Mar Abraham Church Sunday Homilies

Mar Abraham
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Homilies given at Mar Abraham Chaldean Catholic Church in Scottsdale, AZ. www.marabrahamcc.org

  1. Jun 23

    More Than a Provider

    English Mass- Fifth Sunday of Apostles- Fr. Peter Patros On Father’s Day, fathers are called to their three core roles: provide, protect, and be present. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool warns against hoarding earthly wealth while neglecting the soul — possessions and anxiety about the future can quietly become the thing that owns us. The remedy is not necessarily poverty, but a reordering of priorities: loosen your grip, give sacrificially, and store treasure in heaven. True provision means forming souls, raising children to know God so they carry security that no savings account can offer. The model is St. Joseph and ultimately Christ himself — who emptied himself, protected us, and promised to remain present always.

    16 min

  2. Jun 17

    Prayer is Medicine, Not a Trophy

    English Mass- Fourth Sunday of The Apostles- Fr. Peter Patros Prayer, worship, and sacrifice are meant to be medicine for our own spiritual sickness — not a trophy to prove how good we are. God rejected the offerings of Israel not because of how they were given, but because the hands giving them were full of injustice and hypocrisy. Jesus asks why we call him Lord but do not do what he says, and St. Paul models the opposite of pride — disciplining himself constantly, never assuming he was already cured. The Eucharist itself is described as the medicine of immortality, received humbly by all. The call is simple: stop turning spiritual practices into status markers, and ask honestly whether your prayer is healing you or just making you look good.

    16 min

  3. May 24

    The Tongue That Builds the Church

    English Mass- Feast of Pentecost- Fr. Peter Patros Pentecost is set against the Tower of Babel — one scattered people through confused tongues, the other gathered them back through the Holy Spirit. The strongest community can be undone by what comes out of its mouth, and the weakest rebuilt the same way. Families stop coming to Mass, people walk away from parishes, and years of relationship are destroyed — not by atheism or broken ideology, but by the tongues of Christian people. The same apostles whose tongues denied Christ, argued over greatness, and went silent on Good Friday were set on fire by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. God wants to do the same with ours — taking the tongue that gossiped, that spoke harshly, that stayed silent when it should have spoken — and consecrating it for something greater.

    14 min

  4. May 10

    From Strangers to Temples

    English Homily- Sixth Sunday of Easter- Fr. Peter Patros Scripture traces the experience of separation on a grand scale — Cornelius the outsider and Peter the rule-keeper were both trapped, one by exclusion and one by the law, until God tore the wall down. St. Paul tells the Ephesians they are no longer strangers but citizens of heaven and members of God’s household — dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. On Mother’s Day, the mother’s womb is held up as the first temple any human ever knows, a living image of what it means to house another life completely. Mothers, fathers, and children are each called by name — and all are reminded that we are called to make our lives a home where God himself can dwell.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    16 min

  5. May 3

    Grace Enters When Obedience Begins

    English Homily-Fifth Sunday of Easter-Fr. David Stephen After the resurrection, the disciples return to fishing — reverting to what they know when clarity fades and results are slow. Christ meets them there, present but unrecognized, quietly waiting as he so often does in our own confusion and failure. When a stranger tells them to cast their nets one more time, they obey — and the catch is overwhelming. The spiritual principle is simple: grace enters when obedience begins. Not when we feel confident or strong, but when we trust God over our own plans, especially when obedience is inconvenient. When our efforts feel fruitless, we must not abandon the boat — and when we finally recognize him, we must be like Peter, who jumped into the water without hesitation because love knows no bounds.

    9 min

  6. Apr 28

    Pain With a Purpose

    English Homily- Fourth Sunday of Easter- Fr. David Stephen The “little while” Christ repeats to his disciples is the space most of us live in — between prayer and answer, suffering and healing, confusion and clarity. Jesus does not promise to remove that waiting, but uses the image of a mother in labor to show that pain with a purpose is never wasted. Christian suffering, when united to Christ, becomes purification, and our wounds become places where grace enters. Three practical ways to live through the little while: stay with Christ instead of running, reframe suffering by asking what God is doing rather than why it is happening, and hold to his promise over our feelings. Christ does not offer the removal of trouble but peace within it — and his final word is not sorrow, but joy.

    13 min

  7. Apr 20

    Christian Life Beyond the Crisis

    English Homily- Third Sunday of Easter- Fr. David Stephen Faith is not a passive practice of attending Mass and receiving sacraments, but an active way of life that shapes how we speak, think, act, and respond to others. Thomas and Philip’s question — “how can we know the way?” — mirrors our own tendency to turn to God only in crisis, treating him like a vending machine rather than a daily relationship. Christ calls us to come to him before, during, and after every struggle. The story of Mother Teresa, who responded to being spat on with grace and a request for the children, illustrates the costly courage that living faith demands. We are called not just to receive mercy, forgiveness, and love from God — but to give more of it than we have even received.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    12 min

  8. Apr 14

    From Doubt to Faith

    English Homily-Divine Mercy Sunday- Fr. Peter Patros New Sunday (Khoshaba Khatha) is celebrated as the first Sunday after the Resurrection, coinciding with Divine Mercy Sunday and the memorial of Mar Abraham. The focus is on the Divine Mercy icon revealed to Saint Faustina Kowalska, whose rays of blood and water symbolize life, cleansing, and renewal flowing from Christ’s side. Thomas the Apostle is held up as the central figure — his doubt, his demand for proof, and his transforming encounter with the risen Jesus leading to faith. Several motives of credibility are presented to explain belief: miracles, fulfilled prophecy, the witness of saints, and mass historical conversions. Each believer is pastorally called to encounter the risen Christ and become a living witness — to be Jesus for others who still doubt.

    16 min
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Homilies given at Mar Abraham Chaldean Catholic Church in Scottsdale, AZ. www.marabrahamcc.org

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