Every week, Catholic priest Fr. Mike Schmitz delivers powerful homilies based on the Sunday Mass Scripture readings, inviting you to live more fully as the person God created you to be. Engaging and motivating, these 20-30 minute homilies will help ground your faith, fortify your heart, and transform your life. Fr. Mike Schmitz preaches from Duluth Minnesota, where he serves as the Newman chaplain for University Minnesota Duluth’s Bulldog Catholic campus ministry.
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
The process is the point.
When we are waiting, we often want to be "done". We want to be "there". We want our waiting to be over so that we can start living. But life happens right here and right now. And God is doing something right now. We do not simply endure waiting, we engage during the waiting. The declaration of faithful waiting is: I am confident that this moment is crucial.
Matthew 24:37-44
Homily from The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
The moment of victory is the moment of vulnerability.
We often think that we win by being strong, or beautiful, or clever, or powerful. But Christ wins by another means. Christ the King, Lord of the Universe wins by choosing to empty Himself of all that we think we need to win.
Luke 23:35-43
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Would you rather be admired? Or loved?
The Day of the Lord is coming. When everything that is true about our hearts will be revealed. What should not be there must be burned up or transformed so that we can be fully known...and fully loved.
Luke 21:5-19
Homily from the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.
If you were what you were meant to be, you would set the world on fire.
There are some things that are dedicated...consecrated to be something special. They are meant to be something unique. Others merely used to be something unique. Which one am I?
John 2:13-22
Homily from the Commemoration of All the Faithfully Departed (All Souls).
By the end of this Mass, some things will be changed forever.
Purgatory is an essential teaching of Christianity. It highlights that salvation is both an event and a process. Purgatory is God's gift on continuing the process of making our hearts like His that He began in this life.
John 6:37-40
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Nothing to Offer. Nothing to Prove. Nothing to Hide.
When we stand before the gates of Heaven and we are asked why we should be let in...what is our answer? How would we approach Heaven? How do we approach God now? We might approach God with our resume, or as an audition, or with perfection...but we need to approach in a different way.
Luke 18:9-14
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Persist through severity.
There are big moments in our lives. We usually think of the beginning or the end of something as the moments of consequence. But the middle often holds the most impactful moments of consequence; times when we are called to persevere...to "remain faithful" to the decisions we have made.
Luke 18:1-8
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Break the cycle and build your life on a relationship with the God who saved your life.
We often find ourselves in the same cycle as many people in the Bible: We find ourselves in desperate need, we cry out to God, He answers, we thank Him...and then we forget. There is a way to break this cycle and build our lives on a relationship with the God who saved our lives.
Luke 17:11-19
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You have already been given everything you need to be a saint.
Imagine finding out that you had an inheritance. So many problems could be solved and you could do so much...if only you had more. But what if you had everything you need already?
Luke 17:5-10
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When comfort is our god, we end up underliving our lives.
Modern life has done a powerful job of reducing stark deprivation. This is a good thing. But one of the results is that many of us have become captive to comfort.
Luke 16:19-31
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Don't let what Jesus did for you end with you.
Jesus is the one Mediator between God and humanity. He has saved us. But God wills that all humans are saved. Because of this, He calls those who have been saved by Him to brings His salvation to everyone else.
Luke 16:1-13
Homily from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The sign of our shame has become the symbol of our hope.The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to our guilt. The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to our lack of trust. The Cross of Jesus is God's answer to evil.
John 3:13-17
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Whenever there is something of value that we desire, we have to ask these two questions.
Jesus gives the conditions for discipleship. He gives us the very "cost" of being His disciple. The condition is: He must be FIRST. He must be loved before all others.
Luke 14:25-33
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Humility is nothing other than acknowledging and living the truth.
Humility is not pretending to be someone other than we are. It is neither pretending to be better nor pretending to be worse than we are. But is the freedom and the joy of living the full truth about ourselves.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Discipline isn't the point, but it is the path.
God calls us to develop the potential He has given us by leaning into the discipline He is calling us to. Who is it you want to be? What do you want to be true about you?
Luke 13:22-30
Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Villains and Heroes are made out of the same stuff.
We are not surrounded by villains and heroes, we are surrounded by ordinary people. And every one of us, by our daily choices, can become a villain or hero.
Luke 12:49-53
Homily from the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
God had no backup plan after Mary.
The Assumption of Mary is the reality that Our Lady was taken up entirely into Heaven. This is, in some ways, the fulfillment of her entire life. Since she belonged totally to God, she was brought totally to God.
Luke 1:39-56
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Without obedience, there is no faith.
Followers of Jesus want to grow in faith, but do they understand what it is to live by faith?
Luke 12:32-48
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Remember you will die. Remember you have died.
We are called to live a new life. But we cannot live a new life until we have allowed our old life to die. We need to remember that we will die in the future. Christians also have the chance to remember that we already have died.
Luke 12:13-21
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The battle of prayer.
Every one of us knows that we ought to pray. But not all of us know how. In addition, not all of us know that prayer can often be a challenge...it is a battle.
Luke 11:1-13
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do it for the love of Jesus.
We all have a lot to do. We may even be tempted to resent all that we have to do. But if we do it for the right reason, even the most difficult tasks take on new power and new purpose.
Luke 10:38-42
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Knowing is nice. Doing makes the difference.
We can know exactly what to do, but unless we act on what we know, nothing will change.
Luke 10:25-37
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are some things worth risking everything for.
Those who signed the Declaration of Independance risked everything. Every Christian who follows Jesus is risking everything in order to have the Lord.
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Homily from the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
Jesus came to establish a Church.
The Church is an essential part of God's Kingdom on earth. Jesus is the King. Peter (and his successors) are the stewards of the King. This role has the authority to teach, guide, and govern.
Matthew 16:13-19
Homily from the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Jesus did not say "Read this in memory of Me." He said "Do this in memory of Me."
The greatest gift Jesus gave us is Himself in the Eucharist. And yet, even people who love Jesus very much can miss this gift without the guidance and teaching of the Church.
Luke 9:11-17
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Even when the Bible seems clear, earnest Christians can get it wrong. We need a Church to tell us when we are wrong.
The most important revelation of God is His own identity. From the beginning, Christians have needed more than the words of Sacred Scripture to guide them into all truth. We have needed the Holy Spirit leading the Church through error to know the depths of God's identity.
John 16:12-15
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
Without an infallible Teacher, an infallible Book is a worthless book.
The Church is messy. But it is also holy. And has been given the ability and the authority of Jesus to teach. Even in the midst of the brokenness of the human element of the Church, the Church is still the Infallible Teacher of Divine Revelation.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.
Jesus didn't give us the Bible. He gave us the Church. And the Church gave us the Bible.
All Christians believe in the 27 books of the New Testament. We all believe these books are the inspired Word of God based on the authority of the Church to recognize this truth and teach it. The same Church has the authority to declare the 46 books of the Old Testament as well.
John 17:20-26
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Do we rely on the Bible alone?
The Church is not optional. When there is a question that is not covered explicitly in the Bible (and even when it is), where do we look for guidance?
John 14:23-29
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Life is difficult. You don't have to move on alone.
In a difficult life and a difficult mission, Paul had someone with him who helped him continue to do the work he was called to do. Paul had someone who helped him move on.
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
We get the behavior we are willing to tolerate.
There are times when we need to establish boundaries...even with the people we love. Even as Christians, we need to choose and clearly communicate what we are able to or willing to tolerate.
John 10:27-30
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter
To be restored, we must revisit the place of ruin.
When we are called to move on, we may need to revisit the places in our lives that need healing in order to allow the Lord to change our future.
John 21:1-19
Homily from the Second Sunday of Easter, Sunday of Divine Mercy
Five words that can change your life.
Life is filled with change and uncertainty. But there is one thing that is stable and unchanging.
John 20:29
Homily from the The Resurrection of the Lord, The Mass of Easter Day
Get up and do what you can.
We know that darkness is real. And death is real. But darkness and death are not the end. There are some things that never die...Faith...Love...the Promise of eternal life.
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
This is not the end of the Story, but it had to happen for the Story to go on.
The Passion of Christ is not the end of the Story, but we must pause and reflect on it. It is the lens through which we see: What love looks like when it costs everything, what sin looks like when we can see the wounds, and what mercy looks like when it refuses to give up.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from Holy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
He loved them to the end.
One of the characteristics that marks modern man is that we find ourselves angry at God. In fact, we are so angry that we would be willing to hurt God if we could. Yet, God is invulnerable. He cannot be hurt. Still, God chose to step into this world and love us...while making Himself vulnerable.
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
Thank God ahead of time.
We often put off joy and praise and peace. We are tempted to be preoccupied with wanting to be "there" or wanting to be "done" with whatever we are working on or whatever we are doing. Yet, as Catholics, we are called to be "here". We can best live "on the way" when we don't wait to thank God; when we thank God before we are "there". We can thank God right here.
Luke 22:14—23:56
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Lent.
We run out of all hope...and then Jesus.
The Dead End is a necessary place of the way. The location where we run out of our own skill and our own strength and find ourselves completely unable to move forward on our own. In the midst of the dead end...and then Jesus.
John 8:1-11
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
To look like Jesus, we must learn how to live in the Presence of the Father.
When it comes to our relationship with the Father, too often it is marked by hiding our hearts or avoiding His gaze. But we must learn how to live like Jesus, who remained in the Father's Presence at all times and with profound trust.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
We all want peak moments, but growth happens in the Valley.
Why do we walk through valleys? What good is life in the valley? Is it only a negative? Is it always a punishment from God? Or could the valley be necessary?
Luke 13:1-9
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
A big life is a series of small crossroads.
Life happens at the crossroads. Life is also a series of small crossroads that might seem insignificant, but add up to a life of beauty and meaning...or a life potentially wasted.
Luke 9:28b-36
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
The only way out is through.
As we enter into the desert, the desert takes away the things we tend to trust in...the things we use as comforts and crutches...and we are led through the "training place" to the place of being able to live like Christ.
Luke 4:1-13
Homily from the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Silence reveals our hearts and silence trains our hearts.
As we enter into the place of training, we realize that there are certain things that reveal the condition of our hearts...trial, tribulation, speech, and silence. But we need to consciously enter into these if we are going to know ourselves and be trained in the way of Christ.
Luke 6:39-45
Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Love those who deserve it. And those who don’t.
Jesus gives us a commandment that existed from the beginning: we are to love those who deserve it. This is justice. Jesus goes on to teach us and even greater love: mercy.
Luke 6:27-38
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We live in this life, but we live for the next life.
Jesus turns our fears and our hopes upside down...because through the Resurrection, Jesus has turned the world upside down.
Luke 6:17, 20-26
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are two requirements: Be available and be willing to try.
There are times when the future is so uncertain and so unknown that we hesitate to move. But since we know that God is with us, He has a call on our lives, and His grace is active...we can take the next step without fear.
Luke 5:1-11
Homily from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
Do what you know, where you are.
What is the Greatest Thing you will ever do? What if the Greatest Thing is not something you accomplish, but who you become?
Luke 2:22-40
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You've been given a great work, and must not come down.
Since you have been made on purpose, there are two ways to live: on purpose and off purpose. But if a person has been made to be great and set apart for a purpose, why would they ever choose to live off purpose? The common culprits are distraction, forgetting, comparison, and living a shadow mission.
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Why be great?
