Homilies

Homily – Palm Sunday (Fr. Smith)

| Fr. William Smith

(In lieu of a homily for Palm Sunday, the following reader’s guide was read before the Passion.)

Peter and Judas are prominent in all the Passion stories, but it is only in Matthew, which we read today, that they, or rather their fates, are clearly contrasted. Both know they are sinners but take vastly different paths,

Peter was the spokesman for the Apostles and although he often put his foot in his mouth, he was rewarded for his exuberance. His declaration of faith in Jesus as the Messiah is reported in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but only in Matthew is he renamed the rock, and only here is he given the keys to the kingdom. (Mat. 16:13-19) He is unquestionably the most honored of the apostles. Yet as in Mark and Luke when he argues with Jesus over Jesus’ prophecy of his impending execution, he is called Satan, a stumbling block. (Mat. 16:23) The harshest words ever spoken by Jesus.

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Events, Videos

Community Mass – Palm Sunday

| St. Charles Borromeo


On Sunday, April 2 2023, join us in person or online for Palm Sunday. Palms will be distributed in person.

Our current Sunday Mass times are:

  • 9 AM ET – Morning Mass – please assemble outside the church for the procession
  • 11:15 AM ET – Community Mass
  • 7:00 PM ET – Evening Mass

Watch the video live by clicking in the window above.
Automated closed captioning is available.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stcharlesbklyn at this link to watch on your Internet enabled TV or viewing device.

Today’s readings will be from Cycle A.

Readings/Psalm – 1031

Entrance: All Glory, Laud, and Honor – 498

Psalm 22 – My God, My God

Offertory: O Sacred Head Surrounded – 512

Communion: Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Closing: Were You There – 511

The Gather 3rd Edition Hymnal/Missals are available for use in the church – they are at the ends of the pews. Please return the missals to the end of the pew after Mass. Instructions on how to use the hymnal missal are available here: https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/hymnal-missal/ .

Today’s readings are also available to read online at the USCCB website https://bible.usccb.org .

  • Annual Easter Gift to the Parish – Easter is the greatest celebration in the Catholic church as we commemorate Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This collection is an extra holiday offering which our parish depends upon to cover our expenses over the year.
  • Easter Flowers for the Church – This Easter season, we will decorate the church to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection and memorialize loved ones with flowers.
Scriptual Commentary

Palm Sunday – Manifesting the Glory of God

| Fr. William Smith

Entry into Jerusalem, Wilhelm Morgner, 1912,
Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany.
(About this Image)

The crowds preceding him and those following
kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
(Matthew 21:9)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Palm Sunday
Philippians 2:6-11
April 2, 2023

None of the New Testament authors wrote a catechism. They addressed the concerns of specific communities and breathed the air of the marketplace more than the cloister. Their situations and concerns are often very specific. These specifics have given their writings a longer life than if they presented detached universal and eternal truths. They experienced the life of their communities and even if some of the language and concepts may be initially foreign the situations are all too familiar.

This is especially so in Paul’s “Letter to the Philippians”. We examined this letter before and basic information can be found here. Philippi, like most of Paul’s cities, was an important center. It was noted for its “light manufacturing” and had fewer Jews than most of the places Paul evangelized. It did have in common, however, with virtually all of them dissension and divisions not only because of different beliefs but personal rivalries. Near the very beginning of the letter, he writes:

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Events

Fish Fry Tonight!

| St. Charles Borromeo

Join us tonight (Friday, March 31) for our second annual parish fish fry. We will start with evening prayers (Vespers) in the rectory chapel at 5 PM followed by a social gathering and fish dinner starting around 5:30 PM.

We will be serving a delicious fish dinner with outstanding side dishes. We’ll be going until 8 PM or so; so please join us even if you can’t swing by until later. You can contribute online to help defray the costs and support our social gatherings.

We hope to see you there. The rectory address is 31 Sidney Place in Brooklyn Heights.

Events, Videos

Community Mass – 5th Sunday of Lent

| St. Charles Borromeo


On Sunday, March 26, 2023, join us in person or online for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Our current Sunday Mass times are:

  • 9 AM ET – Morning Mass
  • 11:15 AM ET – Community Mass
  • 7:00 PM ET – Evening Mass

Watch the video live by clicking in the window above.
Automated closed captioning is available.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stcharlesbklyn at this link to watch on your Internet enabled TV or viewing device.

Today’s readings will be from Cycle A.

Readings/Psalm – 1028

Entrance: Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days – 479

Offertory: Hosea – 484

Communion: I Am the Bread of Life – 945

Closing: Sing with All the Saints in Glory – 539

The Gather 3rd Edition Hymnal/Missals are available for use in the church – they are at the ends of the pews. Please return the missals to the end of the pew after Mass. Instructions on how to use the hymnal missal are available here: https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/hymnal-missal/ .

Today’s readings are also available to read online at the USCCB website https://bible.usccb.org .