Category Archives: Homilies
To be Blessed…
Homily of Cardinal Kurt Koch
of the Thanksgiving Holy Mass for the Beatification of Alphonse Marie Eppinger
in the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Campo Santo Teutonico in the Vatican,
on October 29, 2018
To be blessed, because we are loved by God
Today’s reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians contains only two verses, and in its brevity it is unsurpassed. However, its significance cannot be underestimated at all. These two verses determine the spiritual autobiography, which St. Paul explains to his readers and leads them to be the witnesses of conversion, “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:19b-20a). These words explain the essence of becoming and being a Christian: this “I”, which wants to be an autonomous and self-confident person, must die, it must be changed into a new person and be re-admitted to the wider “I”. Who allows this conversion to be done in his heart, become believer, as St. Paul notices further, Insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who had loved me and given himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20b).
Homily of the Thanksgiving Mass
Thanksgiving Holy Mass after the Beatification of Mother Alphonse Marie
Monday, September 10, 2018, Niederbronn
Homily by Christian Kratz, Auxiliary Bishop of Strasbourg
Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends,
Celebrate the Beatification of Mother Alphonse Marie means to celebrate the fidelity of God, who share His love with people enabling them to answer in a radical way. Religious consecration of the new Blessed is a great sign for the Church of today, especially for the Church in Alsace. We are touched and encouraged by her modesty and generosity, as well as the work of the Holy Spirit, who worked through her giving life to God and people. In this occasion of the Beatification I would like to shortly remind the significance of the consecrated life.
Homily at the Holy Mass for the Beatification
Beatification of Sister Alphonse Marie Eppinger
(Strasbourg September 9, 2018)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, the Church of Strasbourg is pleased that one of her daughters, Sister Alphonse Marie Eppinger, is registered to the list of the blessed and can serve her as a model for a life in the Gospel. We know that the whole diocese has been preparing for this day by reflecting on the universal call to holiness and asking the question of how to become holy now a day. The solemn event of the beatification, 150 years after her death, is a providential opportunity to rediscover the relevance of her message and the actuality of the figure of this outstanding woman, given a living witness of Christian life with a deep spiritual imprint. Continue reading
Thanksgiving Mass – Sopron
Thanksgiving Mass at the Mother Church of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer – Sopron, May 1, 2015
I. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, One hundred and fifty years ago in May of 1865, Mother Alphonse Maria, Elizabeth Eppinger, visited our Sisters in Sopron. One year later, April 11, 1866, The Holy See approved the Religious Community with the name of „The Sisters of the Divine Redeemer“. Now, in this Year of Consecrated Life, the Sisters are coming here to the Motherhouse, to give thanks for their vocations which was once the seat of leadership in the Congregation. In this Holy Mass the following texts were used from the Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer, approved by the Holy See.
II. a) A few years ago when I celebrated Holy Mass in Budapest, I spoke about Redemption. After Holy Mass, a student approached me {my former Altar Boy} and asked: “What do we need to do to be Redeemed?”