Events, Videos

Community Mass – 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us for Mass for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, November 15.

  • 9 AM EST public Morning Mass celebrated at the Church (not streamed)
  • 11:15 AM EST Community Mass at celebrated at the Church and also streamed online. Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window below.
  • Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here: November 15. Hymnals, bulletins, and other handouts will not be available at the church. Please download on your phone or tablet, or bring your own missal.
  • Please follow the instructions of the ushers, and observe all of the health precautions so that we can continue to worship together safely.
  • Support our Parish – Please contribute to our General Collection online here.
  • Help us support Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online
  • Annual Catholic Appeal – Contribute online here. Select “St. Charles Borromeo R.C. Church – Brooklyn” as the parish.
Messages from the Pastor

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Doing Ordinary Things with Extraordinary Love

| Fr. William Smith

The parable of the talents, A.N. Mironov, 2013, photo from the artist’s personal website artmiro.ru. Used with permission.
(About this image)

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
November 15, 2020

Many of the Jews in the Greek and Roman world may have wished to be somewhat apart from the most popular contemporary trends of thought. Yet as the Holy Land was in the middle of an important trade route and many Jews lived in large cities in the Middle East and beyond, this was impossible. Some may have been influenced by the great “academic” philosophers of the day like Plato and Aristotle, but most would have had contact with popular ethics or morality. This was called wisdom and it would have had adherents throughout the Mediterranean. Traces of this “International Wisdom” can be found in the books of Job, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, many Psalms, and the Book of Proverbs as we read today. The Wisdom teaching that was committed to writing was a compendium of reflections used to train young members of the governing class to be wise leaders. The Jewish Elders wanted to show that they could answer the questions of their young in a way that would have made sense to their children who may have wished to show contemporary learning, but also reflected their traditions and belief in the LORD

Continue reading “33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Doing Ordinary Things with Extraordinary Love” →
Homilies

32nd Sunday Ordinary Time/St. Charles Borromeo (Fr. Smith Homily)

| St. Charles Borromeo

Today’s gospel asks, “What are you waiting for?” It is always a good question, but especially pertinent on our patronal feast day and the present situation of our nation and parish.  

The parable reflects the marriage customs of 1st century Galilee which scholars tell us can still be seen in some places in the Middle East today. A marriage was an arrangement between families with two stages. The potential bride was sent to live with the possible groom’s family for about a year. If the situation proved satisfactory the groom would go the bride’s family and conclude the, mostly financial, details. When he returned to his house, they were considered married. This was marked by a great feast. Usually, the only one that the couple he would ever give. The young women of the village would participate by greeting the groom with song and if he came after dark with lit torches. This may have been the only party of the year and they would not want to miss it. Yet some of the young women did not calculate properly and lost out of the chance of joining the celebration.  

Continue reading “32nd Sunday Ordinary Time/St. Charles Borromeo (Fr. Smith Homily)” →
Messages from the Pastor

Fr. Smith’s Post-Election Message: Preparing for the Family Holiday Discussions

| Fr. William Smith

As of this writing, the end of this interminable election is barely in sight and may not be until the last lawsuit is settled. If we do not know who has won, we know that we will enter the holiday season a divided nation. What can we do about this?

Continue reading “Fr. Smith’s Post-Election Message: Preparing for the Family Holiday Discussions” →