Referring to Matthew 13:24-43, Fr. Jonas makes a mission appeal for missions of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in the Philippines at the 11 a.m. Mass at the St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Croydon, PA on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

Text of the homily

         “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened,” Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel.

        Jesus loves us and when we respond to His love with a tiny act of generosity to someone, we join in God’s creative action. Thus, miracles, big and small, materialize such as dough being leavened, needs being fulfilled and dreams being realized.

        My mother lived out this parable during her yearly visit to the Philippines about 25 years ago. At that time, her great nephew was crying because he dreamed of entering the minor seminary and becoming a priest. But his parents, my cousins, cannot afford the tuition. Because of the exchange rate, my mother realized that she could easily afford it. Thus, she paid her great-nephew’s seminary tuition for four years.

        Today, with the permission of the archdiocese, I ask you to have the generosity of my mom to help my fellow Oblates of the Virgin Mary in the Philippines.

        There, we continue to share the merciful love of Jesus. Our retreat house in Cebu offers the cheapest rates for a retreat in the Philippines and provides discounts for those who can’t pay because everyone should have the opportunity to meet Jesus in prayer. Please help us provide that opportunity.

        At our seminary in Antipolo, Fr. Greg Short spends every afternoon teaching English and catechism to the neighborhood children whose parents can’t afford tuition for school. Furthermore, our food program feeds 160 families in the area. Please help us provide hope to those children and families.

        But spreading this merciful love of Jesus needs men to continue our work. Our seminarians in Antipolo have come from around the world: the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. They are men of faith, but their weak education background means that they need more time and more instruction so they can take philosophy and theology classes necessary for the priesthood. Usually, these courses are in English, which is not the mother tongue of the seminarians. In the United States, it costs more than $68,000 a year to take care and train 1 seminarian. In the Philippines, it costs $8,000 so your generosity today will have a big impact.

     Lastly, pray for us. God provides help for all who turn to him. Through your prayers, God will provide for our needs in the Philippines. Be assured of my prayers for this wonderful parish. From our bounty, our leaven, spiritual and physical, we love and empower others. Thank you.