A powerful goal in life is to be great. To be able to say, "I am good at this" regardless of comparison, but with an eye towards real excellence. At the same time, even when we have a goal and have a plan, we all need to be motivated by WHY.
John 2:1-11
Homily from the Baptism of the Lord.
You've been claimed at the lowest point.
The Baptism of the Lord is a mystery. The mystery of how Christ comes into contact with the water...and it does not change Him; He changes it. This is the pattern from this moment on: Christ comes into contact with us, claims us, and changes us.
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord.
There is something powerful about optimism.
Optimistic people are more likely to be risk takers and more likely to have a positive view of life. But optimistic people also have to have something stronger than mere "wishful thinking" to lean on when their own strength runs out.
Matthew 2:1-12
Homily from the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
When we know God's will, we must respond with "yes".
There are truly horrible and troubling things that can happen in each one of our lives. And yet, at every moment, we have the opportunity to respond in faith and love. Our response of trust can be summed up in one word: "Yes".
Luke 2:16-21
Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Make it your ambition to live a quiet life.
In a world where so many people live their lives "on display," the Holy Family shows us what it is to live a quiet (and meaningful) life.
Luke 2:41-52
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
The one who has gratitude has enough.
At the moment we get to stand before the Lord face to face, what will the automatic and overwhelming response be? Will it be a word of love? Of contrition? Or will it be two words that summarize everything that could be said to the God who has used everything to get us ready to stand before Him?
John 1:1-18
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Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
I'm not going to fear what I don't know, I am going to trust who I do know.
We can wait in excitement and joy...we can also wait in fear. We fear the dark and might fear death for the same reason: the unknown. We can fear the unknown in the afterlife and we can fear the unknown of our own inner life. God's mercy leads us to a place of trust.
Luke 1:39-45
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Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.
How can we see the Lord face to face til we have faces?
We tell ourselves so many stories. Some of these stories are true and some of them are not. One challenge we have is to tell true stories...about ourselves and about the Lord. In order to be able to see the Lord face to face, we will need to know ourselves and some before God as our true selves.
Luke 3:10-18
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Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
God will bring the work He has begun to completion.
We can do so many things in the Christian life that are important. But if we miss the most important aspect of following Christ, our lives will be incomplete. We are called to love...and yet we do not have it in us to be able to love the way we need to. Thankfully, God meets us in our need and our lack and supplies us with all we need.
Luke 3:1-6
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Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
We are made to see the Lord face to face...but are we ready for that?
Advent is a time to prepare to see the Lord face to face. We are preparing to have the ability to stand before the Lord. But we often find ourselves reluctant to be seen because we are afflicted and affected by shame. How do we move forward and allow the Lord to deal with our shame?
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
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Homily from the Solemnity of Christ the King.
The Mass is the fuel for our life in the world...and our life in the world is an extension of the Mass.
The words, "The Lord be with you" are meant to prepare us for great things...dangerous things. When we hear them at the end of Mass, they prepare us to bring what we've done at the altar out to the world.
John 18:33b-37
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Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
At Mass, you are not in the bleachers. You are on the field. You are in the game.
We are kingdom priests. But do we know what we are saying? Do we know what we are praying?
Mark 13:24-32
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Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It is truly right and just...worship sets us free.
Does God need our worship? He does not. But we do. Worship sets us free from slavery and opens us up to love.
Mark 12:38-44
Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Worship is not about what we get, but about what we can give.
When it comes to Mass, we often complain that we "don't get anything out of it". Is that what Mass is about? Is that what love is about? Or is love (and worship) about what we can give?
Mark 12:28-34
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The heart of worship is sacrifice.
We know that the sacrifice of Jesus once-for-all is the moment that saves us. It is possible to be present to this moment and offer that one sacrifice now.
Mark 10:46-52
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
A thing is worth what someone is willing to sacrifice for it.
How do we know what a thing is worth? When it comes to God, do we know how to worship Him?
Mark 10:35-45
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God's Word is living and active.
In order to understand our lives clearly, we need to know The Story. In order to know The Story, we need to become familiar with the Bible.
Mark 10:17-30
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God has called us here. God is with us here. God will not leave us here.
Marriage will always be a challenge. But there is a way to move forward in this challenge that brings greater peace and joy. There are no guarantees other than "I will not leave" and "God will not leave".
Mark 10:2-16
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Restriction is the first step towards freedom.
God is good. God wants all of us to have the fullness of life and of joy. God wants all of us to have HIM. But there are things that suffocate joy. There are things in our lives that rob us of God. There are things that we choose to keep in our lives that strip us of freedom. And Jesus calls us to be ruthless in how we approach those things.
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Not all ambition is bad.
Every good thing that we have in our lives we most likely have because an individual (or group of individuals) wanted to do something great. Jesus warns us of the dangers of wanting to be first. James warns us about selfish ambition. But is every desire to be great or to do great things wrong?
Mark 9:30-37
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our answer makes a difference.
We are presented today with the single most important question any of us will be asked and all of us will have to answer: who do you say that Jesus is?
Mark 8:27-35
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Love the person in front of you.
It is easy to walk through life and feel invisible. Like you don't matter. Like you have nothing to offer. But when we are seen by Christ, all of that has the potential to change. And then we can begin to see that we are called to love the person in front of us who has nothing to offer.
Mark 7:31-37
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It's the least you can do.
We are made to strive. We are made to pursue the ideal. But we also need to know what the minimum is. We also need to know: What is the least I can do? (And still give the Lord access to my heart!)
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do not miss your turn.
There are times in our lives when we have the opportunity and the ability to make a decision that will change the direction of our lives. Joshua issued this invitation to the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land and we are issued the same invitation. We must decide for ourselves whom we will serve.
John 6:60-69
Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Let praise go up first.
There is something that every Christian can do at every moment and in every situation...that most of us forget to do. Or we fail to do it. God has called us to offer praise at all times.
John 6:51-58
Homily from the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Body and soul in Heaven.
The fact of the Assumption is the greatest reminder that all those who have died in Christ are meant to rise with Christ. All of us will get our bodies back and we will rise on the Last Day; some to the Resurrection of Glory and others to the Resurrection of Shame.
Luke 1:39-56
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What does a"win" look like?
There are times when we accomplish our goals...and then we still feel that there ought to be something more. There are times when "winning" is just as empty as "losing". In those moments, we have the opportunity to step back and ask what we are shooting for. These are the moments we can ask "what does a 'win' look like?"
John 6:41-51
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are four kinds of vision...one is the most helpful.
We all want to see the world accurately. But most often, we fall into the blindness of being shortsighted. Then we want foresight so that we can know what will happen. Or hindsight so that we know what we've lived through. But God calls us to a newer sight. One that helps us get out of the desert by going through the desert.
John 6:24-35
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Give the first fruits and gather the fragments.
We are given two commands in this weekend's readings: to give the first fruits and gather the fragments. Our temptation, however, is to do the opposite; to give the fragments and gather the first fruits. In order to have a heart like Christ, we must become givers.
John 6:1-15
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
A person cannot be excellent without rest.
Human beings are made in God's image. We are also made for love, for labor, and for leisure. Since the Fall, these gifts have become distorted in our hearts and we have to fight for the ability to love well, to labor well, and even to leisure well. But we must strive to rest well if we are going to be the people God has made and redeemed us to be.
Mark 6:30-34
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Does God have permission to say "I want it back?"
We are all living on borrowed time. And borrowed gifts...and borrowed strengths... Everything we have has been loaned to us from God. At some point, God will interrupt our lives and will ask for His gifts back. He will interrupt our lives and ask for us to return all that has been entrusted to us. Will we be free enough to say "Here it is. I hope that the way I used it glorified You."?
Mark 6:7-13
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God can be glorified through our wounds, not merely in spite of them.
We all experience brokenness. We all experience God's love through a broken lens. And yet we do encounter them in this way.
Mark 6:1-6
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Sacraments are God's presence and power...do we let them change us?
We continually come into contact with the living God in the Sacraments. But we often leave our encounter with the Sacraments the same as when we arrived. If we are open to what God wants, we are surrendering to His will.
Mark 5:21-43
Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Rebellion, Resentment, or Rejoicing.
We are called to surrender to God's will. But how do we surrender? Is it a matter of feeling or is it a matter of something else? Surrender is an active, dynamic thing. And it is the opposite of rebellion and resentment.
Mark 4:35-41
Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Courage is the willingness to do God's will on your own accord.
We find ourselves in a place where we face uncertainty and difficulty. And yet, we are called to nonetheless move forward with courage. We walk by faith and not by sight. We choose to trust in God's Word more than our fears.
Mark 4:26-34
Homily from the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God can even use a broken world to accomplish His will.
What is the point of life? Is it to be happy? To get what you want? Or is the point of life to become like God? And this world is specifically designed to help you become that kind of person.
Mark 3:20-35
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Do I not know? Or do I not care?
The Eucharist is truly the Body, and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Beyond all of God's other gifts, this gift stands alone. Because it is the gift of His very Self. And yet, too often our hearts are cold and indifferent to this Greatest of Gifts.
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
God wants to spend time with you.
The Mystery of the Holy Trinity is the Mystery of God's identity. The tri-Personal God is more than an abstract concept, yet the Trinity can often remain in our minds as a vague "idea". And yet, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God has claimed us, brought us into a new relationship with Him, and made us a new creation.
Matthew 28:16-20
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
The best way to thank the Giver is to use the gift.
At Pentecost, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit upon the disciples and blessed them with His gifts. Immediately, they used those gifts. These gifts were given to be used. And so are all of the gifts God continues to give.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension.
Who am I building up?
God has given us His promise of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and makes us holy, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us so that we can participate in the work of God in the world. At His Ascension, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit so that we could continue His work here on earth.
Mark 16:15-20
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
The strength that got you here is not the strength needed to get you there.
As we continue to grow and age and mature, we also continue to experience the reality of decline. Each of us will come to know what it is to have less youthful strength. Rather than lament this fact, we can learn to adapt and choose a different strength. We can choose a new definition of what it is to "win" at life.
John 15:9-17
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
You got to wake up today.
We don't know if we will have enough time to finish, but we do know that we have time to start. We have a tendency to delay, but the only time that we have is now; and since we got to wake up today, we have the chance to say "Now, I begin".
John 15:1-8
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Stand in the truth and do the next right thing.
Life can easily overwhelm us, leaving us in a place where we feel beaten and in a season of discouragement. But choosing humility and hope...choosing to live the truth and to do the next right thing...is the key to living courageously.
John 10:11-18
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.
The first step is to stop.
Once we realize that we have to repent...that we are called to "change our minds"...the first step is to stop. To examine what it is that we are thinking and to which thoughts, sins, and false images of God we have made agreements with. And then to break those agreements in order to say "Now I begin".
Luke 24:35-48
Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday.
Mercy is the love we need the most and deserve the least.
We all want to get what we deserve. We want justice, and God is Just. But there are times when we need something more than justice...there are times when we might deserve justice, but need mercy.
John 20:19-31
Homily from Easter Sunday.
Are Jesus and the Mass merely optional...or essential?
We have such full lives and such small hearts that we are relieved when things get cancelled. But, for the things that are neccesary, we would be devasted if we missed them. Who Jesus is to us will determine our response when we are not able to get to Mass or receive the Eucharist.
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday.
Jesus won the world in His weakness.
We would like for our Lord to be triumphant in His conquering of sin and death. But the people around Him as He saved the world were largely ignorant, indifferent, or antagonistic. Yet, Jesus won the world through His wounds.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from Holy Thursday, the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.
