sometimes we have to be persistent like the Canaanite woman Sometimes our prayers might not be answered in our time Or they might be answered in a way we don’t know
I decided that my friend had a profound thought about how important asking was And then I thought of her name Her first name is Deborah Her last name is Ask…
Deborah Ask
“Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.” (Matt 15)
Years ago, I help host a college retreat team One of the young men was asking me about being a farmer I was telling him about driving a tractor. and that I had a lot of time to think I shared that sometimes I would think of things that I shouldn’t have been thinking about
But a thought would come into my mind, “I shouldn’t think of that” And I would try and pray or think of something else The young man gasped and said, “That was a moment of grace!” “That was a grace from God!”
I have thought about that quite often How God is always drawing us to Him
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us “Grace is participation in the life of God.’ (CCC 1997) The Church describes grace in a number of ways: sanctifying grace, habitual grace, actual graces, special graces and sacramental graces. (CCC 1999-2003)
Grace is this gift that God is continuously offering us to help us in our call to become children of God (CCC 1996)
Today we hear of the feeding of the five thousand Jesus has just heard of the death of John the Baptist, his cousin, the one who baptized him I can only imagine how sad Jesus was He wanted to be alone He got on a boat
“But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns” (Matt 14:13) As Jesus is coming into the shore, he sees the crowds, it was a big crowd Jesus was touched He had pity for them He had compassion on them And he begins to heal the sick
But they are in a deserted place and there is no way to get food The disciples are being practical They are encouraging Jesus to send the people home to get them something to eat But Jesus loves these people They were there for Him in His time of sorrow
He is going to feed them He has the people sit on the grass He takes the bread and fish He looks to heaven Blesses the bread He gives thanks
The disciples give the food to the people The people are fed And there is more left over
A moment of Grace…
Listen again to this invitation to grace from the first reading
“Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!... …Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life.” (Is 55)
“Listen, that you may have life.” “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” (Ps 145)
We are nourished on the Word of God and the life of the Church The Lord feeds us spiritually When we come to mass When we pray When we go to Confession When we participate in the Sacraments When we are a part of the life of the Church like the Jamaica And the One Hundredth Anniversary Mass at Amarillo In all these things, we are experiencing God’s Grace
In the second reading from Romans Paul asks the question
“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?”
The answer is nothing can separate us from His love “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8)
Jesus is still multiplying the bread He is still feeding His people He loves us He loves you He is constantly calling to us to come closer to Him
His Grace is here His Grace is with us in many forms Are you watching? Are you listening? Are you participating?
NYC – Metropolitan Museum of Art – Death of Socrates
The Death of Socrates Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748-1825) 1787
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 5, 2026 Zec 9:9-10; Ps 14: Rom 8:9,10-13; Mt 11:25-30
They called him a gadfly, a trouble maker He went around the town asking questions and embarrassing others He was getting the attention of the youth And they were listening to him
Socrates lived in Athens, Greece His friend had asked the Oracle at the Temple Delphi if there was anyone wiser than Socrates The Oracle said no one in Athens was as wise as Socrates
Socrates was surprised Because he knew he wasn’t wise So, he began to question the poets, politicians, and scholars to find someone wiser than he He discovered these men were not wise, even though some of them thought they were wise
So, Socrates concluded that the reason the Oracle proclaimed him wise was because he knew that he wasn’t wise
Today, Jesus exclaims, “I give you praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.” (Matt 11:25)
“Jesus is heartened by those who accept him-- simple, humble people who do not trust in their own wisdom, and do not consider themselves to be wise and understanding.” (The Navarre Bible, 86)
He promises to give us rest But how can we rest when he calls us to carry the cross?
The fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary The carrying of the Cross Simon of Cyrene is made to carry the cross of Jesus Jesus couldn’t carry the cross alone Simon of Cyrene was there to help him
I don’t have to carry my cross alone I have Jesus and His Church to help me
A yoke is designed to help the oxen shoulder the load easier A cross is not designed to be carried It is bulky and hard to drag The yoke of Christ makes our burden light
Jesus is calling us all to come to him He will give us rest So let us all take up His yoke and lighten our load “For [his] yoke is easy, and [his] burden is light” (Matt 11: 30)
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Kings 4:8-11; Ps 89; Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Mt 10:37-42
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt 10)
Jesus doesn’t mince any words He tells it like it is Being a follower of Jesus is a radical commitment Jesus is calling us to love him more than our families
He is asking us to take up his cross and follow him To lose our life To die to ourself
How do we do that? How do I die to myself? When Jesus says our discipleship involves the Cross, what does this mean for you and me?
