Sunday's Homily Excerpt -

Two thousand years ago, God came to us, born a Child. He grew. He taught. He did things no mere man could do. He showed us He was more. It is recorded in the Gospels that three times He came to face with death. One time it was a twelve year old girl. He said, “She is asleep.” And He took her hand and said “Little girl, arise.” And she did. Another time, He encountered the funeral procession of young man, the only son of a single mother. He reached out His hand to stop the procession, then touched the boy and gave him back to his mother, restored to life. The last time was at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, four days dead. He wept and He told them to role away the stone. “Lazarus, come forth,” He cried, and Lazarus came forth alive. He hated suffering and death and what it had done to His creation. But the only way He could overcome it for everyone in all the world was to surrender Himself, the Maker of all things, to death, and by His perfect life and divine love, destroy death from the inside out, for everyone. He let Himself be executed, crucified. Then three days later He walked out of the tomb, a new beginning for all the world. The Christian conviction is that those who believe in Him, in Jesus the Christ, can be joined to Him in the hope of resurrection, joined in baptism. This was Levi’s faith. Levi was joined to Christ in faith and hope.” - Fr. Marc Dunaway, November 11, 2026-