We all have unique sadnesses. Jesus enters into all of them.
Holy Thursday is a day that marks the gift of the Priesthood, the Eucharist, Christ's humble service, and the beginning of the Triduum. Today, we reflect on Peter, Judas, and Jesus in their unique sadnesses.
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday.
You are meant to be a part of the story.
As Christians, we know the Story and we believe the Story. We know how God has saved the world by entering into suffering and death. But we are called to more; we are called to participate in the Story. Our apostolate is marked by Acceptance, Access, and Action.
Mark 14:1—15:47
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
You don't have to find God's will in this moment and these circumstances...this moment and these circumstances are God's will for you.
The greatest lesson that anyone of us can learn is simple, but it is not always easy: you can trust God in every moment and all circumstances.
John 12:20-33
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
We often feel owned by the past or powerless in the present.
Once something is broken, is it really lost forever?
John 3:14-21
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
The greatest grace is to know the depth of our brokenness and to know the depth of His love.
Father Walter wanted to be like his heroes. We all want to think that we will be strong in the moment of truth. But the actual moment of truth comes after our weakness has been revealed.
John 2:13-25
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
If I know Who, then I can say yes without knowing why.
Do I have any conditions on my response to God? Will I pray or serve or say yes to Him as long as I understand why He is asking?
Mark 9:2-10
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
When expectation meets reality, we have a choice.
All of our lives are marked by a certain degree of expectation. But what do we do when we encounter the reality of life? We can choose to either avoid reality or accept reality.
Mark 1:12-15
Homily from Ash Wednesday.
We hope He sees. We have faith it matters to Him. We do it because He said so.
During Lent, we have the chance to make our lives an act of hope, faith, and love. More than growing in discipline or self-improvement, Lent is a chance to live what we believe by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The moments are holy when the moments are His...and the moments are His when the motive is Him.
When something is dedicated, it is transformed. It is elevated and becomes something more. When a moment is dedicated to God, it becomes a holy moment.
Mark 1:40-45
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You can only share what you have.
Holy moments are shared moments. We share like Jesus (and make moments holy) when we are generous and honest.
Mark 1:29-39
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Holy Moment is the present moment.
When we live lives of distraction we cannot live lives of wonder or joy or holiness. Distraction steals life away because it takes us away from the present moment. And the present moment is the only moment that has the potential to be a holy moment.
Mark 1:21-28
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Holy moments are ordinary moments reconsidered.
An ordinary life is not an obstacle to a holy life. In fact, every extraordinary life is made up of ordinary moments that we choose to make into holy moments.
Mark 1:14-20
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God has a claim on your life...and God has a call for your life.
We can often be hesitant to make decisions in life. Not only because we do not want to make the wrong decision, but also because we want to make the best decision. But the point of life is not merely to optimize our happiness. We experience a new freedom and meaning when we realize that our lives are not our own...and we live to respond to God's call.
John 1:35-42
Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord.
We give God our best, our heart, and what He has asked for.
As we know, the heart of religion is worship. But we need to put our hearts into worship. We give God our best, our heart, and what God has asked for. Not because He needs anything, but because it is right and just.
Matthew 2:1-12
Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
The Holy Family was holy, but not without struggles.
Jesus entered into this broken world by entering into the reality that all of us have experienced: family life. He did not insulate Himself from the harsh realities of life by embracing a life of wealth. Rather, all He had was borrowed.
Luke
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
The reality is that God is not a professional. He is an amateur.
There are many things in life where we merely like the "idea" of that thing. The reality is another story, because the reality makes demands on us. Christmas is a reminder that we not only cannot love the "idea" of God, but that He does not merely love the idea of us.
John 1:1-18
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Whatever You ask of me, the answer is yes.
One of the more challenging reminders of this series is that God is the point of all of this. He is not only the Main Character, but this is also His Story. Nonetheless, we have been given a role; we have been created and redeemed in order to play our part.
Luke 1:26-38
Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.
We won't be able to rejoice, pray, or give thanks always unless we rejoice, pray, and give thanks now.
Main Character syndrome can lead us to believe that we are in control. But there are many circumstances that are out of our control. We can often only control how we respond to our circumstances. As Christians, we choose to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
Perfectionism can move us from caring to quitting.
Spiritual perfectionism can lead people who care about the Faith and who love God to a place of harshness and hurry so much that they just want to give up. But the Gospel reminds us that God is gentle and patient.
Mark 1:1-8
Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary was preserved from sin by the merits of her Son's life, death, and resurrection.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a testament to God's goodness. He gives what we need for the mission to which we have been called. And He calls all of us to enter into deeper relationship with the Family of God by cultivating a relationship with Mary, the Mother of God.
Luke 1:26-38
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
You are God. I am not.
When we encounter the true and living God, there is only one response...it involves six little words, but makes a world of difference.
Mark 13:33-37
Homily from the Solemnity of Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
Your part of the story (Act IV) remains unwritten.
Jesus has bridged the unbridgable gap between God and humanity. We can believe that and remain unchanged. But if we are willing to respond, we can write the final act of the story. We can place ourselves under the Lordship of Christ and live an entirely new life.
Matthew 25:31-46
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It could have been otherwise.
We have been created good by the good God. But we have been captured by sin, death, and slavery. In Jesus, God has rescued us and transferred us into His Kingdom…His family.
Matthew 25:14-30
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Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There's good news and there's bad news.
We have heard the first part (Act One) of the Good News. But before we can move forward, we need to be aware of and understand why things are so broken. Before anything else, we need the bad news.
Matthew 25:1-13
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Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Am I basing my life on the gospel of the world or the Gospel of God?
We are surrounded by stories. Stories that try to make sense of the world. But not every story is true. In fact, there are many stories that are false. We are called to base our lives on the true story… The story of the Gospel of God.
Matthew 23:1-12
Homily from the Solemnity of All Saints.
One day, this day could be your feast day.
The Feast of All Saints is offered to us as a day to praise God for all of the unnamed and unknown saints who have run the race well and have entered into the glorious and unadulterated Presence of the true and living God.
Matthew 5:1-12
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You are called to be love.
When a person is lost, they need to know where they are. We know: you are here. But we also need to know where we are going and how to get there. We know that as well: we are called to be saints and the way is love.
Matthew 22:34-40
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Between the Promise and the Promised Land.
When a person is lost, it can feel like every step is taking them further and further away from where they need to be. But with Christ, we trust in the promise that we are not lost, but led...and that every step is taking us closer to where and who we need to be.
Matthew 22:15-21
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
This is life.
We need to understand that life is not waiting for us to start. This is life. This is your life. You are here. But we do have to ask the questions: should I be here? And is what God wants for me enough for me?
Matthew 22:1-14
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What if? Or What is?
Not knowing where we are, where we are going, or how to get there can be incredibly daunting. It can bring us to a place of worry and anxiety. We can be tempted to avoid the uncertainty and discomfort of the journey. By focusing on God's presence and blessings, we can have the courage to move.
Matthew 21:33-43
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The freedom to love when you no longer feel like it.
The precondition for love is freedom. Both the freedom to say no and the freedom to say yes, regardless of passing moods or circumstances. Tough love is willing to choose the good because God asked us to and because we said we would.
Matthew 21:28-32
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We choose our rivals.
We are all confronted with the temptation towards resentment, when we see the blessings or gifts that others have. This temptation towards envy can be overcome when we choose to receive the gifts we’ve been given with gratitude, and choose to rejoice in the gift of others.
Matthew 20:1-16a
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Forgiveness is a decision.
One of the most difficult commands that Jesus has called us to is that we must forgive those who have hurt us and who have hurt those we love. Loving like this is difficult. It is truly tough love that is willing to weigh up the hurt and release the offender from the debt that they owe.
Matthew 18:21-35
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Do I love enough to listen? Do I love enough to speak?
In loving the people around us well, one thing we have to contend with is loving them well in our words. We avoid all unnecessary negatives, love enough to listen, and love enough to speak.
Matthew 18:15-20
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
"No" paves the way for "yes".
Jesus gives us the conditions for discipleship. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. But what does it really mean to deny ourself? And how can this giant "no" pave the way for an even greater "yes"?
Matthew 16:21-27
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
There are some questions that only you can answer.
In the Gospel today, Jesus asks two questions. But there is a third unspoken question that needs to be asked and answered first: Who does Jesus say that He is? This question (and answer) will determine everything for the rest of our lives.
Matthew 16:13-20
Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Knowledge without action is useless.
Too often, our problem as followers of Christ is not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of courage. In order for us to live the lives Jesus has made possible by his grace, we do not need to know more. We need to be brave enough to act on what we know.
Matthew 15:21-28
Homily from the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary is the New Ark of the New Covenant.
It is fitting that Mary was assumed into Heaven since she is the fulfillment of the Ark in the Old Covenant.
Luke 1:39-56
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A distraction issue or a decision issue?
In order to achieve any worthwhile goal, we need to focus. Yet, distractions abound in our world and in ourselves. A distraction is anything that takes our focus away from what we need to be doing. But in order to know what a distraction is, we first have to know what it is we need to be doing.
Matthew 14:22-33
Homily from the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Claimed. Respected. Trusted.
Jesus Transfigured on the top of Mount Tabor precedes His journey to Mount Calvary. On Tabor, He is not merely transfigured...He is Claimed, Respected, and Trusted as the beloved Son. We too need the Father's voice to voice His claim over us, His respecting us, and His entrusting a mission to us.
Matthew 17:1-9
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.
When we are faced with the challenges and obstacles of following Christ, it is easy to become overwhelmed. But we do not have to solve all of the potential issues. We are simply called to face this problem and take the next step.
Matthew 13:44-52
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The enemy can't win, he just wants you to lose.
The Church has been established by Jesus Christ Himself. And yet, the Church has sinners and sin within Her ranks. The enemy of God and humanity has done this. We need to be aware of sin in the Church and sin in our own hearts. If we stay awake and alert, we can guard against sin in the Church and in our lives.
Matthew 13:24-43
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We may want to run, but things get in the way.
God provides the grace that we need to be able to grow as fully and freely as possible. But life is full of obstacles that make this growth a challenge. With God's grace, we can be prepared for these battles.
Matthew 13:1-23
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Hurry is the greatest threat to the spiritual life and the way of Jesus."
We constantly experience the temptation to "max out" our lives by racing from event to event, task to task. The goal of life is union with God and anything that takes us away from this goal is a major threat to this goal...including hurry.
Matthew 11:25-30
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Just one more thing that could go wrong.
To protect one's heart is the safest way to live. But since we are made in God's image and likeness, we are made for love. Without love, we remain safe...but we remain incomprehensible to ourselves. To love is to be vulnerable...it is to risk. To receive the gift means we must be open to grief.
Matthew 10:37-42
Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
We must cultivate the fear of the Lord in our lives. If we do not, then we will have only a partial vision of who God truly is. If we do not cultivate the fear of the Lord, then we will never have the proper relationship with God that we are made for.
Matthew 10:26-33
Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Competent generosity is the key for healthy masculinity.
Jesus prays that His Church is never without shepherds. This world and His Church is in need of leaders, of shepherds, and of fathers. While we will always need women and mothers, we stand in particular need of fathers at this moment in history. We need both: strong and generous men and women to place their strength at the service of the people around them.
Matthew 9:36—10:8
Homily from the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Feast of Corpus Christi)
Love is the best thing in this world.
