Nourishment and Shared Responsibility: Homily for Sunday, June 7, 2026

Nourishment. We are fed by the the Eucharist, by Jesus the Son of God. This also reminds us we are called to shared responsibility. As each one of the baptized is a member of the body of Christ, each one of us has a responsibility and a vocation to cooperate with God to build up the Kingdom of God. Readings for Today.

Nourishment and Shared Responsibility

“Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice. Either to construct a new Tower of Babel, or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” With these words, Pope Leo describes the current state of humanity.

In describing the Tower of Babel episode, Pope Leo goes on, “It was a project conceived without reference to God, supported by a uniformity that eliminated diversity and that chose homogenization over communion.” The other choice, Pope Leo emphasizes, is the rebuilding of the Wall of Jerusalem. “Nehemiah, a Jew in the service of the Persian king, received news of the disastrous state of his ancestral city. Before taking action, he fasted, prayed, and interceded for the people. He then asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem, and upon arriving, examined the destroyed areas in silence. He did not impose solutions from above.

He convened the families, assigned each of them a section of the wall to rebuild, listened to their concerns, coordinated their efforts, and addressed any opposition. The narrative shows how the city is reborn, not through the initiative of one man, but through the shared responsibility of all. Men, women, priests, artisans, heads of households, and young people all play a part.”

So much of our own faith life is a version of the same choice. Rely only on ourselves, or trust in God and the community He calls together. Work independently, or rely on God’s help and build a community of shared responsibility.

Over the past two weekends, we have received information about the current state of our parish. We heard of the struggles in balancing the budget, a situation this parish has faced before. And we heard that this is not just about finances or money, but about engagement in the parish.

This week, we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, which we call Corpus Christi. When we speak about the Body of Christ, we reference it in two ways. St. Paul speaks to this.

There is first Christ, the Head, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. It is this Christ we receive each Sunday, maybe even every day at Mass. This is the Christ who nourishes us. It is this Christ who nourishes and fills the emptiness of our lives. It reassures us that we are never alone, and that we are loved beyond all measure.

St. Paul reminds us that we too, though, are the Body of Christ, that each one of us is a member of the Body of Christ. Each weekend, we come here to be nourished and invited into deeper community of shared responsibility, empowered by the grace of God.

What does this shared responsibility mean for St. Dominic Parish? To answer this question, we need a gift mentioned often in the New Testament and central to the meaning of the Christian life, discernment.

Just like the rebuilding of the Wall of Jerusalem and the words of Pope Leo, we need to involve everyone in our shared discernment. Shared discernment is about our working together to see just where it is the Holy Spirit is leading us.

None of us can do this alone. The bottom line is that we need you. Let me say that again. We need you. But it is also the case that you need this parish. You need us.

St. Dominic Parish has long been known as such a welcoming community. We recognize Christian faith is lived in community. We support each other, pray for each other, celebrate joyful events together, and console each other in times of trial.

We are in a time of great awakening. We have seen the Holy Spirit moving in so many ways. More people are worshipping here every weekend. We had 15 people receive sacraments at the Easter Vigil and more in the weeks afterwards. Four more will be confirmed soon.

We are also a beacon of witness in our care for the poor. The St. Margaret of Costello Center continues to help those in need. Consistently and generously. We have been in the forefront of Christian witness in caring for our brothers and sisters who are refugees and migrants. We share faith, study the Bible, comfort the grieving.

All that said, we need you. The first step was your reception of information about our current state. But this leads to something more. It is a process that will involve many of you, maybe even all of you if we’re really fortunate and blessed by God. But especially you.

I want to share the next steps. At significant moments, families hold meetings. This is a significant moment. Starting in July, we will begin a series of parish family meetings. And Father Luke and I are confident you will participate because we know you love this parish.

We will offer a variety of times for these meetings. The meetings will be no longer than 45 minutes. They will be available in person in the parish office, online, and in people’s homes. You can meet with people you know or those you do not know. Your input is critical. We need you. We. Need. You.

So, here’s where the rubber meets the road. How many of you, by a show of hands, will participate in this process? Okay, you’re excused if you’re a visitor. But let me ask again. How many of you will participate in this process? Show your hands. Excellent. Thanks be to God. Now, just so that you don’t go home and forget, would you take out your phones and scan the QR code in the pews to really commit yourself to doing this? Or see one of the pastoral council members, the finance council members, the volunteers who are here, and sign up. Just contact information so that we can let you know what the next steps are.

So, I ask again. Can we count on you to discern the will of the Holy Spirit for this parish? For the Holy Spirit is moving in this parish. Will you be part of the movement of the Spirit’s action?

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.

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