St. Paul encourages the disciples at Philippi to: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,*
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:3-8)
Have the same attitude as Christ Jesus Who humbled himself
So how do we become like Jesus? How do we become humble?
The other day I was on my walk around town And I came upon a woman working in her yard I stopped and said hi and we visited a little
She shared we me that she was teaching a Bible class at her church She shared with me that she really liked Mother Teresa’s prayer of humility
Although, I had heard of the Litany of Humility I had not heard of this prayer of humility by Mother Teresa
So, I googled it…. I didn’t find a prayer, but I found a list Saint Mother Teresa’s Humility List
Here it is: 1. Speak as little as possible about yourself.
2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.
3. Avoid curiosity.
4. Do not interfere with the affairs of others.
5. Accept small irritations with good humor.
6. Do not dwell on the faults of others.
7. Accept censures even if unmerited.
8. Give into the will of others.
9. Accept insults and injuries.
10. Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.
11. Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.
12. Do not seek to be admired and loved.
13. Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.
14. Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.
15. Choose always the most difficult task.
When we are humble, we put ourself last We put Jesus Christ first And we love our neighbor
We use our gifts for the Glory of God We take up the Cross of Christ And follow him…
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also known as Corpus Christi
A few years ago, Teague and I were touring Germany about this time of year One Thursday, our tour guide told us that it was a national holiday in Germany, and that many of the stores would be closed The holiday was Corpus Christi
The feast of Corpus Christi is normally celebrated on Thursday following Trinity Sunday I found it interesting that Corpus Christi was still being celebrated as a national holiday in Germany The nation of Germany has become secular The majority of the nation doesn’t practice any type of religion So, I found it interesting that Germany still observed a Catholic solemnity as a holiday
It shows how strong and lasting culture can be At one time Germany was a very Catholic nation Catholic feast days were observed by the entire nation In fact, the feast days were observed all over Europe Today, many Europeans are Catholic in name only And do not practice their faith.
The United States is not a Catholic nation The Feast of Corpus Christi is transferred to Sunday in the United States so more people can participate The American culture is not Catholic Christmas is the only Catholic feast I can think of that the American culture recognizes
It is hard to be Catholic in the American culture The American culture conflicts with Catholic culture often
Here are some examples: Catholics are expected to work on Holy Days School lunchrooms only have a meat option on Fridays during Lent Track meets are run on Good Friday To be Catholic in the United States is to be counter cultural
We can’t change the culture of America overnight But we can influence our own culture We have our own culture here at Sacred Heart and Cristo Redentor
We have fish frys during Lent We sing traditional hymns in our masses We pray the rosary before funerals We celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe We have the the Mexican dance groups, Guadalupanas, Men’s group, Charismatic group, and have had other organizations throughout the years We have the Jamaica fundraiser This church building and the art and decorations are part of our culture
These help us remember Remember where we came from It’s important for us to remember our ancestors Those who came before us Those who built this church
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is coming in one week This is the feast day of our church We should come together and celebrate this day
For over twenty years, I have seen priests try to bring the parish together and celebrate this day But not many people come I want to encourage you all to come to the feast Come to the mass Come to the dinner after, and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Spearman
Cristo Redentor is a part of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Spearman Cristo Redentor is a fruit of the Sacred Heart of Jesus I encourage Cristo Redentor to come and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus
As we celebrate today the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ We remember Jesus We remember that Jesus is always present We can see His presence in the Eucharist We remember that Jesus is present in the most Holy Body and Blood “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,” (Jn 6)
To believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is to be counter cultural To believe that Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist is Catholic
Carl is an old friend from college. I still remember him telling me my favorite joke about the three legged dog that walked into the bar. The dog looked at the bartender and said, “Barkeep, all I want to know is who shot my Pa?
Carl called me last fall. He had been going to the Catholic Church. Carl was Catholic, but hadn’t really been to church in quite some time. Anyway, he and his wife had been attending his local church, and his wife was going to OCIA, which stands for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. His wife was Confirmed and came into the Church this past Easter Vigil.