We are made for love. God is love. We are therefore made for God. And God comes to us in love in the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Christ at every Mass.
John 6:51-58
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
God, you get to tell me who You are.
We have been made in the image of God. The common temptation that we all face is to re-make God in our own image. We can be drawn to the idea that we can simply worship the God whom we prefer rather than the God who has revealed Himself.
John 3:16-18
Homily from Pentecost Sunday
I do not want what Jesus has done in me to stop with me.
Jesus has accomplished the Father's will in offering Himself on the Cross. He has further sent the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world. God has done something incredible in the life of each Christian. And He sends us out into the world so that what He has done in us continues to be done in those close to us.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the The Ascension of the Lord
Approach the Lord with open hearts.
It has been said that "10,000 difficulties do not make one single doubt". When we approach God, we can be tempted to hesitate. We need to be able to ask the questions that need to be answered. This asking is not the same thing as doubting.
Matthew 28:16-20
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Jesus is the Lord. Is He my Lord?
Saint Peter tells us to be prepared to give a reason for our hope. We need to be ready to give an explanation for the truth that Jesus is the source of hope. We also need to be ready to give a reason for our personal hope in Jesus.
John 14:15-21
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter
The Temple is the place of sacrifice.
Peter notes that we are built into a spiritual house. We know what kind of building it is based on the purpose of the building. And the purpose of the Temple is to be the Presence of God and the place of worship and sacrifice. If we are temples of the Holy Spirit, then this is true for us as well.
John 14:1-12
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Sometimes love is just showing up.
At the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone. And to love is to give. Love almost always involves sacrifice. Because there is no present like the time.
John 10:1-10
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter
Christian hope does not trust that all will be well if I get what I want, but that all will be well even when I don't.
Sometimes the hardest part of the race is the last lap...and sometimes the hardest part of the race is the second to last lap. When the finish line is so far off that you can't see the end. In those moments, when all seems lost, hope declares that God can bring life out of death.
Luke 24:13-35
Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday
It is of no use to say "I believe in Jesus" and then go back to life as usual.
Faith is at the heart of our relationship with God. But our faith cannot simply be what we agree with or a mere belief. Our faith must move, act, and work. Like the early disciples, we must devote our lives to a "life of faith".
John 20:19-31
Homily from The Resurrection of the Lord
I believe in the resurrection of the flesh.
Just as Jesus Christ conquered death by dying and gave us life by rising from the dead, every person will get their body back. Those who are lost will have the bodies in Hell, and those who are saved will have their glorified bodies in Heaven. What will those bodies be like?
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
I am guilty. And I am loved.
When we are falsely accused, we can often be tempted to defend ourselves or justify ourselves. This makes sense, since we want the truth to be known. But we must not fool ourselves into convincing ourselves that we are innocent. Christ came to save sinners. That means, if I am not a sinner—if I am not guilty—then Christ did not come to save me. But I am guilty...and He did come for me. And for you.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from Holy Thursday
The only gifts the first priests had to offer the world was what God had given them.
Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the final stages of Christ's Passion. But it also marks the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood.
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
Jesus' secret is voluntary and radical acceptance.
In His final moments on earth, our Rabbi teaches us one of the greatest lessons of Bet Midrash: how do we face the worst possible realities of life? Do we resist reality? Do we avoid addressing what scares us? Or do we do what Jesus did? Do we choose voluntary and radical acceptance?
Matthew 26:14—27:66
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Why does Jesus weep?
Jesus wept. Why does Jesus weep in the face of the death of Lazarus? He weeps to silence the Great Lie. He weeps because He loves. He weeps in order to teach us to weep.
John 11:1-45
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
We need to stop asking "who is to blame?" and start asking "What can God do with this?"
The disciples ask Jesus whose fault it is that the man was born blind. So many of us have a tendency to ask the same question: "Whose fault is this?" While that is a natural question, it is not always a helpful question. There is a better question that we can ask.
John 9:1-41
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
Jesus taught the world how to see the person.
We are constantly facing the temptation to define people by their group or by their shame. Jesus reveals that, while He knows the group or by their shame, He sees the person...the individual...and calls them by their name.
John 4:5-42
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
In teaching about prayer, Jesus offered something no other rabbi could give.
Jesus, the Prototype, reveals His prayer to the Apostles. Every rabbi would teach his disciples how to pray, but Jesus is able to give His disciples something that no other rabbi could offer. Jesus prays as the Beloved Son...Jesus teaches His disciples to pray as beloved children who have been claimed by their Father.
Matthew 17:1-9
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
Expect the Trial. Eliminate the Option. Re-Write the Script. Focus on the Word.
We will face trials and temptations throughout our lives. When we follow and study Jesus our rabbi, we learn how to face temptations the way he did.
Matthew 4:1-11
Homily from Ash Wednesday.
The goal of the Christian life is to become like Christ.
As we begin Lent, we often mistakenly choose arbitrary things to give up or arbitrary ways to pray. But the goal of Lent is more than "doing something difficult" or "getting better". The goal of lent is the imitation of Christ.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The difference between giving up and surrender is one word: trust.
There are so many circumstances in life that are beyond our control. We can easily feel powerless as we realize that we cannot control all outcomes. Christ's words in the Gospel might look like giving up, but they are something vastly different...and far more hopeful.
Matthew 5:38-48
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our hearts are enslaved...exile can be the cure.
There are so many circumstances that are beyond our control. But no matter the situation, one thing that cannot be taken away from a person made in God's image is the freedom to choose how one responds to those circumstances. Our hearts can be enslaved in any situation, but they can also be free in any situation.
Matthew 5:17-37
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do what you would do even if no one is watching.
So many of us have a fear of being different. We would prefer to be like everyone else. But we cannot afford to be the same as everyone else. Not because we are better, but because the world needs what Christians have: Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:13-16
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do not wait to live. God is using this here and now.
There is real suffering. There is real good and evil. But sometimes, the difference between something that is worthless and something that is worthwhile is a matter of perspective. God can use even our flaws...in fact, he will use everything if we let him.
Matthew 5:1-12
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our identity is at the heart of our resolution.
One of the greatest things that is lost while in exile is a true sense of identity. Too quickly, we forget who we are and settle for something too small to be enough. But if we keep identity at the heart of our resolutions, we will be able to live homeless and Holy.
Matthew 4:12-23
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What is the difference between a "good person" and a "saint"?
"A good society is one that makes it easy to be good." But what if you don't live in a good society? Is "being good" the only goal? Is it possible to be more than good...to be holy...even when you are living in exile?
John 1:29-34
Homily from the Mass of the Epiphany of the Lord.
The best thing we can do.
While we are certainly human "beings", we are also meant to "do". The most important thing we can do is LOVE. And the most important One we can love is God. We love God in a number of ways, the principle of which is through worship.
Matthew 2:1-12
Homily from the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
Mary, the Mother of God is the model for how to live well.
Mary is the Mother of God because the baby in her womb was the Second Person of the Trinity. She also shows us how to leave last year in the past and step into the New Year wisely.
Luke 2:16-21
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Mass).
At Christmas, in our lives, and in the Mass...God becomes small enough to ignore.
God is closer than we think. But the ways that He draws close to us is that He comes so close that we can miss Him and He becomes so small that we can ignore Him.
Matthew 1:1-25
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
What is our response when God does reveal Himself?
We've been showing up and placing ourselves in God's Presence for the past 22 days. Sometimes we merely expect God to be silent and still. But what if God revealed Himself in a dramatic way? What would be our response?
Matthew 1:18-24
Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.
Be patient with the Lord, the process, and yourself.
We often find it difficult to wait for things to come to us. During this season of Advent, we can also struggle with the feeling that "nothing is happening". During this time, we need to be reminded that God is closer than we think; He is in each moment and in each step...and remember to be patient.
Matthew 11:2-11
Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
God always gives what we need to accomplish His will.
Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin at the moment of her conception by the merits of her Son's future life, death, and resurrection.
Luke 1:26-38
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
"One day" could become "Day One".
So often, there are things that we would like to do "one day". Sometimes those dreams pass us by and we lose nothing. But other times, we must take action otherwise "one day" becomes "never". As Christians, we either Begin or we Begin Again.
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
You are made for more than a secondhand relationship with God.
We have 29 days until Christmas. And so much can change in that time. If we are willing to commit to spending 29 minutes every day for the next 29 days...if we are willing to beg the Lord to reveal Himself to us...everything could be different in just 29 days.
Matthew 24:37-44
Homily from the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
What do you do when you encounter a God you cannot control?
We all have fears. Often, those fears lead us to either seize control or to cede control. But when we fear God and His call in our lives, we are called to choose trust over fear. We are called to choose obedience over control.
Luke 23:35-43
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We get what we've chosen.
The ending of a story reveals what kind of story it is. Regardless of how we start and how we proceed, we can choose to have a tragic story...or we can choose to have a love story. The determining factor is not the amount of sorrow or loss in our lives, but whether we choose God...or choose something other than God.
Luke 21:5-19
Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The things one needs to die well are the same things one needs to live well.
As we walk through life, we will all walk into darkness and sufferng and pain. We can still walk in hope, courage, and perseverance. We can be the kind of people who can carry the fire into the darkness.
Luke 20:27-38
Homily from the Solemnity of All Saints.
Live so that this day will one day be your feast day.
The Feast of All Saints is the day when all of those who are in Heaven are remembered and we ask them to intercede for us. They are the great "cloud of witnesses" that surrounds us and cheers us on.
Matthew 5:1-12
Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Zacchaeus knew that he was a bad man. What he didn't know was if he could be different.
Too many of us come to Jesus with the idea that He is willing to change us and change our lives. But what happens when we want Him to merely offer cosmetic changes and He wants to make structural changes?
Luke 19:1-10
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Nothing is so worthless as working hard on the wrong things.
We can all be so busy, but are we productive? Are we doing things right or are we doing the right things? When it comes to growing through the motions, we need to make sure that the right thing we do is present ourselves before God with humility and not self-reliance.
Luke 18:9-14
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The only way to be able to pray in all seasons is to pray in all seasons.
Growing through the motions involves commitment, consistency, and companions. It means being willing to go through the motions no matter the season and no matter the circumstances. It is only by doing this that we can have full range of motion in our relationship with the Lord.
Luke 18:1-8
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our Why is a Who.
We can know exactly what to do and how to do it. So much of our lives can be spent doing more and more, but never knowing exactly why. But if the reason behind our actions is Jesus, then we can truly be free to love every time we say "yes" to our Who.
Luke 17:11-19
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Duty is not the enemy.
So much of life is doing our duty. Doing what we are supposed to do. And yet, there are times when this means that we only “go through the motions”. There is a chance for us to do more however…we can choose to grow.
Luke 17:5-10
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Complacency is being satisfied with how things are and not being willing to change them.
We are insulated from discomfort in many ways. And our lives of comfort can lead to complacency. But encountering Christ can lead to compassion.
Luke 16:19-31
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The connection between our values and our virtues.
We are nothing without the virtue of integrity. As one pastor noted, "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. And if you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." Integrity is the bridge between our desires and our decisions. Without integrity, our lives remain mere piles without purpose.
Luke 16:1-13
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Who you are now is who you are.
Joy is the abiding sense of well-being. It is a feeling, but it is also a choice. But we do not choose joy itself. We must choose the source of joy. Love is the source of joy.
Luke 15:1-32
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Loyalty is a force that conquers time.
