Catholic Homilies for 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Exodus 19:2-6a Romans 5:6-11 Matthew 9:36—10:8

Homilies

June 14, 2026

⭐⭐⭐ Four Fundamentals of our Faith

⬅️ ➡️

Deacon Peter McCulloch

11th Sunday of Year A

2026 | 2023 | 2020

✍️ Never See a Need

Two thousand years ago, Jesus looked upon the impoverished crowds suffering under the brutal, taxing occupation of the Roman Empire. Moved with a deep, visceral compassion—which is far more than pity; it is feeling another’s pain and taking action—he transformed his disciples into “Apostles,” sending them out as emissaries to heal and serve.

This radical call to action is not just for the clergy; it binds every believer to a dual witness of word and deed. While modern society often defaults to a comfortable indifference, true Christian love requires active eyes and an open heart. Mirroring the challenging maxim of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop, we are called to “never see a need without doing something about it,” becoming the practical hands of Christ in a broken world.

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Bishop Robert Barron

11th Sunday of Year A

▶️ Shepherds, Warriors, Healers

Friends, as we resume Ordinary Time, I want to talk to you about vocations—specifically, vocations to the priesthood. Our Gospel for today from Matthew shows us the call of the priest: to be a shepherd of lost sheep, a warrior against unclean spirits, and a healer of sin-sick souls—one that teaches and preaches and proclaims the kingdom of God. This summons from Christ has been the greatest joy in my life. If you are feeling the call, don’t ignore it; follow it.

Fr. Michael Chua

11th Sunday of Year A

2026 | 2023 | 2020 | 2017 | 2014

✍️ Pray, Act and Be Sent

Moved by the plight of humanity—depicted as a harassed, shepherdless flock and a wasting harvest abandoned by failing religious guides—Christ provides a divine blueprint for restoration: prayer followed by decisive action.

True prayer is an essential first resort, invoking God’s immense power to compel workers out of their comfort zones. Christ answers this petition by summoning the Twelve Apostles, establishing the Church not as a human institution, but as a divinely initiated vocation. Built upon ordinary, flawed individuals whom God equips, the Church’s two-fold mission demands intimate companionship with Christ and the bold proclamation of the Gospel.

When scandalized by weak leadership, believers must resist resentment or abandonment. Instead, they are called to imitate Christ by praying for holy vocations and actively advancing the Kingdom of Heaven through selfless, transformative service.

Dominican Blackfriars

11th Sunday of Year A

2026 | 2023 | 2020 | 2017 | 2014

✍️ The Field which is Your Church

The German Church’s reliance on the state-enforced Kirchensteuer (church tax)—which generated 12 billion euros in 2020—has compromised its theological integrity. While orthodox practices and sacraments are denied to those who opt out of the tax, the German episcopate permits Communion for those in objectively irregular situations, provided they continue paying. This financial dependency ensures that money, rather than doctrine, dictates church praxis.

This distortion is evident in the German Synodal Path, which used coercive voting tactics to pass resolutions favoring same-sex blessings, lay preaching, and women’s ordination. By prioritizing secular conformity over supernatural faith, the Synodal Path sows theological error under the guise of compassion. True Christian love demands offering Christ’s truth rather than progressive falsehoods. Ultimately, the remedy for this institutional decay requires pastoral conversion grounded in traditional devotion, prayer, and fidelity to Christ’s terms.

Fr. Austin Fleming

11th Sunday of Year A

✍️ Abundant Harvest: Help Wanted!

In his 2008 homily, reflecting on 35 years in the priesthood, Fr. Fleming notes that while ordination did not grant miraculous powers, it provided a rich and rewarding life. His journey unexpectedly began in 1963 when a high school classmate, Kathy T., submitted his name to a vocation director because she believed he would make a good priest. Though initially reluctant, her encouragement ultimately led him to discern and embrace God’s call.

While acknowledging his own imperfections and the cultural shifts since his seminary days, the author emphasizes that ministry is a collaborative effort. At Holy Family Parish, a diverse staff and dedicated volunteers work together to harvest the Gospel. Drawing on the Eucharistic celebration for strength, he challenges the congregation to consider how God is calling them to serve, urging them to either step into the field or act as a “Kathy T.” by encouraging others to ministry.

Monsignor Peter Hahn

11th Sunday of Year A

▶️ Homily for 12th Sunday of Year (Next Week)

Drawing a parallel between athletics and the spiritual life, this reflection uses the resilience of Hall of Fame athlete and college football coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders to illustrate Christian perseverance. Facing a severe medical crisis that threatened the amputation of his foot, Sanders publicly expressed unwavering optimism, tweeting: “Just keep the faith and know that if He brought you to it, He will bring you through it.”

This modern witness echoes biblical truths. While human weakness often leads to fear and anxiety regarding earthly trials—such as illness or failure—the Gospel commands believers to “fear no one” but God, who numbers every hair on our heads. Just as the prophet Jeremiah withstood persecution and Saint Paul proclaimed Christ’s victory over sin and death, Christians are engaged in a spiritual battle for their souls. Ultimately, all fear stems from a lack of trust; believers must rely on divine grace, confident that God intimately loves them and provides everything needed to endure suffering.

