Fr. Tony’s Homily, Homily Starters
Fr. Tony’s Homily, Homily Starters
June 14, 2026
11th Sunday of Year A
A Life of Luxury vs.
A Life of Service
There is an interesting story about the Queen Mary, one of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world back in the 1930s and ’40s. The tables of this great liner bore the finest china and silver. Its private berths were spacious and well-decorated. But during World War II, the Queen Mary was commissioned to serve as a troop transport ship. All of its luxuries were stripped away to prepare it for war. The fine china was replaced by dented metal dinner trays. The spacious compartments were crammed to the ceiling with bunk beds. Today, the Queen Mary serves as a floating museum. One half of the ship is decorated to look exactly like a luxury liner of the 1930s. The other half of the ships is decorated to look like a World War II troop ship. Visitors to the ship confront the radical difference between a life of luxury and a life of service.
SOURCE: Ralph Winter, “Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle,” in Perspectives on The World Christian Movement, ed. R. Winter and S. Hawthorne (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981), p. 814.)
Key Spiritual Connections
- A Shift in Authority and Purpose: Just as the British Admiralty sent a coded message to Captain Irving to change the ship’s course and put it on full war alert, Jesus summons the twelve and fundamentally shifts their trajectory. He gives them specific authority to drive out demons and cure illnesses. They are no longer floating through life on a civilian cruise; they are active combatants against spiritual darkness.
- Stripped for Mobility and Focus: The Queen Mary could carry a record-breaking 16,680 soldiers only because she was stripped of her civilian comforts. Jesus demands the same radical unburdening from the apostles. By traveling light (no extra tunics, no money bags), they are forced to rely entirely on God’s provision and remain agile for the mission.
- The Reality of the “Wartime” Environment: Jesus warns the disciples that the environment they are entering is hostile. He sends them out to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” This isn’t a relaxed tour; it is a spiritual rescue operation in a broken world.
The Ultimate Takeaway
The floating museum of the Queen Mary serves as a visual reminder for the modern believer. One half represents the temptation to live a life focused on personal luxury, comfort, and self-preservation. The other half represents a life completely retrofitted for the kingdom of God.
When Jesus calls the twelve—including Matthew the tax collector, who walked away from financial luxury—He calls them to leave the cruise ship behind, step onto the transport vessel, and commit fully to a life of service.
11th Sunday of Year A
“You’ve come a long way, Baby“
“You’ve come a long way, Baby“ is an expression used by a popular cigarette commercial. You are shown a 19th century girl who is hiding her smoking with embarrassment. In contrast there is a 20th century girl openly, proudly smoking a cigarette. Indeed, women smokers have come a long way from public displeasure to acceptance.
To become a saint, a sinner comes a long way, too. In June, 1977, the first American male was canonized a saint. John Neumann came to this country as an immigrant from Bohemia. He was known for his work of helping immigrants to this country, establishing the Roman Catholic school system in America, and serving as bishop of Philadelphia for eight years prior to his death in 1860. After more than a century, Neumann was made a saint.
Our text is a one-verse biography of a man who came a long way from sinner to saint – Matthew. He was a tax collector, a publican who in that day was considered a super-sinner because he was a traitor to his country by collecting taxes from the Jews to support the Roman government. Jesus came to him where he was and made him an apostle. Now the world knows him as Saint Matthew. It was a long way for Matthew, too, from being a sinner to becoming a saint.
11th Sunday of Year A
Commissioned by Christ to Reach Out
A young mother was taking a course in sociology. The class was assigned to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. The next day she and her family were in a McDonald’s on a cold, clear morning. She writes, “We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch. As I turned around, I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor, homeless men. One of them smiled up at me, looking for acceptance. The second man fumbled with his hands, obviously mentally deficient and totally dependent on his friend. They had a handful of coins and bought only coffee because that was all they could afford. They had to buy something in order to sit down where it was warm. Acting on impulse, I bought two extra breakfasts and took them to the table where the men sat. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, ‘Thank you.’ I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you; God is here working through me to give you hope.’”
SOURCE: Coy Wylie, “Stewardship … Laborers or Loafers?”
Here is a Christian lady commissioned by Christ to reach out “the sheep without shepherds” as Jesus sent his apostles to the shepherdless sheep with teaching and healing authority as described in today’s Gospel.
11th Sunday of Year A
In the Prayer for Priests, composed by St. Therese of Lisieux, we give thanks to God for the gift of the priesthood, and to our priests for their surrender to the Church and to Jesus Christ. We pray for our priests, the sanctification of their souls and for their progress in a total surrender to Christ’s love.
11th Sunday of Year A