The essence of a eulogy virtue is character. Not merely who people think you are, but who you actually are. A person of character does what they said they would do…despite changing feelings or circumstances. This is loyalty.
Luke 14:25-33
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.
The Book of Sirach makes the claim that the humble person is loved more than a giver of gifts. But what does it mean to be humble? Does it mean what most of us automatically think of? Or does it mean something deeper...something freer? True humility gives a person the ability to pay attention.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
How are you fighting for Heaven?
Jesus makes it very clear that our call is to make our pursuit of Heaven exactly that: a pursuit. He is personal and practical when He tells us that each and every one of us must strive for Heaven.
Luke 13:22-30
Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Sometimes God gives the victory and sometimes God gives what we need to finish the race.
Every one of us is in the middle of the race of our lives. God has called us and brought us here, even when there is no victory in sight and even when victory is not possible. But God will always give whatever we need to finish the race.
Luke 12:49-53
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We sacrifice because we love and we love because we sacrifice.
The roots in our lives can be so beneficial. Family and friends, home and homeland. But roots can also become traps. Good things can become Ultimate Things. When we say "I need this" and are willing to sacrifice anything to get or to hold on to it, we become trapped. In this, God loosens the roots and calls us to walk by faith.
Luke 12:32-48
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Time and Death make most of what we live for hevel.
We are preoccupied with "done", but we are simultaneously addicted to asking "then what?". The wisdom of Ecclesiastes notes that so much of what we live for is impermanent, passing, or meaningless. Yet Jesus reveals that there is a real meaning and a real hope.
Luke 12:13-21
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Who determines the How.
The disciples did not merely want Jesus to help them have a "better spiritual life" or a deeper prayer life; they wanted to pray how He prayed. And Jesus taught them. He taught them that Who we pray to determines how we pray.
Luke 11:1-13
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Feeling anxious, worried, or sorry for yourself is normal. It is also completely unhelpful.
We have a problem. And the problem is that we can do the right thing in the wrong way. We can choose to serve...while feeding our worry and self-pity. We can carry our cross...while feeling anxious and sorry for ourselves. Everything comes down to one question; it is not a matter of being tough, it is a matter of trust.
Luke 10:38-42
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
I can know all I need to know and still not do all I need to do.
There are so many things that we know that we ought to do. There are even things that we know that we want to do. And yet...we just can't seem to act on what we know. How do we start? How do we become people who do what we know we ought to do?
Luke 10:25-37
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
What else is there?
Many of us want to grow spiritually. But what does that really mean? What is it that we really want? What is the actual goal of life? Put in the words of Jesus, what should we truly rejoice in? Christ's answer is nothing less than having our names written in Heaven.
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Deliberate. Decisive. Definitive.
God continues to call. God calls us to follow Him, making it clear that being a disciple is challenging...that it costs something. Therefore, we need to weigh out our response, we need to avoid hesitation, and we need to choose to follow Jesus in such a way that it actually changes something in our lives.
Luke 9:51-62
Homily from The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
This is everything.
The Body and Blood of Christ is one of the most underappreciated gifts God has ever given. In the Scriptures, God gives us His Word. In the Sacraments, God gives us His work. But in the Eucharist, God gives us Himself.
Luke 9:11-17
Homily from The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
It is not good for the person to be alone.
The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us of the innermost secret of God: He is Love. It also reveals the innermost secret of humans made in God's image and likeness: we are made for love.
John 16:12-15
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
The greatest gift is to make yourself available.
The Holy Spirit, poured out on the apostles (and the entire Church) at Pentecost would have gone to waste without the most important reality: the disciples made themselves available to be used by God for the service of the people around them.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord.
What am I going to do with the gifts I've been given?
In the Ascension, Jesus completes the work of redemption. He has taken His once for all sacrifice, bound to time and place, and brought it before the Father. Because of this, we have access to all of God's graces in every time and every place.
Luke 24:46-53
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
The great temptation to stay in our own "version" of the Church.
God has given us the gift of the Church. The Church is His Body...the Church is His Bride. And we cannot have Jesus without His Church.
John 14:23-29
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
The best you on the worst day of your life.
There are a few things that we ought to never be surprised by. One of them is suffering. God does not abandon us in our suffering, he leads us through them.
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
You are not abandoned. You are not alone. You are not afraid.
Our lives are marked by stress. Not only is stress unavoidable, it is necessary. The main question is: what is our response to stress?
John 10:27-30
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.
Use your potential.
Jesus called Peter to sacrifice his potential so that his life and his death might glorify God. You are I are called to pick our spot, to pour ourselves out in such a way that God would be known, loved, and glorified.
John 21:1-19
Homily from the Sunday of Divine Mercy.
Mercy is the love that we deserve the least when we need it the most.
The fact of the Resurrection of Jesus has introduced something new into this world of misery. The Cross and Resurrection introduced the possibility of mercy. Not only have we encountered the mercy of God, but we have been commissioned to be mercy in the midst of a world filled with misery.
John 20:19-31
Homily from the Mass of Easter Day.
What did he see?
John ran to the tomb and looked in. He saw and believed. What did he see?
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.
The heart of envy.
The crown of thorns reveals the darkness of the human heart. This darkness is in each one of us in the form of envy.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.
All of Jesus’ words are summed up in one word.
On the cross, Jesus’ life ends with the same perspective He has had from the beginning: He trusts His Father.
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
This one word connects and transforms the entire story.
There is a last word that does not merely disclose the Heart...it completes The Story.
Luke 22:14—23:56
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Some last words have the power to define a person's life.
From the Cross, Jesus utters His last words. He thirsts for us to allow Him to forgive us.
John 8:1-11
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
This central Last Word of Jesus from the Cross is possibly the most important. He not only expresses the depths to which He enters into the consequences of sin, but the depth of His trust in the Father and the power of His sacrifice.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
The best gifts can be given in the worst of circumstances.
When He had virtually nothing left to give, Jesus still gave. He gave His own mother to be our mother. The one person who knew Him most and loved Him best, Jesus entrusted to all of His beloved disciples.
Luke 13:1-9
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
Both men were loved. They weren't both saved.
The second Last Word of Jesus from the Cross is missing something. Jesus has begged for mercy for all...including the two criminals who were crucified with Him. But they did not both receive mercy. One received mercy and one rejected mercy.
Luke 9:28-36
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
The first last words of Jesus reveal not just what, but Who was on His mind in the last moments of His life.
Luke 4:1-13
Homily from the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our words disclose, disguise, and direct our hearts.
The words we use are powerful. They can build up and they can destroy. But they can also reveal our character.
Luke 6:39-45
Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Vulnerability is having enough courage and self-possession to let life in.
All of our fears stem from the fact that we are woundable. We care about rejection, inadequacy, and the future because we know that all of those things have the potential to hurt us, But the fear of being vulnerable does not have to define our lives.
Luke 6:27-38
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We are called to do today what prepares us for the challenge of tomorrow.
We have become more comfortable with the "completed" past than the unknown future. Rather than desiring to launch into the challenge of the future, many of us have become paralyzed by fear of the future. When we are rooted in the Word of God each day, we become more rooted in God Himself each day. When we are rooted in the Lord, there is no room for fear of the future.
Luke 6:17, 20-26
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The fear of being inadequate is the fear that I won't be able to rise to the challenge.
Fear is a gift. It is meant to keep us alive. But it can also keep us from living. There are two sources of fear are our biology and the stories we tell ourselves. We may not be able to change our biology, but we can change the stories we tell.
Luke 5:1-11
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do not sacrifice your identity and integrity on the altar of approval.
We all need acceptance. It is a basic human requirement. But we also must have the courage and freedom to know who we are and what we are about independent of the accepting group.
Luke 4:21-30
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Imagine living your entire life and not knowing why.
The return of the exiled Jews from Babylon was a great gift. But it also highlighted the reality that many of them did not know why they were Jewish. Do Catholics know why they are Catholic? Or do we lose our way precisely because we have lost our why?
Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Jesus changes shame into joy.
There are certain things, certain failures, embarrassments, and shames, that could define our lives. There are certain events that could define our lives in a negative way unless something changes. Jesus can change those things.
John 2:1-11
Homily from the Baptism of the Lord.
Jesus changed the water. Now the water changes you.
Why was Jesus baptized? Not because He needed it, but because we need it. We need baptism to be saved, to be children of God, and to be in a new and real relationship with God.
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Homily from the Epiphany of the Lord.
Worship can help us escape the trap that life is about us.
When life is about us, it is not food for the human heart. When we realize that life is about Someone other than us, we are allowed to have a heart that is larger…a heart that is large enough to give.
Matthew 2:1-12
Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Family is the School of Love.
Everyone is part of a family in some way. Be careful with each other.
Luke 2:41-52
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Mass).
God is with you on the bathroom floor.
We are so distracted by so many things that we need to look up. But sometimes we need to look lower in order to see where God is in our lives.
Luke 2:14
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Love without a commitment remains an illusion.
In order to truly grow in love, there needs to be the willingness to make a commitment. And there needs to be the ability to keep a commitment.
Luke 1:39-45
Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.
Be Where Your Feet Are.
Too often, what keeps our heart small is the fact that we do the minimum minimally. What we are called to do, we put the least amount of our heart into it. But to be magnanimous, we do even the minimum excellently. Which is often nothing more than simply doing one thing at a time. Abounding love is focused love.
Luke 3:10-18
Homily from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
God gives exactly what is needed for whatever He has called us to.
The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady affirms the fact that Mary was preserved from all stain of Original Sin through the merits of her Son’s future life, death, and resurrection.
Luke 1:26-38
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
Abounding love is focused love.
Too often, we do not love well because we do not discern what is worth loving; we don't pay attention to the value of things. Because of this, our love becomes diluted. But when we truly appreciate the value of the moment or the value of the person, we develop an attitude of abundance coupled with an awareness of scarcity. And while we love with our hearts, we discern what is worth loving with our heads.
Luke 3:1-6
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
Two things are clear about the inn at Bethlehem: Love Incarnate showed up and there was no room for Him.
Too often, we want to love the way we have been created to love. But we find ourselves incapable of loving this way. Not because we aren't willing or because we don't want to...but because our lives are simply too full. We have no room to love.
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Homily from the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
When torn asunder, we are held together by worship of the King of Kings.
The end of the year offers us the chance to recognize the little lords and tingy tyrants in our lives; those things we love and those things that attack us. And we have the chance to allow Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe to be the true King over all of those fragments by offering Him true worship.
John 18:33-37
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The struggle doesn't change the destination. The struggle is the way.
When we are in the middle of a journey...or the middle of life...we will encounter obstacles. In that encounter with obstacles, we will be tempted to go back. But it is necessary to ask “what is God asking of me right now?”
Mark 13:24-32
Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Death is unavoidable.
We will all lose everything. We will all lose everything...even to the point of our very lives. Rather than avoid death, we can practice dying by actively giving away our claims to our materials, time, and our abilities.
Mark 12:38-44
Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
When all is lost, love God with all that's left.
We are called to love God with everything. It is easier to love when we are winning, but are we able to love when we've lost? What if we have lost everything? When we've lost, we are most tempted to become bitter, resentful, and take back our love. But we are made to love God and we can trust God even in the midst of losing it all.
Mark 12:28-34
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Life is about losing. It is not about quitting.