Fr. Charles E. Irvin

11th Sunday of Year A

✍️ Shepherd of the Post-Modern Wasteland

Just as Jesus felt deep compassion for the exhausted, leaderless crowds of His time, He looks upon our contemporary world with the same pity. Today, the philosophy of Post-Modernism has rejected absolute truth, objective morality, and the common good, replacing them with radical individualism, chaos, and moral relativism. By privatizing faith and values, humanity has become spiritually flattened, deeply isolated, and left vulnerable to the whims of the powerful.

This egocentric pursuit of personal autonomy ultimately betrays us, leaving society broken and directionless—like sheep without a shepherd. Human philosophies cannot save us from this exhaustion. In response to our helplessness, Jesus commissions His Church to bring truth and grace to a famished world. Ultimately, our hope lies not in our own choices, but in the certain, reconciling love of Jesus Christ, who died to save us when we could not save ourselves.

Fr. Joe Jagodensky, SDS

11th Sunday of Year A

✍️ Jesus Says, “Follow Me”

An AT&T automated survey asking if the caller would hire the representative highlights a stark contrast with how Jesus calls his followers. While the world rates performance, Jesus simply issues a direct mandate: “Follow me.” Following Christ defies conventional logic and transcends mere rule-following or a desire to reach heaven.

True Christianity is not defined by a checklist of good deeds, though actions like volunteering or bringing communion naturally flow from faith. Instead, it is rooted in being. As St. Paul noted, Christians are called to be “fools for Christ,” embracing the “folly of the Cross.” While theologians like Thomas Aquinas prove the faith is intellectually sound, dogma remains empty without Christ in our hearts. Mirroring the Blessed Mother, whose actions flowed from her inner soul, a Christian’s life is transformed not by a rating system, but by the profound impact of a relationship with Christ.

Fr. Langeh, CMF

11th Sunday of Year A

▶️ God has Called Us and Consecrated Us

God’s call is an initiative of divine grace, requiring a free human response. As seen throughout scripture—from Abraham to the Apostles—God actively chooses individuals and communities for His service. Reflecting on the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), this call is universal rather than exclusive; God desires an entire holy nation consecrated to Him, not just a select pious few.

Our identity as “the sheep of His flock” is rooted in Christ’s ultimate demonstration of love: dying for us while we were still sinners. This sacrifice grants us access to grace and a share in divine holiness. Today, Jesus extends His mission of healing and proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven through the Church. Just as the twelve disciples mirrored the twelve tribes of Israel, every believer is commissioned to carry on Christ’s earthly ministry as His active, continuing presence.

Msgr. Charles Pope

11th Sunday of Year A

✍️ Four Fundamentals of our Faith

This week, Msgr. Charles Pope outlines a powerful four-fold journey of faith from brokenness to public witness. It begins with Our Destitution, highlighting humanity’s helpless, sinful state apart from Christ, where no human effort could earn salvation. This moves directly into Our Deliverance, achieved solely through the transformative power of Christ’s shed blood. This justification is not just a legal decree, but a deep, relationship-changing reality that saves us from divine wrath and restores us to the Father. Conformed to this grace, Our Destiny unfolds as Jesus’ life replaces our own, reshaping our desires, thoughts, and priorities into a fuller, richer life that anticipates heaven. Finally, this internal transformation demands Our Declaration. Filled with the joy and peace of reconciliation, believers are called to confidently “boast” of God’s work, always ready to share a living testimony of the Hope within them.

Father Kevin Rettig

11th Sunday of Year A

2026 | 2023 | 2020

▶️ Father’s Day

In 2023, Father’s Day and the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time fell on the same date. This homily explores the diverse expressions of fatherhood, noting that whether through biological ties or spiritual leadership, all are called to share in the fatherhood of God.

Reflecting on a poignant moment from President Kennedy’s funeral, the speaker highlights a child’s simple need for a father to lift him up. This mirrors how Jesus, moved by pity for a troubled and abandoned crowd, offers God’s deeply personal, individualized love. God sees each person’s suffering and desires to lift them up, a duty that extends to everyone. Regardless of age or gender, individuals are called to act as fathers by raising others higher.

While people inherit physical and emotional traits from their ancestors—both desirable and rebellious—their ultimate character depends on what they do with that inheritance. When people are most in need, a paternal figure will appear to guide them, allowing both helper and helped to be lifted by God’s love.

Fr. George Smiga

11th Sunday of Year A

2026 | ARCHIVE

✍️ Teaching for Our Sake

Father Smiga’s 2005 homily addresses a common misconception among Christians: viewing Jesus’ teachings merely as a series of heavy obligations, hurdles, or tests of discipleship. Instead, he asserts that commands like “The gift you have received, give as a gift” are not burdens, but secrets to living a joyful, healthy, and liberated life.

To illustrate this, Smiga references psychotherapist Carl Menninger, who noted that a wealthy, depressed patient’s anxiety stemmed from hoarding his money. Menninger concluded that generous people are seldom mentally ill; generosity fosters mental wellness. Ultimately, true happiness comes from identifying our unearned blessings—such as professional skills, compassion, or creativity—and freely sharing them with others. Because everything valuable is a free gift from God, returning those gifts to the world is not a duty, but a direct pathway to human flourishing and joy.