During these past few months, Carl has called or texted a few times to tell me about their journey and all the things he has learned. It is always a blessing to hear from him, and how God is working in his life.
Towards the end of Easter, Carl called me and said, “Winger, I’ve got a story.” It began with him riding around in his pickup listening to Catholic radio. I asked him to write it down, so I’ll let him tell it….
As I recall, I was in the ranch truck heading to Fredericksburg to get feed, most likely coming from our ranch in Harper. I always listen to EWTN, the Catholic station, during the 12:00–2:00 p.m. hour. It has filled the void left by Rush Limbaugh.
A children’s story came over the airwaves — a story about Saint Bega. It ran for several minutes and told of her devotion to God and her interaction with angels. In the background, there was a melody playing softly, almost indistinctly: a violin and harp playing a haunting tune.
It struck me as beautiful.
Several times, I tried to identify the instrumental using the Shazam app on my iPhone, which can recognize songs by listening to them. At least five times it came back as “undiscernible,” perhaps because the music was so faint. Finally, it caught the tune: “Be Thou My Vision.”
I was delighted. I had never heard that hymn before.
I looked it up on my Amazon Music subscription and listened to various artists until I found the version I recognized — the instrumental by the Webb Family.
At the end of the day, back home, I told my wife, Rhesa, about the song. She, a former Baptist, had never heard it either. I told her how beautiful and haunting it sounded to me and said, “I would like that played at my funeral.”
Of course, she looked at me a little sideways.
I then asked her, “Do you think Amy Vorhees, the music director at Saint Mary’s, would know and play this song at a Mass if requested?”
She replied, “You can only ask.”
The week went by. One day I even tried to play it on our piano. I have no musical training, but I managed to bang out a few notes from the opening riff.
Sunday came, and we were headed to the 9:00 a.m. Mass — running a little behind, but still manageable.
We arrived at our front gate, where we can either go left or right toward Fredericksburg. Going left is a bit longer but fully paved. Going right is paved for a while and then turns into a dirt county road. Rhesa had just gotten a new car, and it was spotless.
We sat at the gate briefly discussing which way to go. Finally, I said, “We’re running a little late. Let’s go right. It’s a little dusty, but not bad since we recently had rain.”
So we headed right.
About a mile up the road, we saw a large whitetail buck tangled in our fence, completely suspended off the ground by his antlers, which were caught through the wire. We stopped, and I tried briefly to help him. He was very much alive — struggling and kicking.
Our ranch hand lives nearby, so I contacted him, explained the situation, and asked him to bring a rope.
At first, we decided to continue on to Fredericksburg. But another half mile down the road, I had the feeling he would need help getting the buck free. I told Rhesa, “I need to go back and help.”
We turned around. Rhesa dropped me off and headed back to the house to get another rope.
Shortly thereafter, help arrived. After a brief struggle, we managed to free the buck. He was fine — his antlers a little messed up — but he ran off.
A few minutes later, Rhesa returned, and I got back in the car. By then, though, it was too late to make Mass in Fredericksburg.
We discussed what to do. Rhesa suggested, “Let’s just go to the 11:00 Mass.”
I replied, “That’ll take up most of the day.”
Then she said, “Why don’t we just go to Saint Anthony’s in Harper? It’s closer, and we can still make the 9:00.”
Agreed.
We headed to Harper.
When we arrived, a friendly parishioner greeted us and mentioned that, because it was Mother’s Day, they were having a fish supper and Mass had been moved to 9:30.
We took our seats in the pews and waited. The Rosary was prayed, and then Mass began at 9:30.
The entrance procession began with a hymn. But the very next hymn played in that little church in Harper, Texas, was “Be Thou My Vision.”
I sat there in total amazement, looking over at Rhesa and thinking about how the Holy Spirit works.
When I heard Carl’s story, I just laughed. I told him a similar story that Teague had with a song that she had been thinking about. Carl wondered what the odds were of all these things happening like they did. I told him that I had heard once that there were no coincidences, only God-incidences, and this wasn’t a coincidence. He asked me if he should tell his priest, and I told him for sure he should tell him.
Carl called a few days ago, and I asked him if he had told his priest the story yet. He said, “No, he hadn’t been to see him,” “but he said, “I know what he’s going to say.”
I asked, “What?”
Carl replied that his priest would say, “The Holy Spirit was with you that day!”