It is one thing to lose. It is another thing when those losses begin to stack up and we get to the point where we haven't just lost...we've been beaten. We can wind up feeling defeated. Into this place of defeat, God Himself speaks into our loss and our shame, telling us what is needed.
Mark 10:46-52
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Life isn't about power, it is about being poured out.
The world sees life as being about winning. And to win is to gain power and influence. If a person wins they get power, and with that power they can re-shape the world as they see fit. But a Christian view of winning is different. Life is not about power, it is about being poured out. Life isn't about winning, it is about witnessing.
Mark 10:35-45
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What you've been holding on to ends up holding on to you.
Anything can keep us from Heaven. Anything that we prefer over and over (and anything that we defer putting down over and over) can end up holding on to us. There are times when we've chosen so often that we no longer have a choice. And there are times when we have put off letting go so often that we can't put it down. And we find ourselves stuck. What do we hold on to then?
Mark 10:17-30
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
"Because I said I would."
We are not yet who we are called to be. Sometimes, in order to become the person we are called to be, we need to stop holding on to what is holding us back. Other times, we need to keep holding on. The ability to make and keep a promise is one of the ways we are called to become who we are created and redeemed to be.
Mark 10:2-16
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What if the biggest obstacle to being the person you were created to be is the person you are currently choosing to be?
There are things that we need to stop holding on to if we are going to allow Christ to change our lives. Often, we know exactly what those things are. The things that our hands reach for, our eyes look at, and our feet lead us to can the exact things that are keeping us from God.
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Edit, Convince, and Worry. Or Honesty, Trust, and Thanking God ahead of time.
The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." We do not merely desire, we have inordinate desire driven by fear. We do not merely have ambition, we have selfish ambition in which we can only envision one possible outcome. To escape this trap, we must lean into honesty, trust and thanking God ahead of time.
Mark 9:30-37
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Faith must be lived, not merely believed.
It is wise to take responsibility for one’s own time, resources, and family. And yet, we must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. This demands faith. Real faith is more than belief, but involves renunciation of any claim we might have on our lives in favor of the absolute claim Jesus has on every aspect of our lives.
Mark 8:27-35
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Transition always involves destruction.
Jesus heals the man who was deaf and mute. In doing this, He was destroying something in the man’s life…his identity. Jesus has to take away the false identity in order to tell us who we truly are.
Mark 7:31-37
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Am I doing “everything but”?
Often we avoid doing what is essential by filling our lives with many things that are optional.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Everything I like and nothing that I don't.
The temptation to create a God in our own image and have a church in our own image is strong. But God has revealed Himself to us, which means we either choose Him…or we choose “not Him.” We don’t get to create our own personally curated version.
John 6:60-69
Homily from the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
You are your body.
The Assumption of Mary reveals many things. One of the things it reveals is that our destiny is to be reunited with our resurrected bodies forever. Our bodies are good, and an essential part of what it is to be human.
Luke 1:39-56
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The best of your life is ahead of you...you will need food for the journey.
The worst days of our life often come after the best days of our life. But even in those "worst days", you are not done yet. God has more for you to do and further for you to go. He wants to feed you with what you are going to need to have enough strength for the journey.
John 6:41-51
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Choose God over the works of God.
The signs point to Jesus and Jesus is the point of the signs. When we are challenged to merely consume… When we are challenged to want the gifts more than the Giver of the gift, we must allow ourselves to be trained in a trust in God. To be trained in freedom.
John 6:24-35
Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Nothing given to God is wasted.
The Apostles asked the question, "What good are these for so many?" Yet, Jesus invited them to give what they had and to trust Him with all of it. Jesus invites us to do the same: Give everything and know that nothing will be wasted.
John 6:1-15
Homily from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Indifference does not mean you don’t care; it just means you don’t care enough to move.
There are many opportunities to waste one’s life. One of those ways is to allow one’s circle of interest to outstrip one’s circle of influence.
Mark 6:30-34
Homily from the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You are wanted and set apart.
You are special. We’ve heard that for so much of our lives that we’ve either grown numb to it or no longer believe it. But what if it is true?
Mark 6:7-13
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The beauty is in the broken.
Too often, when we encounter our own brokenness and woundedness, we either pretend it isn’t there or we just want it to be taken away. But surrendered to God, our weakness is more than replaced and more than erased, they are redeemed.
Mark 6:1-6
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Love requires risk. Risk requires courage.
Many of us make plans. And many of those plans don’t end up working out the way that we had expected. Fortunately, God calls us to be courageous even when things don’t work out as we had expected.
Mark 5:21-43
Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God is in the storm.
There are times when we do everything God has asked us to do…and we still find ourselves in the midst of a storm. In those moments, we are called to resist resentment and embrace courage. In those moments, we are called to run into the storm, confident that God is in the storm.
Mark 4:26-34
Homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Everyday courage simply does what is necessary.
Courage is not merely needed for the big moments of life, but is required for each moment of a life well-lived. Courage is all of the other virtues the moment they are needed the most.
Mark 4:26-34
Homily from The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Do we lack faith? Or do we lack love?
Most people who call themselves Catholic do not believe one of the most central and most powerful teaching in the Church. Is it because they lack hearing? Do they lack the opportunity to know about this teaching? Do they lack faith? Or is something else missing?
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
What is God's deepest secret? What is yours?
What we are is shaped and revealed by what we choose. Who we are is established by relationships.
Matthew 28:16-20
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
Am I willing to use the gifts that God has already given?
At Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and the subsequent gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts glorify the Father and have changed the world. If we were given these gifts, we could also glorify the Father and change the world…but would we?
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Mass of the Ascension of the Lord.
Nice is different than good.
Jesus doesn't call us to simply be "nice people." Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit so that we can be more than we are now...so that we can do more than we can do now. Jesus sends His Holy Spirit so that we can have the strength to be the kind of people who can bear witness to Him and His love in this world. He gives His Spirit so that people can be saved and God can be glorified.
Mark 16:15-20
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Joy is rooted in confidence and comes as a consequence.
We can choose joy only insofar as we can choose the source of our joy. Joy comes as a consequence; it is a fruit. And the depth and permanence of our joy is only going to be as deep and long lasting as what we place our confidence in. Only when we surrender to the love of God can we have a joy that is deeper and more permanent than any amount of suffering that comes from life.
John 15:9-17
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Practice making the promise.
We find ourselves always moving and never done. We have so many options that we experience decision paralysis and subsequent decision dissatisfaction. But we are made for a full life. A full life is only possible when we intentionally limit ourselves by making the decision to love this person or to root ourselves in this place. Ultimately, unless we truly decide to remain in Christ, we will never experience the life we have been made for.
John 10:11-18
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Inclusive means neither passive nor permissive.
To be included is an incredible gift. To be inclusive is powerful. It means more than being “welcome”, it means being radically open and desperately fighting to bring people in. The Church is as inclusive as God’s love. And yet, Jesus is also exclusive in His claim. Jesus has made an exclusive claim about Himself. And if this is true, Jesus has an exclusive claim on us.
John 10:11-18
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.
It is possible to see the miracle and to not be a witness.
It is possible to encounter God and go back to the same life. It is possible to live as if the miracle had never happened. It is possible to say "I believe" and not be a witness. But it is also possible to not see a miracle and still bear witness to Christ by how we live, what we choose, and what we love.
Luke 24:35-48
Homily from the Sunday of Divine Mercy.
Every scar has a story.
Virtually everyone has scars. And every scar has a story. Scars are reminders of our past...they are reminders that won’t go away. And Jesus has kept His wounds in order to help us to never forget His story.
John 20:19-31
Homily from the Mass of the Resurrection of Our Lord.
It means that something more is coming.
Death is final. The death of Christ was thought to be final. But it wasn't the end...it was just the beginning.
John 20:1-9
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.
Peter expected to fight in the Garden, not in the courtyard.
Peter told Jesus that he would die for Him. And he meant it. He just wasn’t ready at the right time.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.
On the night He was betrayed…He gave.
Everything in the Bible leads to the moment of the Last Supper…and leads to every time we are at the Mass.
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
Christianity doesn’t offer comfort. It offers something else.
In our culture today, we are able to avoid thinking of death. But death is the inevitable reality of living. Still, the fact that we will all die is not the problem. The problem is that we pretend that we won’t.
Mark 14:1—15:47
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
A heart that is too soft has to be protected. A heart that is too tough can’t be touched.
What good is it to have a heart that can be hurt by this world? Many choose to numb themselves rather than feel the pain of life. But becoming numb leaves us with a heart that is unable. Unable to feel pain but also unable to feel joy. As Christians, we are called to have a heart like the heart of Jesus: vulnerable and able.
John 12:20-33
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
A hidden heart is a homeless heart.
The people of Israel were brought into exile. It was imposed from the outside. But after King Cyrus game them a way home, many of them chose to live in self-imposed exile. The same is true for all of us who have been exiled by our sin and slavery to death. Jesus has made it possible to step into the light and come home, but many choose to live outside the light...many of us live in self-imposed exile.
John 3:14-21
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
Is the question, “Can I trust God?” Or is the better question, “Can God trust me?"
There is something that all of us discover about ourselves the moment we have a minute of self-reflection: we have the capacity to do the things we hate. In spite of our best efforts and sincere desires to be consistently good, we have this thing in our chests that ought not to be trusted. We have treacherous hearts. And yet, Jesus entrusts His Heart to ours at every Mass.
John 2:13-25
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
Obedience precedes understanding.
We are made for adventure. But adventure means mystery and uncertainty. Often, what holds us back from action is a lack of knowing why. But what if there is a better question than “why?”? What if the adventure of obedience means asking “how?”?
Mark 9:2-10
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
God is not safe, but He is good.
Trust is a challenge for all of us. Trust in God is a battle that every person faces at some point in their lives. Often, we might find is easier to trust God if He were a “tame god”, but He is not. This Lent, our invitation is to not only trust in God’s mercy, but also in His justice.
Mark 1:12-15
Homily from Ash Wednesday.
Return to the Lord with your whole heart.
We are often tempted to run away from God and from difficult moments in life. We might even be tempted to escape from all that has been taken from us over the past year. But to choose to embrace this moment is to choose to embrace the Lord and His Providence.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Every choice comes at a cost.
Looking back, there are some things we could have known. And looking back, there are some things we could never have known. But one thing is unfailingly true when seen through hindsight: every decision comes at a price and every choice has a cost. Making the decision is risky, but there are things that are more important than staying safe.
Mark 1:40-45
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Good times don’t last…and neither do bad times.
One of the many things that life teaches us is that life is always changing. To grow is to change. There are times that are good and there are times that are bad. All of us go through good times and bad times and neither of them are permanent. In both good times and bad, Jesus is Lord and He loves the person in a desperate situation and the person in a bright situation.
Mark 1:29-39
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
I learned, but I didn’t grow.
Knowledge is powerful. Having lived through this past year, and looking back on what we have been through is essential. We can have learned a great number of things over 2020. But unless we are willing to act on that knowledge, hindsight will be powerless.
Mark 1:21-28
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Editing is the enemy of how we remember the story.
We look back so that we can see clearly and learn from our past. But we also have a temptation to edit the story we tell ourselves. We might edit how we tell the story, but we must not edit how we remember the story.
Mark 1:14-20
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We can’t predict The Moment, but we can prepare in the moment before The Moment.
While no one can predict the future, all of us can learn from the past. While none of us can control when the big moments of our lives are going to happen, all of us can choose what we are doing in the moments before The Moment.
