"Speaking Well When Tested" - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily

Last weekend we asked parishioners to make a commitment to the 2025 annual Catholic Services Appeal.

Our goal is for all parish families to make not equal gifts, but equal sacrifices.

Thank you if you've already responded to this call.

Please fill out a card in your pew and place it in the large basket by the doors as you leave Mass today or mail it in.

Or on your phone, use a QR code to complete the digital form.

Either way, please make sure you have included our parish name and that all your information is accurate.

Thank you again for your faithful support of our Archdiocesan Church.

I personally thank so many of you for offering condolences the past week since my stepfather died.

Your words of compassion and sympathy.

Love, course, your prayers really has helped me and my family.

I've extended all the condolences you've offered to them and seen it at work.

Especially for my mother, who is second time for her as a widow after 25 years of marriage to each good man.

So we've been through this before.

Keep praying for her, please.

But the words of the Lord at the end of the gospel really have applied over the past week.

From the store of goodness in your hearts that produces good, the mouth speaks.

And I just, there's so much goodness in this parish.

In the bulletin I wrote, it's like a mega store of goodness.

And it's been pouring out over the past week.

From your heart to mine, I'm deeply grateful.

But sometimes, as the first reading said, there are tests when the mouth speaks.

And we've got this store of goodness in our hearts, and from that the mouth speaks, and hopefully solidifies and amplifies the good that we do.

the good fruit in our lives, we do need to speak well.

And brothers and sisters, let's be clear.

If we are living well as disciples of Jesus, people are watching us, they are listening closely.

And so when these tests come in,

it is amplified for us to speak well.

To again, further the witness.

And people are cheering for us actually, deep down.

They want a good example to hold up when the furnace gets turned up, when tribulation hits, when these tests come.

They don't want to see a slide like everybody else into poor speech.

But some scenarios where

the tests come in and we know that they are tests.

The more we go through it and fall, if we're falling, the more we're like, I want to pass the test next time, like the test when I'm angry.

I got all this goodness going in my life, I'm going about my daily business, and then something's thrown at me that's just so unfair and unjust and we're filled with righteous

anger.

And we just feel compelled, like God wants us to say whatever we have to say to correct, to right this wrong.

But in that moment we should think of Jesus.

He got angry on a bunch.

Dealing with those Pharisees, the apostles, the non-believers.

And really I can only think of one, maybe two times that he actually spoke about it in righteous anger.

that virtue of meekness, he said, I'm meek and humble of heart, that controlled his speech, where he didn't say anything evil.

So we keep that in mind when that our own furnace is heating up internally.

Another test is with honesty.

And people see us as honest.

They want to believe that we're actually just and good and honest and true.

But there's some situations it's just easier to lie and tell the truth.

Even if you didn't do anything wrong, it's going to cause problems.

Not the best example, but it just happens, so it applies.

Playing basketball last week, a guy on my team, back to back plays.

He called a foul on himself or our team, and it was really like kind of a light foul or call.

And so a couple of our teammates were razzing him like, man, why are you so honest?

And that's the way it happens.

If you pass the test with the Lord, you fail with the world.

And we don't really want that.

But the problem is when we fail the test as being just, we regret it instantly and it's with us for a long time.

One thing about that ball player I know, he didn't think about those calls the rest of the night.

He didn't have that conflict later on.

Am I really a fair player?

Am I a good sport?

We never regret when we do what is right and we speak what is right.

I have to go back to anger because applying texting to this as well.

I was on a group text yesterday, which I don't really like, by the way.

And it got a little bit, got me little heated.

The furnace was turning up.

And I had to step away a few times and not send an angry text back.

So texting applies as well.

What about defending the faith?

Think of martyrs.

Some of them were actually led to a furnace.

And the ultimate test, their life's on the line.

Do you believe in Jesus or not?

And they said yes.

From that store of goodness, that store of faith, heroic faith.

Words came through their mouth, the mouth spoke, yes, and it cost them their life.

Now we may not go to that level of furnace, but it may happen this week with Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, people in the office talking about Catholic Church, and there might be

Catholics even bashing the Church, and that's when you know, uh-oh, here's the test.

What do I say?

Do I say anything?

And hopefully the mouth speaks something.

in defense of Christ and his bride the Church.

It could be something very simple like, I have actually a really good experience in my parish.

Well, for the most part, I was my pastor.

Crazy, but he's quick, so we're cool.

Something, some kind of witness.

Don't be afraid to witness.

You'd be surprised to stories of her, especially in offices, when a Catholic speaks up or people find out that a Catholic in the office goes to daily mass.

Others like, I'll go with you.

Don't be afraid to defend Christ when it heats up.

What about at home?

Maybe you start making habit of going to the chapel.

And people in your home aren't really into that, but you really are getting into it.

After work, late at night, and they're like, where are you going?

I mean, don't be afraid to witness.

Don't try and make up like, I'm going to 7-Eleven, we're going to beef jerky, something like that.

Don't be afraid to say, I'm going to pray.

And again, that witness often leads people themselves to follow.

In any of these tests, any time that the heat is getting turned up, remember the words Jesus said.

The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at that moment.

When you and I are being tested, rely on that.

and trust that the Holy Spirit will lead you from the store of goodness in your heart, that the mouth will speak words consistent with your good actions and good heart.