Gruver Community Good Friday Service April 3, 2026 The Last Words of Christ - The Seventh Word
“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.” (LK 23:44-46 NRSVUE)
The last and perfect prayer from the pulpit of the cross (Fulton Sheen) Man had tried to kill Jesus But he couldn’t be killed
He is the God-Man He has given His all “[Jesus], fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God,” (Jn 13) Is allowing Himself to die -- “He is giving the last drop of His precious blood for the redemption of the world.” (Sheen) Jesus is bringing about “the death of Death” (Sheen)
Jesus is gives Himself to the Father
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46)
“Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found in human appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:5-11)
I used to referee basketball. I loved reffing. I loved the game, being around the students, the coaches and the fans. Officiating basketball is one of the most competitive things that I have ever done. Referees are a competitive bunch. They want to be in the best games, and want to be the best ref on the court, and I was no different. I worked hard at refereeing. I studied the rulebook, went to officiating camps, and attended referee meetings.
It was at least 20 years ago. I had a “big game”. It was the last district game of the year for the Hereford and Palo Duro girls. They were both still in the running for the playoffs. The winner of the game made the playoffs and the loser went home.
The game was good. It was a tight and back and forth the entire game. In the final seconds, the game was tied, and I found myself in the “C” position on the court as the official. I would be responsible for counting or not counting any last second shot. I was standing at about the half court line when there was a loose ball near me. A Palo Duro girl was going for the ball, and a Hereford girl also was going for it and ran into the Palo Duro girl. I blew my whistle and called a foul on the Hereford girl just as the end of the game buzzer was sounding. I pointed for the Palo Duro girl to go to the free throw line.
Immediately, my co-official came to me and asked if the foul happened before the buzzer. I said yes, and he asked if I was sure because if it hadn’t we could just go into overtime. I held my ground, and said yes, I was sure. The Palo Duro girl went to the free throw line and made the free throw to win the game. Me and my co-officials ran off the floor to the dressing room.
While we were in the dressing room, my co-official said, “You realize you will never referee for Hereford ever again. I just sat there, and we discussed the play again.
When we went back on the floor for the boys game, the Hereford coach was waiting in the hallway. He hollered at me. I just kept walking.
On by drive home, I couldn’t get the last play out of my mind. I called the secretary for the Referee Association and told him what happened. I told him he might get a call from the Hereford coach to complain about me. He told me not to worry about it.
I didn’t sleep very well that night, and I couldn’t quit thinking about that last play and whether I had made the right call or not. The next morning I got up, and went to my computer and wrote a letter to the Hereford coach. I told him how I saw the play, and that “technically” the call was correct. But in basketball officiating there is the rule of Advantage/Disadvantage. When using advantage/disadvantage to call a game an official would let a bump go and not call a foul if neither player gained an advantage or disadvantage. I explained in my letter that where the play happened on the floor and as the buzzer was sounding there was no advantage or disadvantage, and I should have made a “no call” and let the game go into overtime.
And then I wrote him, “I was wrong, I’m sorry, Please forgive me.” And I mailed the letter and never heard anything.
The next season when I got my refereeing schedule, I couldn’t believe it when I saw the last regular season game on my schedule was Hereford versus Palo Duro. I couldn’t believe the coach hadn’t scratched me from the game. In fact, all season long I was expecting to get taken out of the game. But when the game came around, I was still in it. There was only one thing different. I was the “R”. I was the head referee. As the “R”, I was responsible for checking the official books before the game to make sure everything was good to go. I walked across the court to get the book, and took it over to the Hereford coach. I handed him the book and said, “Thanks for having us coach.”
The coach was looking at his book checking his line up. He never looked up. But he said, “I’ve never received a letter like that before. I didn’t know how to respond. I told him that me just being in this game was response enough.
The scenario was the exact same as the year before. The winner would make the playoffs and the loser went home. It was a close back and forth game all night long. In the final seconds of the game, Palo Duro was leading, and Hereford had the ball to shoot the last shot to win. And yes, I was in the “C” position again, and I would be responsible for deciding if the shot would count or not. A Hereford player dribbled down the court, and she shot just as the buzzer was sounding… but she missed the shot. The game was over and Palo Duro won.
I used to always tell this story to my college classes when they pointed out a mistake that I made in class. It’s always good to admit when you are wrong, be sorry, and ask forgiveness.
Mary Mail 