John 1:35-42
Homily from the Baptism of the Lord.
At the Incarnation, God joined His divinity to humanity...at the Baptism of Jesus, God identifies with our brokenness.
What difference does the Baptism of Jesus make? It means that God doesn't stay away from our sins, but that He takes them upon Himself.
Mark 1:7-11
Homily from the Mass of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Parents are not powerless.
It can be so easy for parents to feel powerless when it comes to passing on the faith to their families. But there are four powerful tools every parent can employ to help their families become holy families.
Luke 2:22-40
Homily from the Mass of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
Why is He there?
We have become more comfortable with the "completed" past than the unknown future. Rather than desiring to launch into the challenge of the future, many of us have become paralyzed by fear of the future. When we are rooted in the Word of God each day, we become more rooted in God Himself each day. When we are rooted in the Lord, there is no room for fear of the future.
John 1:1-18
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Silence magnifies and waiting purifies.
Waiting is not meant to be wasted. The chance to wait in silence is often given by God to serve a purpose...above all to change our faith into something new.
Luke 1:26-38
Homily from the Third Sunday of Advent.
No one can take from you what doesn’t belong to you.
We all have the temptation to pretend to be someone or something other than we are. To pass ourselves off as someone else…to be an imposter. We do this most often when we know the truth but live in fear of the truth. John the Baptist shows us what it looks like to know the truth and live in the freedom of the truth.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
We can’t go back to the beginning of the story, but we can start where we are and change the ending.
Saint Peter reveals that the Day is coming when The Story will have been written. On that day, everything will be revealed and we will know God’s hidden role in every moment of The Story…and we will know the truth and consequences of our roles in The Story. We will know our legacy.
Mark 1:1-8
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
God will not just get us through this moment…He has brought us to this moment.
Too often, we find ourselves just wanting this moment to be “done." We miss out on the miracle of the moment because we see what is happening as something that is getting in the way of life. But this is life. There is not another one we are waiting for. We need to learn to trust that God is not just going to help us get through this moment, but that He has brought us to this moment.
Mark 13:33-37
Homily from the Solemnity of Christ the King.
What you do with the delay makes all the difference.
We have a destination: to be who we are and to be that well. We have a Roadmap and a Rule of Life. What remains is one last question: Is there any room in your Rule for the Ruler?
Matthew 25:31-46
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What have you done with what you've been given?
No one ever sets out to lose. But losing is entirely possible: in business, relationships, and in the spiritual life. It is possible to lose one’s soul. No one wants to lose, but many people do. Even with a great roadmap, we need regular checkpoints to make sure we are on course and haven’t gone off track.
Matthew 25:14-30
Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Excellence requires making the decision carefully, consistently, and quickly.
The one question that can either deflate or motivate a person is “When?” This question reveals whether our goal is an actual goal or merely a wish. But if we want to escape a life of accidents and craft a life of excellence, we need to make the decision of “when” are we going to choose excellence carefully, consistently, and quickly.
Matthew 25:1-13
Homily from the Solemnity of All Saints.
No one ever accidentally lived on purpose.
No two saints are the same. There is no “cookie-cutter” path to holiness. While there are certain givens that must be present, each person has to assess where they are in their relationship with the Lord in order to know best where to place wise guardrails in their own life.
Matthew 5:1-12
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Holiness isn’t always changing your what as much as changing your why.
Our lives have been reclaimed by Christ and we have become a new creation. Because of this, every moment of our lives can be lived with and for a new purpose. Every moment can be repurposed to be a sacrament, and sacrifice, and an act of surrender.
Matthew 22:34-40
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The roadmap begins with “Who.”
There is one true goal in life: to be a saint. Many of us believe this, but is there a path? Without a plan, we will certainly fail to hit the goal. Without a roadmap, we will spend our time on this planet wandering as if we neither know where we are or where we are going.
Matthew 22:15-21
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are many goods. There is only one best.
Modern indifference is the inability to take joy in in one's situation regardless of the circumstances. It is seeing "no difference" between the awesome and the awful...as well as the awesome alright.
Matthew 22:1-14
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God has made you for freedom from anxiety over the unforeseeable future, the unchangeable past, and your present responsibilities.
Many people are overwhelmed by anxiety. Anxiety over all the things that need to get done and over all that they have been through. But God calls us to have no anxiety at all. And to surrender our past, present, and future to His dominion..
Matthew 21:33-43
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
If you can choose your thoughts you can change your thoughts.
In the garden of the mind, our thoughts are constantly growing. Some we want, others we do not. As the gardeners of our own minds, we must think about what we think about, weed out the thoughts that poison our minds, and allow the Word of God to shape how we look.
Matthew 21:28-32
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It doesn’t matter how long you live. What matters is how you live.
Our lives will magnify (or highlight) something. Will they be so full of nice things that they will miss the most excellent things? Or will we be wise so that, no matter the outcome, Christ will be highlighted?
Matthew 20:1-16
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There is no forgiveness without justice.
Forgiveness is neither excusing nor enabling evil. There is always a debt that needs to be paid…and somebody needs to pay it.
Matthew 18:21-35
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
How do Christians fight?
We all have experienced the temptation to see someone who has failed or someone who has hurt us as a non-person. But taking responsibility for the people in our lives means fighting that temptation. And it means doing what we can to fight for that person.
Matthew 18:15-20
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Am I being conformed or transformed?
Christians must not only live differently in the world, we must look differently at the world.
Matthew 16:21-27
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Church has influence even when it isn’t considered important.
We can often confuse influence with importance; authority with power. But the Church has been given the very influence and authority of Jesus Christ. Even when the world does not listen to the voice of the Church, She still has the influence and authority of Jesus.
Matthew 16:13-20
Homily from the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Faith can only become great when it is tested.
What kind of faith do you want? Faith that makes a difference because it is lived out is the only kind of faith that matters.
>Matthew 15:21-28
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It is one thing to start walking. It is another thing to keep walking.
Distraction is anything that takes our focus away from where it needs to be.
Matthew 14:22-33
Homily from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do I have an attitude of scarcity or an attitude of abundance?
All of us have gifts in our lives and all of us have real struggles in our lives. What weight do we give our blessings and what weight do we give our struggles?
Matthew 14:13-21
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Freedom requires virtue.
The Founding Fathers gave the world a republic that necessitated a people who were virtuous, moral, and religious..
Matthew 11:25-30
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
It is a gift to have something to lose.
Every good thing in our lives comes from Jesus. Since He is the source of everything, He must be more important than anything.
Matthew 10:37-42
Homily from the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You matter to God and you have a job to do.
Jesus tells us to "fear no one." Not because there is no danger, but because He is calling us to not be safe.
Matthew 10:26-33
Homily from the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Eucharist will never be optional...until the day it is no longer an option.
The moment worship becomes about “what I get” it ceases to be an act of love and becomes idolatry.
John 6:51-58
Homily from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
You do not have to know the details of a person’s life to know they are worth loving.
Human worth is rooted in our deepest identity. And our deepest identity comes from being made in God’s image and likeness. And God’s deepest identity is love.
John 3:16-18
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
For the love of God has been poured into our hearts.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so that we could receive the first gift of the Holy Spirit: to know what it is to be loved by the Father.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Ascension of the Lord.
Live the reason.
Return from exile is not about a change in location, it is about a change in vocation. It is less about geography and more about mission. The goal is not Resurrection, the goal is Restoration.
Matthew 28:16-20
Homily from the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Not a habit or a have-to, but the heart is the reason.
At some point, the exile will end. You will be able to go back. But why? What is the reason why you will go back?
John 14:15-21
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Advance boldly into the shadows of uncertainty.
If we are wise, we will think about the future and plan for it. And if we are even wiser, we will be able to let go of those plans when we need to.
John 14:1-12
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Knowing does not equal security.
In a world of insecurity, it is less important to know where one is being lead, and more important to know who is doing the leading.
John 10:1-10
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.
Back to normal might not be what we think.
Our lives can be spent wishing for certain outcomes. But a security built on specific outcomes is a conditional and temporary security. We need true hope to walk in confidence.
Luke 24:13-35
Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday.
In a time of incredible insecurity, we trust in incomprehensible mercy.
We live in an insecure world, but God’s mercy is stable.
John 20:19-31
Homily from Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil.
We profess the faith today so we can persevere in the faith tomorrow.
Christianity is an historical religion that is not based on feelings, philosophies, or myths. It is based on a fact: the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. The one thing that changes everything.
Homily from Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.
Why are we surprised when we discover that “weakness” is actually weak?
Jesus prepared His disciples for His Passion. But they were not ready, because they had not factored in their own weakness. But Jesus had factored it in. It was, in fact, why He entered His Passion.
John 18:1—19:42
Homily from Holy Thursday, the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.
God speaks your true name: "Mine."
Our name is our identity. Christ has covered our given name with His blood. And now we have a new name: we are “His.”
John 13:1-15
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
Jesus has not removed suffering from our lives, He has redeemed the suffering in our lives.
Jesus accomplished the Father’s will in His passion, death, and resurrection. His mission of salvation is “finished.” And yet, Christ’s Body on earth still lives out the mission of Her Head: we are called to unite our sufferings to His for the salvation of the world. And this work — the work He has entrusted to us — remains unfinished.
Matthew 26:14-27:66
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Jesus is the God of the Broken Heart.
Suffering, sickness, and death are devastating. But nothing is worse than losing one’s heart. A broken heart is still home in Jesus’ Heart.
John 11:1-45
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
Real suffering in this world reveals the deeper part of us that has come undone.
God made this world good, but He did not make it unbreakable. This world has come undone, and our sickness and suffering reveals the deeper ways our hearts have come undone.
John 9:1-41
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
You are not fine. You don't have to be.
We live in a world that has come undone with hearts and relationships that have come undone. Jesus comes to that wound to undo what has been undone.
John 4:5-42
Homily from the First Sunday of Lent.
The decision that broke the world.
This world is not perfect. And we are not perfect. But imperfect does not mean unloved.
Matthew 4:1-11
Homily from Ash Wednesday.
Your Father sees you. Your Father hears you.
We all desire to be heard and seen...to know we matter. Jesus reveals that even your actions in secret are known by the Father and they matter to Him.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
If we are going to love like Jesus, we must love differently…we must love defiantly.
The Universe is indifferent to us. People can be vicious to us. The Christian’s response is not indifference nor viciousness. The Christian response is to love in the face of indifference and evil.
Matthew 5:38-48
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God wants you to have a heart like His.
The Sermon on the Mount reveals the truth about our hearts: we need the Law. But God wants us to be free from the Law. Not by abolishing the Law, but by making our hearts like His. We can let Him do this by taking responsibility, taking action, and taking hold of the strength He offers.
Matthew 5:17-37
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Refuse to live as salt and light, and the Father remains unknown, unloved, and unglorified.
God trusts us with being His representatives in this world. He has made us His and He has made us good. But to what end? God has made us good for a purpose. Do we live in such a way that we have been made good for nothing?
Matthew 5:13-16
Homily from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
Unimpressive does not mean unimportant.
Most of life is made up of unimpressive moments and unimpressive seasons. If we are constantly waiting for the next “peak moment“ we will miss out on most of life…and also most peak moments.
Luke 2:22-40
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do not underestimate what God is doing when it seems like God is doing nothing.
There are seasons of silence, and hiddenness, and brokenness in all of our lives. These times are not just useful, they are necessary for us to become the kind of people God needs us to be.
