Dormition Parish Homily Replay

We spend much of our lives preparing for the future, yet often avoid thinking about the one event we will all eventually face: death.Reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus raising the widow of Nain’s son, we are reminded that preparing for death involves more than making funeral arrangements. It means examining how we live today, the relationships we nurture, the forgiveness we offer, and the faith we share.As Christians, our hope rests in Christ’s victory over death and His promise of eternal life. Perhaps the most important question is not whether we have prepared for our funeral, but whether we are preparing to meet the Lord.

What if God’s commandments are an invitation to share His life? Scripture leads us beyond simply being nice and toward becoming like God. The Golden Rule becomes a “golden ladder,” inviting us to climb higher: love our enemies, give without expecting anything in return, and become merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful. At the heart of this journey is the treasure God longs to give us—Himself.

We often think a full life means having more—more security, more success, more comfort, more certainty. When Simon and his companions pull in two boatloads of fish, it seems like they have received everything they could hope for. Yet when they reach the shore, they leave it all behind and follow Jesus.What are we holding on to, and what is it giving us? Our possessions aren’t the only things that can keep us anchored. We can cling to old hurts, fears, expectations, grudges, familiar ways of thinking, or simply the comfort of how things have always been. The Gospel challenges us to consider whether what we’re holding onto is helping us grow—or keeping us from the deeper life Christ is calling us toward.

Disillusionment can come when the story we believed about our lives, our world, or even our faith no longer seems to make sense. It can leave us frustrated, divided and convinced that we know how things ought to be. Peter experiences that same struggle when Jesus challenges everything he thought the Messiah was supposed to be.But disillusionment doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Jesus points toward a different way—one shaped by humility, self-denial and the willingness to make room for others. Perhaps the moments that unsettle our assumptions can also invite us to examine what defines us, loosen our grip on our own story, and discover more deeply what it means to take up the cross and follow Christ.

As the Church prepares to celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Bishop Michael Smolinski reflects on the enduring power of the Cross through four vivid images: a hammer that destroys death, a key that opens paradise, a butterfly that transforms sorrow into joy, and a lightning bolt that gives the apostles courage to proclaim the Resurrection.The Cross changed the lives of the thief, the myrrh-bearing women, and the apostles—and it continues to transform us today. The Holy Cross is our strength, salvation, joy, hope, and the source of our call to share the Gospel.