Matthew 4:12-23
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The single unifying principle unites all of the various threads of our life into one whole image.
It is “too little” to remain who you are instead of becoming who God needs you to be.
John 1:29-34
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord.
God will always fulfill His promises. Is that enough?
We know that God is faithful because He has fulfilled what He has promised. But He does not need to do what He has not promised to do.
John 1:1-18
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Emmanuel. God is working with us to save the world.
God does not need us. But He has demonstrated that He does not want to heal, transform, or save the world without our help. He only needs us to be the kind of people who are willing and able.
Matthew 1:18-24
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
To be gripped by God is not supposed to be comfortable.
The Prophet says that the great gift of the Spirit is the fear of the Lord. But what is it?
Matthew 3:1-12
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
We do not know when, but we do know what.
Goodbyes can be painful. But what makes goodbyes even more painful is when we are not ready for the leaving or letting go. The goodness of the goodbye comes down to what we do with the time before goodbye.
Matthew 24:37-44
Homily from the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
Jesus loves you and He hasn’t forgotten you.
It is easy to feel forgotten and forsaken…even by God. But God notices, loves, and remembers you.
Luke 23:35-43
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
If comparison is a thief of joy, then we have to learn how to steal it back.
In the battle to escape the comparison trap, we can become invincible to bad comparison by actively looking for the blessings, giving thanks, and inviting others into celebrating them. Because there are some things worth celebrating.
Luke 21:5-19
Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
We will continue walking through this world in which people are better than us. How can we become invincible to comparison?
Luke 20:27-38
Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What makes them so great? What makes me so awful?
When someone else being honored or loved more than we are meets our insecurity, we are tempted to tell stories…about them and about ourselves. But when we know who we are and are grateful for what we have, we have security. And comparison is powerless.
Luke 19:1-10
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In a life of comparison, every person is a potential threat.
Comparison is the desire to be “more” than another. At the heart of that desire is fear. Vulnerability breaks through that fear.
Luke 18:9-14
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Often, the next hardest step is the next step.
Continuing to walk in the midst of failure, rejection, and imperfection is a sign of a great life. In your life, you will take hundreds of first steps.
Mark 10:2-16
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You just have to start.
The first step is the most difficult…but it is also the most important.
Luke 17:11-19
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
How do you know God loves you? How do you know you are saved? Answer: the sacraments.
The saving work of Jesus was accomplished in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The saving work of Jesus meets our lives and transforms them through the tangible gifts of His love: the sacraments.
Luke 17:5-10
Homily from the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Jesus took from us what was ours so He could give to us what is His.
God’s grace is the cause of our salvation. God’s free gift is what gives us the power to even choose Him or choose to do good works. We do not merely “collect” or “receive” His grace, but we become active participants with Him.
Luke 16:19-31
Homily from the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Jesus took from us what was ours so He could give to us what is His.
When we come face to face with our sin, we realize that we owe a debt we cannot pay. When we come face to face with Jesus, we realize that He paid a debt He did not owe. This is the free gift that saves us from hopelessness: we are saved by grace through faith working itself out in love.
Luke 16:1-13
Homily from the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Jesus saves us from being orphaned or abandoned.
I was saved at my Baptism. I am being saved. I hope to be saved. The Father has adopted us in Christ. And He cannot take it back. But do we live as children of the Father?
Luke 15:1-32
Homily from the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Out of everything in life, Jesus has to be first.
In our lives, we continually divide ourselves and divide our hearts by giving away our small “yesses”. Jesus calls us to experience freedom, joy, and clarity by giving Him our big “Yes” because He is the priority.
Luke 14:25-33
Homily from the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The high price of vanity.
It is easy to think of vanity as nothing more than being conceited or overly concerned about one’s appearance. But the vice of vanity comes at a cost: A person could even find themselves living someone else’s life.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Homily from the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Discipline is the mark of the mature Christian.
We have to do difficult things all of the time. Why do we do them? We do them because we hope. We have the confidence that what we do makes a difference. The hope that, even when discipline becomes difficult, the discipline makes a difference.
Luke 13:22-30
Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
A disciple is a decision-maker.
Faith is more than belief. It “acts”. It can be seen. In fact, what we choose reveals our faith. And our decisions shape our lives, here on earth and in eternity.
Luke 12:32-48
Homily from the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Father has uttered His declaration; we are offered the chance to answer.
All of Christianity comes down to one question: does God have permission to love you?
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Homily from the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Transfer your primary allegiance.
When following Jesus, the first things He invites us to give up are safety and control.
Luke 9:51-62
Homily from Pentecost Sunday.
I know I have what I need.
The promised Holy Spirit gives many gifts, but few are more powerful and profound than the Spirit’s gift of peace.
John 20:19-23
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Failure either gives us clarity and conviction or course correction.
Failure is not final and failure is not fatal. As long as we don’t stop, and as long as we are willing to learn from our failures, they have no power to defeat us but only to educate us and make us better.
John 10:27-30
Homily from the Third Sunday of Easter.
The only way for failure to be final is if you stop.
Even sin is not final if you don’t stop. God has a call for you that is not erased by failure.
John 21:1-19
Homily from Divine Mercy Sunday.
Failure is the one necessary prerequisite for God’s greatest gift.
Many people battle with perfectionism. God’s mercy in the midst of failure is His remedy for the fear that failure is the end.
John 20:19-31
Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
To stand for Jesus is to stand against the world.
If I live in such a way that I merely follow the crowd, I will find myself praising Jesus on Sunday and crying out for His Crucifixion on Friday. This world is a “not friend“ of the Christian. Therefore, we must stand against the world and for Jesus.
Luke 22:14-23:56
Homily from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
There is no need to fear, but there is a need to fight.
Behind enemy lines, we find ourselves in a battle with the Enemy of God. Satan is real and Satan must be resisted. But the Catholic Christian has been given the tools to engage in the fight and thrive with the strength provided by God Himself.
John 8:1-11
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
We have different experiences, but the same enemy.
While all of us struggle with different sins and temptations, we all ultimately have the same enemy: pride. Pride is a chameleon and can disguise itself in many different ways. Ultimately, pride will work to keep you holding onto something other than God and to remain outside the Father’s house. Telling the truth…and hearing the Father’s voice…is the way to let go of what we cling to and come inside.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Homily from the Third Sunday of Lent.
Trained in trust...strengthened through struggle.
God has freely given so much to us…and we are grateful. But why do we still experience the consequences of slavery? God gives us the chance to grow in trust of Him and His love…and He allows us to grow stronger in our ability to walk as His children.
Luke 13:1-9
Homily from the Second Sunday of Lent.
You have to know yourself to say no to yourself.
We are in a battle, but our primary enemy is closer than we might like to imagine. In order to gain true freedom and victory, we have to know this enemy and know when to say no to them.
Luke 9:28-36
Homily from Ash Wednesday.
You are in a fight; what comes next?
For many of us, our default assumption about life is: it’s fine. Even when things are obviously broken, we can pretend that they will “fix themselves.” But Lent reminds us that we are in a battle that won’t be won unless we are ready to engage the enemy who will attack us like our Lord was attacked in the wilderness...behind enemy lines.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Homily from the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What reveals the heart.
We often are a mystery...even to ourselves. But Christians must come to a place of self-knowledge so we can present our true self to the true God.
Luke 6:39-45
Homily from the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
You are loved most when you deserve it the least.
Jesus calls us to love our enemies. But how can we do that when we don’t even love the people we like? When we often don’t effectively love ourselves?
Luke 6:27-38
Homily from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Willing to engage and embrace the realities of life.
Hope is not a “soft” virtue. It is a fighting virtue. Hope is what enables us to live in the present with strength and conviction. It takes hope to take action.
Luke 6:17, 20-26
Homily from the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God is able to make you holy even if He never makes you whole.
There are some things in our lives (our decisions, our wounds, our weaknesses) that we wish and pray were gone. God calls you and I in our weakness; He doesn’t necessarily call us out of our weakness.
Luke 5:1-11
Homily from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Being unqualified does not disqualify when God calls.
There are many people who would look remarkably average on paper. Our stats would reveal that we are unqualified for being a part of God’s great work. But the Lord calls us to the greatest of these: love.
Luke 4:21-30
Homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What great work may God be preparing you for right now?
In Christ, your past might not be the thing that prevent you from being a part of God’s great work… It might be the thing that has prepared you.
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God uses what we have and gives us what we need.
It is often very tempting to forget the heart of God. To forget that He notices us, delights in us, and rejoices in us. When the focus shifts from His love to our insufficiency and feelings of insignificance, He reminds us of the truth.
John 2:1-11
Homily from the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
The Why is a Who.
Jesus is not merely the “reason for the season”… He is the reason for everything.
Luke 2:15-20
Homily from the Second Sunday of Advent.
This might be the end of the dream, but it is not the end of the story.
God has begun a good work in you. In fact, he has begun many “good works.“ Many of them will come to an end, but the truly great work that God has begun is a work that he intends to continue to finish.
Luke 3:1-6
Homily from the First Sunday of Advent.
You will never be ready unless you get ready.
Advent is a season of preparation. We get ready to celebrate the first coming of Christ into this world. We also get ready for His Second Coming at the end of the world…or at the end of our individual lives. During Advent, we get ready to die.
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Homily from the Solemnity of Christ the King.
Don't waste your priesthood.
Jesus is the one eternal High Priest. He has called certain men to participate in His priesthood in a unique way. But He has also extended a share in His priesthood to all believers so that the Father may be glorified and the world redeemed when the sacrifice is offered throughout the world.
John 18:33-37
Homily from the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Not merely witnessing the miracle, but offering the sacrifice.
We have to learn the worship of God in a similar way that we need to learn the Word of God. The more we know What we are doing, Who we are offering, Why it is crucial, and When to focus, the more we will be able to do more than watch…we will be able to worship.
Mark 13:24-32
Homily from the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Offering first-fruits reveals and increases the depth of trust.
The temptation to experience worship as hollow or empty is universal. God’s solution for our hearts is the invitation to offer Him our first-fruits. Sacrifices that are intentional, consequential, and representational have the power to transform our hearts and fill up what might be hollow worship.
Mark 12:38-44
Homily from the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Not to watch, but to worship.
The heart of religion is the worship of God. And the heart of worship is always sacrifice; a gift that is poured out on the altar. Where is your gift being poured out? Where is your altar?
Mark 12:28-34
Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We do not conquer our rivals, we are called out from beneath their power.
The voices around us shape us. Some voices shape us more powerfully and more negatively than others. These rival voices fashion a lens through which we see the world. They can rob us of peace, joy, and Christ place in our heart. But to take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you.
Mark 10:46-52
Homily from the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
What do I have to do to get what I want?
So much of our lives can be marked by the desire to control…or the fear of losing control. The rival of control can dominate. And the trust of praise and surrender can liberate.
Mark 10:35-45
Homily from the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
God has an absolute claim on your heart. What is the reason you won't give it to Him?
There is a clear difference between a reason and an excuse. Excuses are not acceptable answers, but there are times when even “good reasons” fail to be “good enough”.
Mark 10:17-30
Homily from the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There are some relationships that do not tolerate rivals.
There are only two kinds of relationships that get to a point where it is “all…or nothing”: Romantic relationships and our relationship with Jesus. If we say “all”, that carries with it some consequences. Namely, all of our heart must belong to the other.
Mark 10:2-16
